REACHING GOLDEN HEIGHTS

AUSTRALIAN MINING SPOKE WITH WESTGOLD RESOURCES MANAGING DIRECTOR AND CEO WAYNE BRAMWELL ABOUT HOW THE COMPANY PLANS TO CONTINUE ITS SUCCESS IN THE NEW YEAR.

If there is a company that embodies the success that the Australian gold mining sector has seen in 2024, it's Westgold Resources.

From finalising a multibillion-dollar merger with Karora Resources to delivering strong gold production across its operations, Westgold has had win after win.

Through Karora, Westgold has acquired the Beta Hunt and Higginsville gold mines in the southern Goldfields, allowing Westgold to expand its operational footprint beyond the Murchison region it has operated in for many years.

"We're really excited and proud to put these two businesses together," Westgold managing director and chief executive officer Wayne Bramwell told Australian Mining.

"Through the merger, we have picked up 500-600 employees, two more processing plants, one large underground mine, one small underground mine, and a massive exploration package within Higginsville.

"Karora operated in a very similar manner to us, so putting two businesses together that have a similar culture gives you a good basis to build from." Bramwell described the similarities and differences between the Murchison and southern Goldfields regions within a gold mining context.

"(When) talking about the southern Goldfields, and the Goldfields in particular, there are three main mineralising structures that control the bulk of the gold endowment," Bramwell said.

"The Boulder Lefroy Fault, Zuleika Shear and Speedway Fault all run through the Higginsville package, so that was a real attraction to us. The Murchison probably has an endowment of 30 to 40 million ounces (Moz) of gold and the southern Goldfields is a little smaller than that.