Stelar Metals Limited (SLB.AX) Maiden Drilling Imminent at Hill of Leaders Project
Adelaide, Oct 6, 2026 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Stelar Metals Limited (
ASX:SLB) announced that its exploration team and field crew have mobilised to the Hill of Leaders Tungsten Project in the Tennant Creek region of the Northern Territory, ahead ofthe Company's maiden 3,500mRC drilling program.
Highlights
- Stelar's exploration team and field crew have mobilised to the Hill of Leaders Tungsten Project, Northern Territory
- Earthworks for drill pads and access tracks commence this week, with the Reverse Circulation (RC) drill rig expected on site within days
- Stelar's maiden ~3,500m RC program is the first-ever bedrock drilling at Hill of Leaders, and the first test of the tungsten system at depth since its discovery in 1951
- Drilling will test beneath a 2km+ mineralised corridor where Stelar's surface sampling returned high-grade tungsten, including:
o 15.69% WO3 (12.45% W) - HOLA039
o 7.76% WO3 (6.16% W) - HOLA036
o 4.96% WO3 (3.94% W) - HOLA006
o 4.45% WO3 (3.53% W) - HOLA031
o 2.95% WO3 (2.34% W) - HOLA012
- Drill targets refined using mapping, Phase 1 and 2 rock chip sampling, and Ultra-High-Definition airborne survey data
- Extraordinary tungsten sector tailwinds with China's export controls on tungsten remaining in force, the US Department of War prohibition on Chinese-sourced tungsten taking effect 1 January 2027, and APT pricing at historic highs.
Earthworks to establish drill pads and access tracks commence this week, ahead of the arrival of the RC drill rig, expected on site within the next few days.
Despite tungsten being discovered at Hill of Leaders in 1951 and historical mining of high-grade tungsten from surface vein swarms, the field has never been drill tested at depth.
Stelar's Phase 1 and Phase 2 surface programs confirmed high-grade tungsten, as wolframite and scheelite, across multiple discrete sites along the 2km+ mapped corridor, including 15.69% WO3 (HOLA039) and 7.76% WO3 (HOLA036)1.
Stelar's maiden RC drill program is designed to test the depth continuity of the tungsten mineralisation mapped at surface and deliver the project's first bedrock drilling data. The Company will provide an update on commencement of drilling and report results as they become available.
Executive Chairman, Stephen Biggins, commented:
"This is the moment we've been working towards since acquiring Hill of Leaders. For more than 70 years this tungsten field has only been tested at surface. Our team is now on the ground and within days we'll be drilling beneath it for the first time.
"With tungsten recognised as a critical mineral across the US, EU, Japan and Australia, we're excited to be testing what we believe is a significant new tungsten system."
Next steps
- Complete 3,500m maiden bedrock RC drilling program
- Report soil geochemical results, which are expected in the coming weeks
- Drill updates and assays as they become available
About Stelar Metals Limited
Stelar Metals Limited (ASX:SLB) experienced and successful exploration and development team is targeting the discovery and production of critical minerals, with increasing global demand to enable the world to achieve net zero emissions.
The Company will focus on its Hill of Leaders Tungsten Project in Northern Territory, Australia, a strategic critical minerals opportunity with scale potential, in a region where SLB key management has significant discovery and development experience.
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