Western Yilgarn (ASX:WYX) progresses gallium exploration across key Western Australian projects

Western Yilgarn (ASX:WYX) has advanced its strategic push into critical minerals, with planning now underway for ground exploration targeting high-grade gallium mineralisation at the Ida Holmes Junction and New Norcia Projects in Western Australia.

The initiative strengthens the company’s positioning in the rapidly evolving gallium market, a metal increasingly vital to semiconductor production and green energy technologies.

Highlights

• Ground exploration planning initiated at the Ida Holmes Junction Project, following up high-grade gallium zones identified in June 2025.

• Multiple mineralised zones delineated within exploration licences E36/1020 and E36/1080, approximately 21 kilometres apart.

• Rock chip assays returned exceptionally high results, including:

  • 195.5 g/t Ga (262.79 g/t Ga₂O₃)

  • 146.0 g/t Ga (196.25 g/t Ga₂O₃)

  • 135.5 g/t Ga (182.14 g/t Ga₂O₃)

• Gallium mineralisation remains open in all directions, indicating scope for expansion.

• Exploration licence granted over the New Norcia Gallium–Bauxite Project (E70/6705), within the Darling Range Bauxite Mineral Field.

• Historical aircore drilling at New Norcia includes intersections up to 9 metres at 110.28 g/t Ga₂O₃ from surface.

Gallium focus builds on bauxite platform

Western Yilgarn’s latest move follows a series of exploration milestones that have progressively expanded its exposure to gallium and bauxite across Western Australia.

The company’s earlier work at Ida Holmes Junction identified extensive gallium-rich bauxite horizons, positioning the project as an early-stage but promising addition to Australia’s critical minerals landscape.

The Ida Holmes Junction Project, located within the northern Yilgarn Craton, is notable for its multiple zones of gallium enrichment hosted within lateritic profiles.

The mineralisation remains open along strike and at depth, providing strong geological rationale for ongoing fieldwork.

At the same time, the recently granted New Norcia tenement represents a complementary opportunity within the Darling Range, an established bauxite province that already supports several alumina operations.

Western Yilgarn’s dataset from New Norcia includes historical drilling results highlighting shallow, high-grade gallium intersections coincident with bauxite horizons, an association that continues to attract industry interest.

Non-Executive Director Pedro Kastellorizos said

“We have commenced a systematic exploration planning program targeting high-grade gallium mineralisation across both the Ida Holmes Junction and New Norcia Projects in Western Australia. Field activities are expected to commence later this month, with helicopter-borne reconnaissance planned to follow up the high-grade gallium mineralisation previously delineated at Ida Holmes Junction.”

Broader exploration and resource context

Gallium has gained prominence in recent years as governments seek to secure supplies of metals crucial to advanced electronics, photovoltaic cells, and energy-efficient semiconductors.

Western Yilgarn’s focus aligns with this global trend, leveraging its established bauxite resource base to potentially deliver gallium as a co-product.

The company’s broader portfolio already hosts an inferred bauxite resource totalling 205 million tonnes at an average grade of 34.1% Al₂O₃, spread across the Julimar West, Cardea 2, and Cardea 3 projects.

This foundation underpins the company’s technical expertise in lateritic systems — a knowledge base now being applied to gallium exploration.

Western Yilgarn’s systematic exploration approach across Ida Holmes Junction and New Norcia demonstrates a measured progression from discovery to definition.

With both projects in granted tenure and supported by a strong geological dataset, the upcoming fieldwork will aim to map the extent of gallium mineralisation and assess its continuity across multiple zones.

As gallium continues to emerge as a strategic material in the clean energy and semiconductor supply chain, Western Yilgarn’s early-mover position within Western Australia’s bauxite belts positions it to play an active role in this developing market.

The company’s next phase of exploration results will be closely watched for confirmation of scale and continuity within these promising systems.