Native Mineral Resources Holdings Ltd. (NMR) has restarted mining operations at its Blackjack site in northern Queensland, marking an operational milestone for the company.
Following a planned pause in mining activities since October 2025 to facilitate further geological modelling and pit optimisation, full-scale operations resumed on April 9.
Drill and blast activities are now well underway at the Blackjack South open pit, with ore already being delivered to the run-of-mine (ROM) pad.
The company has maintained a strong operational pace, completing four successful blasts at the site since the beginning of the year, with another scheduled for April 14.
NMR CEO Blake Cannavo said: “During the mining pause since October 2025, we have been highly productive, completing extensive RC drilling, updating our geological models and refining our pit designs across Blackjack, Podosky and Far Fanning to position NMR for improved operational performance.
“Beyond near-term production, we continue to advance our approvals, infrastructure and expansion workstreams, and remain focused on building the structured, multi-deposit mining pipeline and plant throughput growth that underpins NMR’s long-term strategy.”
The company expects a progressive improvement in plant feed grade and gold production as freshly mined, higher-grade ore displaces the lower-grade stockpile material that has sustained the Blackjack processing plant during the mining suspension.
Since recommencing operations in mid-July 2025, the plant has milled approximately 153,000 tonnes of ore. NMR has produced approximately 2,400 ounces of gold as of the most recent smelt on April 8.
Operations are also expanding to the Podosky site, where establishment is slated to begin on April 20. Mining at Podosky is targeted for late April, with the first haulage of ore to the Blackjack ROM pad expected shortly thereafter.
Beyond immediate production, Native Mineral Resources is advancing its long-term development pipeline.
A drilling program has commenced at the Far Fanning deposit, with results expected to inform an updated mine design by late July, ahead of a planned mining commencement in the second quarter of 2027.
Additionally, the company is conducting extensive sterilisation drilling at Blackjack to support future infrastructure, including a new tailings storage facility.
These developments are central to NMR’s strategy of building a structured, multi-deposit mining portfolio to drive sustained growth in plant throughput.
