ASX-listed Adelong Gold and fellow listed company Great Divide Mining (GDM) have celebrated the first gold pour at their joint venture (JV) Challenger gold mine, in southern New South Wales, Australia.

This achievement follows several months of recommissioning and progressive restart works by project operator GDM, which mobilised specialist contractors and reactivated the gold recovery plant at the site using a gravity recovery process with no cyanide and no chemical additives.

The gold pour was completed on July 16 during a site demonstration attended by both companies’ boards of directors and key stakeholders.

“We have produced first gold and moved to majority owner of an operating gold mine and processing facility. Our focus for the next period is finalising works and ramping up to commercial scale production at Challenger,” commented GDM CEO Justin Haines.

“This is a landmark moment for Adelong Gold. Our transition from explorer to producer is now a reality thanks to the hard work and commitment of the GDM team.

“We’ve reached first gold safely, efficiently and on schedule. This outcome validates the JV model and positions the Challenger mine as a key near-term cash generator within our broader strategy,” Adelong Gold MD Ian Holland added.

The JV is processing remnant ore and tailings through the refurbished gravity recovery plant. This environmentally sensitive process uses only recycled water and requires minimal infrastructure to deliver gold concentrate efficiently and at low cost.

With this first gold pour now achieved at Challenger, Adelong Gold will direct increased attention to its prospective Lauriston gold project, in central Victoria.

Lauriston is a large-scale 28 700 ha tenement situated immediately adjacent to the world-class Fosterville mine, which hosts one of Australia’s highest-grade gold deposits.

Minimal historical drilling, coupled with a comparable structural setting to Fosterville’s Swan zone, provides a compelling case for follow-up exploration and potential near-term resource growth, Adelong said.