Four years to one million ounces: Great Boulder Resources’ Side Well story

Building a resource from the ground up

Great Boulder Resources is a gold explorer and developer focused on projects in the Meekatharra region of Western Australia.

Its flagship Side Well Gold Project began as a greenfields exploration opportunity. Since then, a sustained drilling program has uncovered several new discoveries and established a resource base of 1.02 million ounces.

At the centre of the project is the combined Mulga Bill and Eaglehawk deposit, which extends across three kilometres of strike and has the potential to become one of the region’s larger gold deposits.

Reaching the million-ounce mark reflects years of technical work, persistence and steady progress. For the Great Boulder team, it also reinforces the value of continuing to test areas where earlier exploration may have been limited.

Peak Hill deal moves the company from discovery towards development

The recent acquisition of the Peak Hill Gold Project from Westgold Resources has increased Great Boulder’s resource endowment to 1.5Moz and provided a solid basis for low-capex mine development. The Peak Hill project includes gold resources on granted mining leases, a Mining Agreement with the Jidi Jidi Aboriginal Corporation and an Ore Purchase Agreement to process ore at one of Westgold’s nearby mills.

Great Boulder has established an exploration team on site to complete a 40,000m extensional drilling program this year in preparation for mine studies and approvals in 2027. The last mining at Peak Hill was completed in 1997, and Great Boulder considers the project to have excellent potential for resource expansion and new discoveries in the current gold price environment.

While this work is underway the company aims to grow the Side Well resource to at least 1.5 million ounces before beginning detailed mining studies, with potential to bring the Ironbark deposit at Side Well into production shortly after Peak Hill.

Sharing knowledge across the region

Great Boulder takes a collaborative approach to exploration, particularly when working alongside neighbouring companies in the Meekatharra region.

The company shares regional exploration data and geological knowledge where possible, recognising that a better understanding of the wider district can benefit everyone working there. It also supports industry networks such as the Perth-based Exploration CEO Network.

That willingness to collaborate is one of the reasons Great Boulder sees a natural fit with the Gold Industry Group. Through its membership, the company hopes to exchange ideas with other explorers, producers and service providers while contributing its own experience of building a resource from early-stage discoveries.

The company also supports the Laverton Cycling Project and is looking to expand its involvement in community initiatives, particularly within the Meekatharra region as its activity there grows.

For the Great Boulder team, one of the defining qualities of the gold industry is its ability to solve difficult problems. Scientific expertise, practical thinking and a strong willingness to share knowledge have all played a role in the progress made at Side Well.

The Gold Industry Group warmly welcomes Great Boulder Resources and looks forward to following the next stage of the Side Well story as the company works towards a larger resource and a pathway to production.

To find out more about Great Boulder, please visit greatboulder.com.au