Celebrating 10 years at Tomingley
Image: Tomingley Management Team in May 2022
Ten years of gold production at Tomingley
In 2024, Alkane celebrates its tenth anniversary of gold production at Tomingley Gold Operations in Central West NSW.
After pouring the first gold bar in February 2014, Tomingley has enjoyed a decade of success, meeting or exceeding annual production guidance each year. Resources and reserves have increased ahead of production, extending the mine life beyond the original projection.
We are proud of our achievements at Tomingley and look forward to a thriving future as we extend operations to new orebodies.
Tomingley milestones
Tomingley Gold Project – The early years
Alkane established the Tomingley Gold Project in the early 2000s and won NSW Explorer of the Year in 2004 after discovering the Wyoming and Caloma orebodies near the town of Tomingley. Initial Mineral Resources were announced in 2009 and the project received state development approval in July 2012. The Mining Lease was granted in February 2013.
Official opening & first gold bar poured
After completing construction on-time and on-budget, the Tomingley processing plant commenced operations on 14 February 2014, when the first gold bar was poured. The first pour contained approximately 230 ounces of gold and weighed 8.2kg. The Tomingley gold mine was officially opened on 21 March 2014 by the then NSW Minister for Resources and Energy, Anthony Roberts MP. The plant reached the design throughput rate of 1.2 million tonnes of ore per annum by the end of May 2014.
Mining Operation of the Year
Tomingley was named Mining Operation of the Year at the 2018 NSW Minerals Council Suppliers Awards. Alkane Managing Director Nic Earner said the award was a tribute to the whole workforce and contractors, as well as the operation’s outstanding consultation and integration with the local community.
San Antonio and Roswell discoveries
In 2018, Alkane discovered the San Antonio and Roswell orogenic gold deposits a few kilometres south of Tomingley. These deposits are the foundation of the Tomingley Gold Extension Project, currently underway.
Underground mining commenced
In 2019, Tomingley commenced underground development from within the Wyoming One open cut. After the first blast in January, the orebody was reached in December 2019.
San Antonio and Roswell initial resources
The initial inferred Mineral Resource Estimates for the Roswell and San Antonio deposits were announced in January and April 2020 respectively.
Approval for underground exploration drive to Roswell
In May 2020, the NSW Resources Regulator approved development of an underground exploration drive from the Wyoming One underground operations to the Roswell and San Antonio deposits. The original purpose of the almost-3km drive was to explore the gold corridor from underground.
Farm established
After Alkane purchased the properties required for the Tomingley Gold Extension Project, we engaged the Toongi Pastoral Company (TPC) to manage the agricultural lands. TPC is tasked with improving the productivity of the non-mining land to compensate for the land within the project footprint that will either be temporarily or permanently removed from agricultural production. TPC was formerly a subsidiary of Alkane.
500,000th ounce poured
Tomingley poured its 500,000th ounce of gold in May 2022. This exceeded the original planned production of 380,000 ounces from open cut and underground over seven years. The ability to extend production was underpinned by continued expansion of the resource base.
Women in Mining Awards
Casey Martin, one of our underground bogger operators, was awarded ‘Outstanding Trade, Operator or Technician’ at the 2022 NSW Women in Mining Awards in June. Casey went on to win the ‘Outstanding Australian Tradeswoman, Operator or Technician Award’ at the 2022 Women in Resources National Awards in September.
Approval of the Tomingley Gold Extension Project
The Tomingley Gold Extension Project received development consent from the NSW Minister for Planning in February 2023. This permits Alkane to extend gold mining operations to the San Antonio and Roswell resources to the south of the existing mine. The new mining lease extends the operation beyond 2030.
First ore mined at Roswell underground
The 2,750m exploration drive, commenced in 2020, reached the Roswell deposit in June 2023. This provided a starting point for the Roswell underground development. The first production stope was blasted in April 2024.
Our team at Tomingley
Our team’s hard work and dedication have turned a promising prospect into a successful gold mine that continues to meet or exceed guidance in every year of operation.
We thank our whole team for their incredible efforts, particularly those pictured here who have been at Tomingley since it opened in 2013.
If you’re interested in joining the team at Alkane, visit our careers page to learn more.
Alkane's History
Our company initially listed on the Australian Stock Exchange 50 years ago when Alkane’s primary objective was to search for hydrocarbons in the Sydney Basin. We switched to gold exploration in the late 1970s.
Alkane is now a gold exploration and production company with projects and operations primarily in Central West NSW.
