Financing Update on Cobar Basin
Released
Released
Announcement PDF
ASX Announcement
26 June 2025
ASX: MKR
Financing Update on the Cobar Basin
Silver & Gold Production Strategy
Highlights
•
Independent Technical Due Diligence and Legal Due Diligence completed
and provided to prospective Financiers.
•
Terms Sheets received from multiple parties for the refinancing of existing
debt and funding of the Wonawinta Silver Mine restart.
•
Silver and Gold prices remain strong with current spot prices increasing
the NPV of the Cobar Basin Production Plan to A$153M1.
•
Manuka is currently assessing the feasibility of a cut-back of the Mt Boppy
open pit (Mineral Resource of 0.4Mt at 4.23g/t Au for 53.5koz Gold)2 to
augment and add significant value to the Cobar Basin Production Plan.
Manuka Resources Limited (ASX:MKR, “Manuka” or the “Company”) is pleased to
provide an update on progress of the Company’s Cobar Basin silver and gold
production strategy and the restart of the existing 1Mtpa Wonawinta processing plant.
Background
Manuka recently released a 10-year production plan based on its 100% owned silver
and gold assets located in the prolific Cobar Basin3. The plan comprises the mining
and processing of 10.7Mt containing 19.2Moz of silver plus gold credits (Table 1). The
Production Target is underpinned by 61% Reserves.
The capital expenditure required to bring the Wonawinta processing plant back into
production in Q1 2026 is estimated to be A$18.9M. At an assumed silver price of
A$50/oz and average All-In Sustaining Cost of A$35/oz, the project delivers an
average EBITDA of A$22M per annum at an IRR of 109% and NPV8 of A$101M.
Financing Progress
The Company advises that it is in discussion with financiers to provide funding to
refinance existing debt and bring the Wonawinta processing plant back into production.
Prospective financiers have been provided with independent technical and legal due
diligence reports to support their preparation of terms. To date, terms sheets have been
received from multiple parties by the Company and are under consideration. The
Company aims to reach binding terms on a financing facility early in the third quarter.
The Company further advises that the security shares held by GAM Company Pty
Ltd4 have been purchased by existing shareholder and prominent investor Antanas
Guoga. The associated convertible notes have been extinguished.
1 Cobar Basin Study used pricing of A$50/oz Ag and A$5,000/oz Au, current spot price ~A$56/oz Ag and A$5,125/oz Au
2 ASX Release 25 August 2023
3 ASX Release 29 May 2025
4 ASX Release 29 November 2024
Manuka Resources Limited - Level 4 Grafton Bond Building, 201 Kent St Sydney NSW Australia 2000
ABN 80 611 963 225
Tel 02- 7253 2020
www.manukaresources.com.au
Mt Boppy Gold Mine – Open Pit Cut Back
The Mt Boppy Gold Mine is located 50km east of Cobar and 151km by road to the
Wonawinta processing plant. The Mt Boppy Gold Mine comprises an existing open pit
with a Resources of 0.4Mt at 4.23g/t Au and a collection of mineralised rock dumps
and tailings totaling 2.2Mt at 0.84g/t Au (Table 2). Approximately 0.2Mt from the rock
dumps and tailings (less than10%) is included in the Cobar Basin production plan.
Historically one of New South Wales richest gold mines, Mt Boppy is estimated to have
produced ~500,000 ounces of gold at ~15g/t Au. The existing open pit was last mined
by Manuka in 2021 when ore grading >4g/t Au was extracted and hauled to Wonawinta
for processing. Production was halted after a severe weather event caused flooding in
the pit and instability in the pit wall.
The Company is currently undertaking a re-optimisation and reassessment of open pit
designs to determine the feasibility of recovering the approximately 53.5koz of gold
contained in the existing In Ground Resource. The In Ground Resource remains open
at depth and along strike and is prospective for mineralisation of the tenor historical
mined at Mt Boppy.
The Company aims to report on the result of the re-optimisation and reassessment of
Mt Boppy Gold Mine open pit cut back during the upcoming quarter.
MKR Executive Chairman commented:
“Following the release of our updated Cobar Basin production plan, we have moved
rapidly to enter into productive discussions with a number of prospective funders for
our development strategy. With technical and legal due diligence reports now complete
we are confident of securing a financing facility in the upcoming quarter and bringing
Wonawinta back into production in the new year.
In parallel, we are progressing a study on a cut-back at the Mt Boppy Gold Mine. With
an in-situ gold grade of over 4g/t, the open pit cut back opportunity presents as a
potentially high margin gold operation that will augment, and add significant value to,
our Cobar Basin production plan.
We look forward to providing further updates to the market on our financing progress
and Cobar Basin production strategy in the near future, along with our plans for the reoptimisation of the Mt Boppy Gold Project.”
This announcement has been approved for release by the Board of Directors of
Manuka Resources Limited.
For further information contact:
Dennis Karp
Executive Chairman
Manuka Resources Limited
Tel. +61 2 72532020
Investor Relations
James Moses
Mandate Corporate
Tel: +61 420 991572
Page 2
Table 1: Cobar Basin Production Target
Tonnes
(Mt)
0.2
Waste
(Mt)
-
Ag
(g/t)
-
Ag
(Moz)
0.0
Au
(g/t)
1.1
Au
(koz)
7.3
Wonawinta ROM Stockpiles
0.2
-
60
0.4
0.07
0.5
Manuka Open Pit
1.4
3.4
61
2.7
-
-
Belah Open Pit
1.1
5.5
67
2.4
-
-
Boundary Open Pit
5.5
23.9
54
9.6
-
-
Bimble Open Pit
1.8
9.0
57
3.2
-
-
Pothole Open Pit
0.4
0.9
41
0.5
-
-
Total
10.7
42.7
56
19.0
0.02
7.7
Tonnes Grade
Gold
Source
Mt Boppy Stockpiles
Note: Tonnes and Grade are rounded. Discrepancies in calculated Contained Metal are due to rounding.
Table 2 - Mt Boppy Global Resource by Ore Type
Ore Type
In-ground
Hard Rock
Resource
Classification
Cut-off
Au g/t
Kt
Au g/t
Au Koz
Measured
1.6/3.0
107
5.25
18.0
Indicated
1.6/3.0
158
4.86
24.7
265
5.01
42.7
17
3.90
2.1
282
4.94
44.8
110
2.39
8.5
Mt Boppy South Pit Shell
110
2.39
8.5
In-Ground Resource
392
4.23
53.5
M&I
Inferred
Total Mt Boppy Open Pit
Inferred
Sub-Total
Rock Dumps
1.6/3.0
1.00
Indicated
0.25
867
0.46
12.8
Inferred
0.25
154
0.39
1.9
1,021
0.45
14.7
Total Rock Dumps
Tailings
Indicated
0.25
410
1.08
14.2
Inferred
0.25
706
1.25
28.3
1,116
1.19
42.5
Total Tailings
Stockpiles
Sub-Total
Total
Indicated
0.00
85
1.11
3.0
Inferred
0.00
-
-
-
Total Stockpiles
85
1.11
3.0
Rock Dump, Tails, Stockpiles
2,222
0.84
60.2
Measured
107
5.25
18.0
Indicated
1,520
1.06
51.7
Total M & I
1,627
1.33
69.7
Inferred
987
1.29
40.8
Total Resource
2,614
1.32
110.5
Note: Tonnes and Grade are rounded. Discrepancies in calculated Contained Metal is due to rounding
Page 3
Figure 1: High Grade Open Pit Mining at Mt Boppy by Manuka in 2020-2021.
Figure 2: Long section of the Mt Boppy Open pit looking east.
Compliance Statement
Information that relates to previously reported Mineral Resource Estimates. Production
Targets and Financial Forecasts are from the Company’s ASX announcements noted in
the text of this announcement and are available to view on the Company’s website. The
Company confirms that it is not aware of any new information or data that materially
affects the information included in the original announcements and that all material
assumptions and technical parameters underpinning the estimates in the relevant
announcement continue to apply and have not materially changed.
Page 4
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