On March 5, 2026, Premier1 announced the initiation of comprehensive gravity surveys at its Abbotts North gold project, located in the Murchison region of Western Australia. This strategic program aims to refine the structural understanding of the Rochefort prospect, enhancing the company’s ability to identify priority drilling targets in a region increasingly recognized for its gold potential.
Survey Aims to Enhance Exploration Efforts
The gravity surveys are designed to generate high-resolution geophysical data that will expedite the identification of drill targets at Rochefort. This prospect is situated approximately 20 kilometres north of New Murchison Gold’s significant $700 million Crown Prince project.
At Rochefort, preliminary findings reveal a coherent gold-in-soil anomaly spanning 400 meters by 350 meters. This area has also yielded high-grade rock chip samples, with results reaching up to 11.7 grams per tonne (g/t) of gold. An orientation survey recently completed aims to investigate potential extensions of the anomaly beneath shallow cover, with assay results expected shortly.
The Rochefort prospect is part of the Abbotts greenstone belt, which has historically been underexplored. This belt lies within the same productive corridor that includes the Crown Prince project, which currently boasts an impressive 277,000 ounces of gold at a remarkable average grade of 3.8 g/t.
Strategic Importance of Rochefort
Paul Smith, the exploration manager at Premier1, emphasized the significance of the gravity survey, stating, “The commencement of the gravity survey marks an important step in progressing Rochefort towards maiden drill testing. Rochefort displays all the classic signatures of a significant gold system.”
Rochefort is located within extensively altered quartz dolerites, which are known for producing substantial gold yields in conjunction with tightly folded ultramafic rock sequences. Although the surface footprint of Rochefort is relatively small, it demonstrates potential comparable to early-stage anomalies found in high-grade deposits like the Golden Mile, Rosemont, and Paddington mines.
The Abbotts North project itself lies 35 kilometres north of Meekatharra, an area that has a rich mining history. Previous mining activities just 5 kilometres from the Abbotts centre yielded exceptional results, with approximately 41,000 ounces of gold extracted at an average grade of 31 g/t from shallow quartz reefs. Despite this, much of the broader belt has seen minimal modern exploration, with past efforts primarily limited to reconnaissance, soil sampling, and minor rotary air blast drilling.
The limited exploration has left key structural corridors within the project largely untested at depth, presenting a unique opportunity for Premier1 to uncover new gold deposits.
In addition to the Abbotts North project, Premier1 is advancing its exploration efforts at the Yalgoo gold project in southwestern Western Australia. The company is currently executing reverse circulation (RC) drilling programs, with approximately 3,700 meters of drilling set to take place at the Mt Kersey gold prospect. This area represents one of the last remaining gold targets within the West Australian Yalgoo greenstone belt that has seen minimal exploration.
With the gravity survey underway, assay results on the horizon, and initial drilling anticipated soon, Premier1 is poised to reinvigorate exploration efforts in a region of Western Australia rich in gold discovery potential.
