Bush Diary Archives

2003–2004

Bush Diary 7 July 2004

Oxford Study

Heron is sponsoring a group of 4 MBA students from Oxford University (one of the world's premier business schools) to come to Australia and study the Kalgoorlie Nickel Project. The group (Daniel Dures, Maithilee Shirgaonkar, Le Shay Chong and Alex Hui) brings a diverse range of business experience in the markets of Europe and Asia and an outsider's view on the Kalgoorlie Nickel Project and the laterite business in general. The benchmarking and financial study is being coordinated by Heron's independent director Dr Allan Trench, himself a graduate of the Oxford Business School. The group will be on site in Kalgoorlie for three weeks during July and spend a further 3 to 4 weeks finalizing the study in Oxford.

Photos from recent drilling at Highway

Bush Diary 23–27 June 2003

Mt Dimer-Bungalbin

David, along with consultants Mat Longworth and Shanker Madan, completed a field evaluation for Iron Ore by helicopter at Mt Dimer. The helicopter enabled us to cover a large area quickly, in areas that are quite rugged and difficult to access by vehicle.

Where suitably mineralised sites were identified, follow-up ground-based sampling took place. The aerial reconnaissance identified two excellent Iron Ore occurrences, one in-situ and the second, kanga (near transported and enriched). Several lower priority areas were also identified.

In addition, gold mineralisation identified by competitor companies was appraised on site, and sampling of nickel laterite targets undertaken.

Planning the next location	Sampling an outcrop
Returning to the Helicopter

Bush Diary 17 June 2003

Field Appraisal - Siberia

David and staunch Heron supporter and shareholder Jack Otway went bush as an orientation around Heron's newly acquired Siberia tenements. The area is well serviced with tracks so the nickel laterite mineralisation was easily accessable and clearly evident. The previous tenement holder's attention to rehabilitation of drill sites is considered excellent, with holes plugged and samples removed.

We located a bag farm where bulk samples are stored and, while weathered, will provide sampling material for confirmation of grade and screen upgrade information.

These tenements contain an estimated 7.6 million tonne at 1.27% nickel.

Access Base Line	Sample Bag Farm
Jack Otway	What David Does Best

Bush Diary 26 May 2003

Mineral Patch Hill – Drilling

Alan has been drilling at Mineral Patch Hill now for about two weeks, and should be finished by this weekend. Mineral Patch Hill has one of the largest accumulations of ultramafic rocks in the Eastern Goldfields and Heron believes that if there is to be another Goongarrie discovered, it could well be here. The project is northwest along strike from Gwalia's Coglia Well and Redback's Irwin Hills nickel laterite occurances.

Explorers have, in recent years targeted the area southeast of Mineral Patch Hill for nickel sulphide exploration as well, however open file research has failed to locate any drilling within Heron's tenement (prior to Heron drilling), so the project remains an "unknown quantity" as far as potential for the next Mt Keith goes. Certainly Heron's geochemical suite will include evaluation for this possibility.

The program comprised 1,600 metres of drilling on 1.28 kilometre line spacings with holes 320m apart, reflecting the size of the prospective ultramafic body.

Mineral Patch Hill: Looking west along proposed drill line across colluvial soils with siliceous float derived from ultramafics.

Looking north along the access baseline, refurbishing old grid lines for access.

Bush Diary 24 April 2003

Nils Desperandum – Edjudina

Heron has pegged the Nils Desperandum Gold deposit at Edjudina, 150km north east of Kalgoorlie. Nils Desperandum means "No Surrender" and has previously been held by Gondwana Resources and a small open cut was mined by local tribute miners during the early 1990s and milled at the (now decommissioned) Yarri Battery.

The current in-situ resource has been previously reported as 267,000 tonnes at 2.41g/t Au. This resource will complement Heron's Banjo and Yarri gold deposits nearby.

David pegged the ground without getting any punctures, an unusual feat considering recent form and followed this with a delicious dinner with the Pastoral Manager at Edjudina – thanks to his name sakes Brett and Linda Crook – getting home at midnight, fed and happy. Ian was too stressed to enjoy the footy show while David was out.

Bush Diary 27 February 2003

Regent Resources Limited IPO

Geological reconnaissance fieldwork by David, Alan and consultants is ongoing.

Bardoc Tectonic Zone Project

Strike Oil Shaft at Windanya

The entire project area is characterised by the occurrence of many old prospector gold workings, including some major timbered shafts such as at Windanya (Historical production 25,000t at 18g/t Au). Even though these workings occur in an established gold mining region, many of the workings and the connecting zones along strike have not been fully explored. This is a unique gold exploration opportunity, and is a potential "company maker" project for Regent. Mullock samples have returned assays to 2-3g/t Au.

Regent Resources – Yindarlgooda Dome Project

Queen Lapage pit
overlooking Lake Yindarlgooda

Regent's exploration holdings extend between Carr Boyd in the north and Karonie in the south. The prime target is VMS base and precious metals mineralisation centred on Lake Yindarlgooda. Numerous historical gold workings are also present, including Queen Lapage (Historical production 34,611t at 9.08g/t Au), which has a reported in situ estimated resource of 130,000t at 4g/t Au. The resource is open at depth and along strike to the south.

For the historians, remnants of a Puddler

The Puddler at Lake Yindarlgooda

are located on Lake Yindarlgooda. The puddling method used a circular trough lined with wood palings. A horse attached to a horizontal pole going round and round, dragged harrows through the muddied paydirt. The released gold settled to the bottom and was finally collected by panning.

Bush Diary 18 January 2003

Goongarrie South

RC drilling south of Scotia Dam,
17 January 2003

Alan Rudd is supervising what was supposed to be a small RC drilling program south of Scotia Dam on Walter Williams Formation. Late on day 1, the satellite phone was busy with Alan's news that the program would be extended. It's happening all over again. Good deep Nickel Laterite mineralisation where it wasn't really expected. Looks like the January budget is going to be overrun a little. Another excellent piece of field and drill exploration by Alan, on a target he identified, pegged and then drilled.

Siberia South

With Alan running the drilling, both Dave and Ian have been doing a bit of pegging, extending into the night a couple of times. Dave in particular is providing the Kalgoorlie Beaurepaire Tyre Service with a bonanza month, with an all-time record of three separate punctures in 400 metres of bush bashing.