Mining Operations

South Crofty mine was reopened in 2001 by Baseresult Holdings Limited (now a shareholder of Western United Mines Limited). Since 2004 an adit tunnel was driven from the Tuckingmill Decline to connect to New Cooks Kitchen Shaft and Old Engine Shaft. The former is now used as a service shaft and the latter is the statutory secondary egress, where an electric ‘Alimak' lift is installed.

The Dudnance Lane site and the mine entrances are to the east of the Great Crosscourse. Tunnelling is currently progressing in a westerly direction from the Tuckingmill Decline to the west of the Great Crosscourse to access the upper development blocks in the exploration area. This Western Decline, is being mined as a strike access ramp (at a gradient of 1:6) mined in waste rock for a distance of some 750m.

Current operations are focused on a phase of mine development and resource exploration using the following process:

• Mining uses modern electric hydraulic computer assisted tunnelling drill rigs, for speed in drilling the shot holes for blasting.

• "Mucking" - tunnel cleaning using state of the art free steer diesel scooptrams (front end loaders) to clear the blasted rock in rapid time.

• Rock hauling using scooptrams directly or by loading into 15T dump trucks.

The tunnelling is enabling the trackless infrastructure to be established ready for future full scale tin extraction. In tandem with the mine development an exploratory diamond drill programme is underway in the Western Decline. The diamond drilling will continue as the mine develops, drilling into deeper mineral targets throughout the main access ramp.

• Diamond Drilling

The diamond drill programme currently being carried out in the Western Decline will continue throughout the Main Access Ramp. The holes planned extend up to 500m to the north and 250m to the south and are set at 250m intervals on the dip of the decline. Re-muck bays constructed during the decline development can be used for infill drilling at 125 metre intervals if required.

The south holes from the ramp are drilled horizontal due to the dip of the structures. The north holes are a series of 2 or 3 holes drilled in a pattern ranging from up, horizontal, down and deeper down dependent on its location.

Holes drilled from the horizon strike drives will be up to 250m long and likely to be in an up, horizontal and down pattern. Holes drilled to the Wide Formation may extend to 400 or 500m depending on the length of the access crosscut mined. From the development south to the Wide Formation drill holes can be drilled northwards to intersect Dolcoath Main Lode at considerable depth.

During the next three years drilling 50 kilometres of boreholes, as currently envisaged, will provide information to evaluate the various mineralised structures within the target areas to a depth approaching 1000m.

In addition to the Western Decline exploration programme sites for exploration drilling from surface are also now being considered.