Underground grit meets goldfield ambition as Brightstar powers ahead with drills turning, mills reviving and a 200,000 ounce dream taking shape in WA

A gold developer in Western Australia is pushing ahead with a technically robust, multi-hub production strategy, leveraging its in-house underground mining capability, modular infrastructure design, and aggressive drilling to transform a fragmented portfolio into a scalable mid-tier platform. The target? A 200,000-ounce-per-annum run rate by 2029.

That developer is Brightstar Resources (ASX: BTR), and at the recent RIU Sydney Resources Round-up, managing director Alex Rovira laid out a growth model built around three interconnected hubs—Laverton, Menzies, and Sandstone—with a strong emphasis on technical rigour, grade control, and owner-operated efficiencies.

“We are currently producing about 20,000 ounces per annum, and that’s about to double when Fish underground reaches full flight in July,” said Rovira. “We’ve got over 130,000 metres of drilling budgeted for 2025 and are targeting feasibility-stage development at all three hubs.”

Laverton: High-Grade UGs, Modular Mill Restart

At Laverton, Brightstar operates Second Fortune, a narrow-vein, high-grade underground mine (resource grade: 10.9g/t Au) that has consistently delivered 3.5–4.0g/t production parcels through toll treatment at Mt Morgans. The deposit has 40 years of mining history and is now being mined by Brightstar under an owner-operator model—a key technical differentiator.

Second Fortune is operated with Brightstar’s own underground fleet, personnel, and systems—eliminating contractor premiums, enabling tighter cost control, and improving equipment utilisation. This same model is now being applied at the new Fish underground, which was recently portalled into a historic open pit. Fish has a scoping study production profile of 190kt at 4.4g/t for 27koz, with first ore development underway and stoping set to begin in June 2025.

The DFS, due mid-2025, will define the technical path to restart Brightstar’s Laverton CIL processing plant, expanding it to a 1Mtpa throughput. This upgrade will enable the company to process ore from Fish, Second Fortune, and two large open pit systems—Cork Tree Well and Lord Byron—which hold a combined JORC resource of over 500koz. Metallurgical testing to date has confirmed >90% recoveries via conventional CIL, and haulage is supported by Brightstar’s wholly owned road infrastructure.

Sandstone: Shallow Oxide with Big Mill Ambitions

At the heart of Brightstar’s long-term scale is the Sandstone Hub, home to a consolidated 1.5Moz at 1.5g/t Au resource and supported by significant regional upside. The mineralisation is dominantly oxide and transitional, with 90 percent of the current resource sitting within the top 150 metres.

The geological setting is a structurally complex greenstone terrain, with mineralisation styles including granodiorite-hosted veins (Lords Corridor), BIF-hosted lodes (Indomitable), dolerite-hosted en-echelon veins (Havilah), and gabbro-related intrusive targets (Duplex). Despite the variety, early metallurgical test work across deposits has shown recoveries up to 98 percent, reinforcing suitability for CIL-based flowsheets.

Brightstar is planning a 3Mtpa plant at Sandstone, with a Pre-Feasibility Study (PFS) due in early 2026. The company has modelled annual production potential ranging from 120–160koz depending on head grade and throughput. Internal modelling uses a 90% recovery factor, and a staged development plan is under consideration to blend multiple open pits across a ~70 km radius.

Drilling in 2025 will include 40,000m of infill to convert Lords, Vanguard, and Indomitable to Indicated status, as well as 40,000m of extensional and greenfields drilling, targeting Montague, Bulchina South, West Hacks, and the high-potential Hancocks and Duplex trends. The program will feed into a maiden Ore Reserve, unlocking mill design, tailings configuration, and surface infrastructure planning.

Menzies: High-Grade Historic Field Reimagined

The Menzies Goldfield, located 130 km north of Kalgoorlie, is a high-grade, structurally hosted gold system that has produced over 800,000 ounces historically at an average of 19g/t Au. Brightstar’s current resource is 595koz @ 1.3g/t, focused on Lady Shenton (a shallow open pit with 287koz @ 1.2g/t) and Yundaga underground, where drilling is targeting conversion of Inferred ounces to Measured and Indicated.

The DFS currently underway will assess the viability of mining these deposits and processing ore through third-party mills in the Kalgoorlie region. Discussions are active with several regional operators. Given the modest haul distance and proximity to sealed roads, Brightstar expects to maintain low logistics costs. Mining is anticipated to commence in late 2025.

Engineering Outlook: Opportunities and Interfaces

For engineers and METS practitioners, Brightstar’s integrated execution model creates diverse opportunities:

• Underground operations: ventilation modelling, fleet procurement, narrow-vein LHD systems, ground support optimisation

• Plant engineering: modular plant restart at Laverton (CIL), greenfield 3Mtpa design at Sandstone, gold room and tailings infrastructure

• Resource development: resource-to-reserve conversion, geometallurgical modelling, infill and extensional drilling management

• Open pit design: pit optimisation studies at Lord Byron, Cork Tree, and Sandstone; slope stability and hydrology analysis

• Exploration targeting: structural mapping, high-resolution gravity and magnetics, geochemical program integration

Brightstar’s preference for retaining control over technical decisions—including mining, plant design, and exploration targeting—means early engagement from METS providers and consultants can directly influence design scope and procurement outcomes.

Why It Matters

Brightstar is one of the few junior gold producers in Australia with active underground production, DFS-level development studies, and greenfield mill development plans all running in parallel. Its low-cost acquisitions (2.4Moz acquired at just A$36/oz), strong institutional support, and owner-operator model make it a rare technical story with executional teeth.

“We’ve bought well, now we’re developing well—and aiming to operate even better,” said Rovira.

For geologists, mine planners, engineers, and suppliers who build their reputation on solving real problems in the field, Brightstar’s three-hub strategy offers just the kind of complexity—and opportunity—that keeps the rock rolling.