Applications for Round 34 of the Western Australian Government’s Exploration Incentive Scheme (EIS) are set to close at 4pm AWST this Friday (28 August).
Round 34 of the EIS co-funded exploration drilling program opened on 3 August to support both greenfield and brownfield mineral exploration efforts.
Co-funding will be available for selected resources companies to test new geological concepts, target underexplored areas, and help unlock the next generation of discoveries.
Over the 2025–26 financial year, companies funded by the EIS program made manganese and antimony discoveries, which the Western Australian government says demonstrate the “value of this investment and the role of EIS drilling in supporting new discoveries”.
Minister of Mines, Petroleum and Exploration Daniel Pastorelli says the EIS program has remained one of Western Australia’s “most important tools for encouraging responsible exploration investment, supporting regional jobs, and strengthening the state’s pipeline of future resource projects”.
“We see continued success from the EIS, and that’s why the Cook Labor Government made an election commitment in 2025 to increase the annual EIS budget to $18 million per year,” Pastorelli says.
“For example, in May this year more than $7 million was allocated to 46 successful applicants, continuing to drive exploration success across a wide range of commodities and geological settings.”
In early July, Black Canyon (ASX:BCA) was awarded two grants under the scheme, valued at $84,800 for a gravity survey and $180,000 for reverse circulation (RC) drilling at the Wandanya Project in the Pilbara.
Earlier this month, Black Canyon returned further manganese and iron continuity from infill drilling. These findings followed around 17,200m of resource definition and expansion RC drilling across 644 holes, as reported.
Black Canyon is a mineral explorer and developer focused on manganese and iron resources in the Pilbara region of Western Australia.
Drilling brownfields in Western Australia
One brownfields-focused explorer operating in Western Australia is Evergold Minerals (ASX:EG1).
The company is focused on unearthing value in the state’s Goldfields region with multiple assets.
The company’s exploration portfolio includes the Mt Monger Gold Project and the Bynoe Project, led by its Leonora Gold Project.
Evergold acquired the Leonora Gold Project in May 2025. The project is located just 8km from the 4.2-million-ounce King of the Hills processing facility, which is now operated by Vault Minerals (ASX:VAU).
The Leonora Project has a JORC-compliant inferred resource of 63,000 ounces of gold and offers haul-road access with a “clear pathway to toll-treatment or standalone development”, the company says.
Historical ‘high-grade’ intercepts from the project include 5m @ 57.9 grams per tonne gold (Au) from 52m; 4m @ 12.4g/t Au from 68m; and 1m @ 36.1g/t Au from 94m.
Over at the Mt Monger Project, Evergold began a 13,000m aircore drilling campaign last month, as reported.
This ongoing campaign follows a maiden RC drilling program at the Duchess of York prospect.
Drilling at Mt Monger is targeting shallow extensions and parallel lodes within approximately 60m of surface, which were defined by the maiden program.
Also in the Goldfields, Mt Malcolm Mines (ASX:M2M) is focused on its Golden Crown prospect.
As reported by Mining.com.au last month, the company was preparing a 2,000–2,500m RC drilling campaign, covering around 25 drill holes.
The Golden Crown prospect sits within the Mt Malcolm Gold Project, which overlies a 30km strike segment of the Keith-Kilkenny tectonic zone.
Mt Malcolm believes the project has the potential for the discovery of economic gold deposits, based on the numerous shallow historical workings at the project.
This tenement holding is divided into nine major prospect areas, with the Golden Crown prospect falling within the Malcolm Dam area.
The nine prospect areas have been consolidated from 151 tenements comprising 122 prospecting licences, 21 prospecting applications, two mining leases, three mining lease applications, and three exploration licences.
Meanwhile, in the Yilgarn Craton, Golden Horse Minerals’ (ASX:GHM) ongoing drilling campaign at the Hopes Hill deposit is keeping the “gold streak running”.
Golden Horse reported ‘significant’ gold results earlier this week, including 16.6m @ 3.4g/t Au from 392.4m, including 5m @ 9.9g/t Au from 399m at hole 26HHDD031.
This intersection sits approximately 290m below surface and represents an 80m up-dip extension from previously reported hole 26HHRCD077.
Golden Horse currently has two diamond drill rigs and one RC drill rig operating at its Hopes Hill deposit. The second diamond rig is scheduled for demobilisation following the completion of an expedited program targeting the emerging zone.
The company has also scheduled aircore drilling across multiple prospects within Hopes Hill, with a maiden resource estimate to follow further drilling.
Write to Maddison Elliott at Mining.com.au
Images: Western Australian Government & Evergold Minerals
