Operator: Westgold Resources Limited
Location: Western Australia, Australia
Royalty: 1.5% NSR (all metals); A$10 per ounce (gold only); 1.5% to 2.5% NSR (gold only); 0.45% (all metals)
Term of Royalty: Life of Mine
Meekatharra, covering the Paddy’s Flat, Yaloginda, Nannine and Reedy’s open-pit and underground mining centers, is owned and operated by Big Bell Gold Operations Pty Ltd., a subsidiary of Westgold Resources Limited (“Westgold”). Meekatharra is located in the Murchison District of Western Australia, approximately 15 kilometers south of the town of Meekatharra.
The Meekatharra Gold Operation (MGO) incorporates the 1.6 to 1.8 million tonne per annum Bluebird processing hub, a 420-person village, and associated mining infrastructure required to support a large fly-in, fly-out and drive-in, drive out mining operation. The Bluebird plant receives underground ore from the Paddy’s Flat, South Emu – Triton and Bluebird underground mines and supplementary lower grade open-pit ore from Five Mile Well, Maid Marion, Albury Heath (not on royalty ground) and Aladdin open-pits.
Royal Gold acquired its interests at Meekatharra in two transactions. The first was as part of the acquisition of Barrick Gold Corporation’s royalty portfolio effective October 1, 2008, which included the A$10 per ounce royalty on Paddy’s Flat and the 1.5% to 2.5% sliding scale NSR and the 1% NSR on Reedy’s. The second was as part of the acquisition of International Royalty Corporation effective February 22, 2010, which included the 1.5% NSR on Nannine, Paddy’s Flat and Reedy’s, as well as the 0.45% NSR on Yaloginda.