Manuka's Cobar Basin Silver and Gold Production Assets
Released
Released
Announcement PDF
ASX Announcement
26 September 2025
ASX: MKR
Manuka’s Cobar Basin Silver & Gold Production Assets
Restart plans for 100% owned Processing Plant on track
against a backdrop of record silver and gold prices
Manuka Resources Limited (ASX:MKR, “Manuka” or the “Company”) is pleased to provide an
update regarding financing for the restart of silver and gold production at the Company’s existing
1Mtpa Wonawinta Processing Plant located in the prolific Cobar Basin, NSW (Figure 1).
•
The Company has received a binding offer1 for a new debt facility from an
Australian non-bank lender to refinance the Company’s existing senior debt
facility and support the restart of the Wonawinta Processing Plant.
•
The Company aims to finalise negotiations of the new debt facility and
execute binding documents over the coming quarter and restart production
at the Wonawinta Processing Plant in the first quarter of 2026.
•
Sensitivity analysis has shown that for every 10% increase in the silver price
above the assumed A$50/oz, Project NPV increases by A$43M. Silver is
currently trading at ~A$68/oz (36% above the assumed price)2.
•
Manuka’s Cobar basin assets include the shallow (<60m) Wonawinta silver
resource comprising 38.3Mt at 41.3g/t Ag containing 51Moz silver3.
•
The Wonawinta deposit is open along strike and at depth with previous
drilling by the Company intersecting base metals sulphides down dip4
•
Onsite infrastructure at Wonawinta includes a 1Mpta processing plant, camp
accommodation, airstrip, administration offices and tailings storage facility,
allowing for fast tracked production.
•
Manuka also owns 100% of the Mt Boppy gold project (151km by road from
the Wonawinta Processing Plant) with an Open Pit Probable Gold Reserve
of 290kt at 4.2g/t Au containing 39koz gold and a stockpile and tailings
Resource of 2.2Mt at 0.84g/t containing 60koz of Gold5
•
To support the refinance process, the existing senior debt facility of
US$12,416,132 has been assigned from TransAsia Private Capital to a unit
trust comprising existing significant (non-related party) shareholders (the
“Unit Trust”) and concurrently the maturity date has been extended by 6
months to March 2026 (which is expected to be sufficient time to complete
the refinance). Manuka will pay market related fees and expenses to the Unit
Trust in consideration for the maturity date extension.
1 The offer remains subject to further negotiation and there is no certainty that a binding agreement will be executed.
2 ASX Release 30 May 2025
3 ASX Release 1 April 2021
4 ASX Release 1 June 2021
5 ASX Release 29 July 2025
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
Manuka Resources Limited (ASX:MKR, “Manuka” or the “Company”) has released a
10-year production plan based on its 100% owned silver and gold assets located in the
prolific Cobar Basin6. The Cobar Basin Production Target comprises the mining and
processing of 10.9Mt containing 19.0Moz silver and 47koz of gold.
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$101M2.
Additionally, Manuka has released a Maiden Mt Boppy Open Pit Probable Gold Reserve
of 290kt at 4.2g/t Au containing approximately 39,000oz gold7. Upon execution, the
Open Pit cutback would add NPV8 of A$43.2M to the Project at an assumed gold price
of A$5,000/oz. Gold is currently priced at A$5,700/oz.
Figure 1: Location Wonawinta and Mt Boppy Projects within the Cobar basin MKR
6
7
ASX Release 30 May 2025
ASX Release 5 August 2025
Executive Chairman commented:
“I am very pleased to see the assignment of the existing debt facility and security
package to a Unit Trust structure comprising existing Manuka shareholders, all with the
common objective of seeing the Company return to production in the near term and take
advantage of historic gold and silver prices.
Execution of a Restart Financing solution is the next step and one we expect to deliver
upon over the coming quarter. We look forward to providing further updates to the
market in due course.”
BurnVoir Corporate Finance is advising the Company on the Restart Financing for the
Wonawinta Processing Plant.
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
Compliance Statement
Information that relates to previously reported Mineral Resource Estimates, Ore
Reserves, 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.
Table 1: Cobar Basin Production Target i,ii
Tonnes
(Mt)
Waste
(Mt)
Ag
(g/t)
Ag
(Moz)
Au
(g/t)
Au
(koz)
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
-
-
Mt Boppy Stockpiles
0.2
-
-
0.0
1.1
7.3
Mt Boppy Open Pit
0.3
7.0
-
-
4.2
39.0
Total
10.9
49.7
56
19.0
0.02
46.8
Source
Table 2: Cobar Basin Ore Reservesiii,iv
Tonnes
(Mt)
Ag
(g/t)
Ag
(Moz)
Au
(g/t)
Au
(koz)
Probable – Wonawinta In-Situ Deposits
6.2
56.4
11.2
-
-
Probable – Wonawinta Stockpiles
0.2
60
0.4
0.07
0.5
Probable – Mt Boppy Stockpiles
0.2
-
-
1.1
7.3
Probable – Mt Boppy Open Pit
0.3
-
-
4.2
0.4
Total
6.9
52
11.6
0.2
8.2
Reserve Category
Table 3: Wonawinta In-Situ Mineral Resource Estimatev
Tonnes
(Mt)
Ag
(g/t)
Ag
(Moz)
Pb
(%)
Pb
(kt)
Measured
1.1
47.3
1.7
0.7
7.5
Indicated
12.3
45.5
18.0
0.8
102.8
Inferred
24.9
39.0
31.3
0.4
96.9
Total
38.3
41.3
51.0
0.5
207.2
Resource Category
Table 4: Wonawinta Stockpiles Mineral Resource Estimate vi
Tonnes
(Mt)
Ag
(g/t)
Ag
(Moz)
Au
(g/t)
Au
(koz)
Measured
0.1
61
0.3
0.03
0.1
Indicated
0.1
58
0.1
0.16
0.4
Inferred
-
-
-
-
-
Total
0.2
60
0.4
0.07
0.5
Resource Category
Table 5: Mt Boppy Open Pit Resourcevii
Tonnes
Category
(kt)
Au
(g/t)
Au
(koz)
Measured
167
4.01
22
Indicated
165
4.24
22
Inferred
-
-
-
Total
333
4.12
44
Table 6: Mt Boppy Mineral Resource Estimate – Rock Dumps, Stockpiles & Tailingsviii
Tonnes
Au
Au
Source
(kt)
(g/t)
(koz)
Measured
-
-
-
Indicated
1,362
0.69
30.0
Inferred
860
1.09
30.2
Total
2,222
0.84
60.2
Note: Tonnes and Grade are rounded. Discrepancies in calculated Contained Metal are due to rounding
i ASX Release 30 May 2025
ii ASX Release 5 August 2025
iii
ASX Release 30 May 2025
iv ASX Release 5 August 2025
v ASX Release 1 April 2021
vi ASX Release 30 May 2025
vii ASX Release 5 August 2025
viii ASX Release 30 May 2025
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