Gold reserves grow at Kalgoorlie's Super Pit

Geologist Gemma Leftley and mining engineer Brianna Reid work at the Fimiston underground mine. (ABC Goldfields: Jarrod Lucas)

The Super Pit in Western Australia's Goldfields ranks among the country's biggest-producing gold mines.

Northern Star Resources has reported significant new ore reserves, growing from 9.7 million to 15 million ounces in six years.

The mine is the largest employer in Kalgoorlie-Boulder with about 1,500 employees and contractors.

An ongoing exploration campaign beneath Kalgoorlie's Super Pit is starting to pay off, with significant new ore reserves set to extend the life of the iconic gold mine.

The dimensions of the Super Pit have continued to expand since operations began in 1989, digging up historic workings on what was famously known as the Golden Mile.

But since 2021, when Australian gold miner Northern Star Resources took full ownership, there has been a renewed push underground at what was once considered the richest square mile on Earth.

The mine has produced more than 60 million ounces since 1893. (ABC Goldfields: Jarrod Lucas)

Eight underground access portals were established on the western wall of the gigantic pit, providing new exploration platforms in an area Northern Star has dubbed the Fimiston underground mine.

When the ABC visited last August, nine drill rigs were running around the clock searching for new gold reserves as part of a $48 million exploration campaign during the 2025–26 financial year.

The fruits of that labour were finally revealed to the stock market on Wednesday, when Northern Star released its annual resource and reserve statement.

Eight underground portals have been established inside the Super Pit to access drilling platforms. (ABC Goldfields: Jarrod Lucas)

Resources represent a geological estimate of what is physically in the ground, while reserves are what a mining company considers it can mine for a profit.

The latest estimates say gold reserves at the Super Pit have increased from 14.4 million to 15 million ounces in the past 12 months.

At current production rates, that adds at least another year of mine life to a globally significant deposit which has produced more than 60 million ounces since 1893.

It also continues a rapid turnaround since the mine's former owners, US giant Newmont and Canada's Barrick Gold, sold their stakes.

The Super Pit's reserves have increased 54 per cent from 9.7 million ounces in the past six years.

An aerial view of Kalgoorlie's Super Pit gold mine. (ABC Goldfields: Ivo Da Silva)

Significantly, most of the new ounces that have been discovered ar