# Locksley Resources Accelerates NSW Copper-Gold Drilling Campaign Company pivots from US assets to focus on Australian copper-gold exploration. - **Source:** [Sydney Morning Herald - Business](https://www.smh.com.au/rss/business.xml) - **Published:** 2026-10-21 - **Topic:** [Business](https://brifing.si/c/business) - **Original article:** - **On Brifing:** https://brifing.si/s/3dcde73a-167f-457d-b485-428c9f469783 ## Strategic Pivot to Australia Locksley Resources has shifted its operational focus from US critical minerals to the 1000-square-kilometre Greater Tottenham district in New South Wales. This decision follows a strategic review prompted by a 57 percent collapse in antimony prices and insufficient project scale in California, leading the company to consolidate its resources on home soil. ## Operational Hub Established The company has launched a local operations base at Tottenham to manage core processing, sampling, and logistics. Geologists are currently conducting a systematic review of diamond core samples from over 70 historical holes. This deep dive into decades of data aims to refine drill targeting before the 15,500-metre campaign officially commences. ## Resource Base Expansion The Greater Tottenham project currently holds 9.86 million tonnes at 0.73 percent copper, 0.22g/t gold, and 2g/t silver. Locksley recently expanded its portfolio by securing an option on the Iron Duke project, which adds 1.3 million tonnes at one percent copper and 0.6g/t gold to its total inventory of mineral assets. ## Iron Duke Drilling Plans Permitting for a 5500-metre drilling program at Iron Duke is well advanced with the NSW Mines Department. The plan involves 28 drill pads designed to test a 100 to 150-metre gap in known mineralisation. Previous rock chip sampling at this site returned high-grade values, including 26.1 percent copper and significant gold intercepts. ## Carolina and Regional Exploration Beyond Iron Duke, Locksley is designing a 10,000-metre program for the Carolina and Mount Royal-Orange Plains prospects. These efforts target sparsely drilled areas to identify extensions of high-grade mineralisation. Metallurgical sampling has already begun using fresh sulphide material collected from historical drill core to support the company’s ongoing technical evaluation process. ## Geological Baseline Development The company is finalizing an independent mineral resource estimate for the Tottenham and Iron Duke prospects. This report will serve as a critical geological baseline for future resource growth drilling. By integrating historical data with new metallurgical insights, Locksley aims to validate the potential of the broader Girilambone Basin region. ## Regional Geological Context The project sits within the resource-rich Lachlan Fold Belt, a region known for hosting significant copper and gold operations. Nearby major sites include the Cobar mining district, the Tritton mine, and the Mineral Hill mine. This location provides a proven geological environment for Locksley to pursue its district-scale copper-gold exploration strategy. ## Transition to Execution Phase Locksley has successfully moved from boardroom strategy to active field execution. With an operations base running, historical data being re-logged, and drill contracts nearing finalization, the company is prioritizing the drill bit. This shift marks a clear path forward as they transition away from early-stage US exploration toward Australian production. ## Sources covering this story - https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/locksley-gears-up-for-major-nsw-copper-gold-drilling-push-20261021-p617jn.html?ref=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss_business — --- _Summary written by Brifing from the original reporting. Copyright in the original article belongs to its publisher; read the full piece at the link above._