Last ore hauled from our Dargues Mine

On Tuesday 30 July, the last ore from our Dargues Mine was hauled to the surface and trucked to the site’s plant for processing.

It signalled the imminent end of production at Dargues and the conclusion of our mining operations on site. Following processing of the ore and shipment of the final concentrate, the site will transition to care and maintenance, rehabilitation and closure.

In support of our Cobar Region strategy, equipment and our invaluable workforce where possible, will transition to operations in the Cobar region. Take our underground loader, UL127 (pictured here) for example. It’s been with us since our Dargues operations began and will be relocated to Cobar.

Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Bryan Quinn spoke about operations ending at Dargues and reflected on the highlights of our tenure.

“When I think about what our Teams achieved at Dargues, a standout for me was their consistent and unrelenting pursuit of health and safety outcomes. This culminated in the operation recording a 12-months injury free record at 30 June 2023, reducing the TRIFR at Dargues to zero for FY23.

“Our support of the Braidwood, Araluen and Majors Creek communities during our operation is also inspiring. Over A$131 million was injected into the economies through the procurement of local goods and suppliers and prioritising local employment. And a further A$1 million was provided for community contributions and donations, including through our highly successful Community Grants Program,” Bryan said.

“The teams at Dargues had an incredible run to the finish. Record mining and milling volumes were achieved in FY23, with increased production rates continuing in FY24 having a significant positive impact on the cash flow for our business. In total, since acquiring Dargues in December 2020, over 1.3Mt of ore was mined, producing over 130,000oz of gold in concentrate to 31 July 2024.

“And finally, we are pleased to confirm our combined activities at Dargues generated more than A$11 million in royalty payments to the NSW government.

“We now move into care and maintenance, rehabilitation and closure at Dargues. Our teams will approach these commitments and activities with the same dedication and professionalism that characterised our operations.

“I want to take this opportunity to extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to everyone at Aurelia who has worked at or for our Dargues operation. I extend a special thanks to our people who have committed to remain at Dargues for the care and maintenance, rehabilitation and closure activities who will no doubt help us ensure a strong finish for Dargues,” Bryan concluded.