Open Pit Extensions

Innes Mills

MP4 proposes a further extension to the north, east and west of the Innes Mills Pit to enable the recovery of gold bearing ore. The proposed extensions will result in an overall increase to the Innes Mills Pit footprint of approximately 49 ha.

The key activities required to facilitate the full mining of Innes Mills are:

• Realignment of Macraes Road;
• Relocation of all SP11 and SP10 tailings and up to 30m in height off the top of the MTI tailings;
• Electricity infrastructure upgrades and realignments to facilitate connection to an upgraded 66 kV line
• Relocation of the Open Pit Workshop;
• Wildlife monitoring, salvage and translocation (as required);
• Haulage of waste to nearby existing waste rock stacks;
• Haulage of ore to the Processing Plant; and
• Rehabilitation and closure.

To enable the extension of Innes Mills Pit, we will realign Macraes Road to the south, over the Frasers Tailings Storage Facility (FTSF) embankment. 

Coronation and Coronation North

The Coronation and Coronation North Pits are currently used as temporary water storage reservoirs as part of the Macraes Water Management System (MWMS).

The proposed Coronation Stage 6 – 8 Pits (CO6, CO7, CO8) consist of an approximately 560 m expansion to the southeast. The currently permitted Coronation Stage 5 (CO5) Pit has a footprint of 85 ha. The proposed extension to the Coronation Pit will result in an overall increase to the pit footprint of approximately 40 ha, increasing the total pit footprint to approximately 125 ha – an increase of 47%.

The proposed Coronation North Stage 6 Pit (CN6) consists of an approximately 205 m expansion to the southeast and the development of the Trimbells waste rock stack.

The currently permitted Coronation North Stage 5 (CN5) Pit has a footprint of 40 ha. The proposed extension to the Coronation North Pit will result in an overall increase to the pit footprint of approximately 17 ha, increasing the total pit footprint to approximately 57 ha – an increase of 43%.

The Coronation and Coronation North Pit extensions involve:

• Wildlife monitoring, salvage and translocation (as required);
• Dewatering of the existing pits and mining of the pit extension;
• Haulage of waste to waste rock stacks, and partial backfilling of both pits;
• Haulage of ore to the Processing Plant along the Coronation haul road; and
• Rehabilitation and closure.

Golden Bar

The proposed Golden Bar Pit extension consists of an approximate 340 m expansion to the east and northeast. The current Golden Bar Pit (already partially rehabilitated in 2012) has a footprint of 14 ha.

The Golden Bar pit was mined from 2004 – 2006 and has been partially rehabilitated to form a pit lake that is currently discharging water to a tributary of Murphys Creek, locally known as Golden Bar Creek.

The proposed extension to the Golden Bar Pit will result in an overall increase to the pit footprint of approximately 15.2 ha increasing the total pit footprint to approximately 29.2 ha – an increase of 109%.

The Golden Bar Pit extension involves:

• Wildlife monitoring, salvage and translocation (as required);
• Establishment of temporary support infrastructure;
• Recommissioning of a private haul road;
• Dewatering of the existing Golden Bar Pit and mining of the pit extension;
• Expansion of the existing Golden Bar Waste Rock Stack (“GBWRS”); and
• Rehabilitation and closure.

Approximately two years prior to commencement of mining, Golden Bar Pit lake water is intended to be pumped from the pit and either:

• Pumped to Frasers Tailings Storage Facility via a temporary pipeline installed adjacent to the Golden Bar haul road for reuse in the MWMS; and/​or
• Discharged to Golden Bar Creek, subject to stream hydrology and compliance with instream water quality criteria.

At all sites, operational water from storm water runoff or groundwater ingress will be used in the MWMS or pumped into the silt control structures and stored prior to discharge in accordance with silt pond discharge permits.