Finger of God points to Renegade Exploration’s Cloncurry copper whopper hopes

There are high hopes for a huge hand-shaped underground iron oxide copper-gold system near Cloncurry that has been likened to the nearby Ernest Henry mine

A Google Map view of Cloncurry

The finger of God is pointing to the northwest mining town of Cloncurry.

Not in a divine intervention sense exactly, but a huge hand-shaped underground iron oxide copper-gold system that has been likened to the nearby Ernest Henry mine.

Renegade Exploration, the company keen to unlock the potential value of the area, held an investor lunch at Tattersalls last week where exploration manager Edward Fry explained that the deposit when digitally mapped resembled a hand with a finger pointing to the township. “That’s why we call it the finger of God,” said Fry as he handed around pieces of rock core from recent drilling to guests at the lunch.

Renegade chairman Robert Kirtlan says the company is preparing to drill new areas of the exploration site this month to nail down what is actually underground.

Kirtlan is quietly optimistic. “There’s not many people that look at this little area here and don’t think that there’s something there,” says Kirtlan. “Now that doesn’t mean there is, but it’s been a question mark for probably the past 100 years.”

Renegade Exploration chairman Robert Kirtlan

Earlier this year Renegade identified what it called a very large magnetic anomaly at its Cloncurry project. Kirtlan at the time said the prospect was a potential lookalike for the Ernest Henry Mine, a major nearby producer of gold and copper. Copper is currently experiencing a strong rally with many pundits predicting the metal is headed for a price spurt over the next two years, as demand increases due to the world’s green energy transition.

Kirtlan also let it slip that a couple of juicy mango trees have been found on the prospect, which have helped quench the thirst of the drilling team as they went about their business.

One investor at the lunch quipped that “as well as good results from the drilling, I hope a couple of boxes of mangoes might be thrown in as well.”

Life of Brian

Rich lister Brian Flannery has joined the board of Brisbane-based Diatreme Resources, adding his expertise in resources development to the emerging Far North Queensland silica sands miner. Currently the leading shareholder in the company with a 22.3 per cent stake held by his family office, Ilwella, Flannery will also soon be joined by a director representative from another major shareholder, European materials company Sibelco, with a 21.6 per cent stake. Diatreme also has promoted non-executive director Kara Keys to deputy chairperson, reflecting her engagement skills with stakeholders including Traditional Owners.

The moves follow Diatreme’s recent successful takeover of neighbouring silica sand company Metallica Minerals, with Diatreme now boasting some 463 million tonnes of high purity, low iron silica sand resources, capable of supplying the fast-growing solar PV market.

Brian Flannery

Royal assent

King Charles will be apprised of an innovative home-grown idea to help Australian farmers on his trip Down Under later this month.

Charters Towers teenager Isabella O’Sullivan, 13, was named the national Enterprising Girl of the Year at the Academy for Enterprising Girls’ event in Canberra this week after coming up with a creative concept called Moisture Master, a remotely controlled robot that would test the moisture level in soil and trigger irrigation when required.

Isabella’s love of agricultural science and drive to make farm life easier motivated her to complete the government-funded academy program that inspires girls in science, technology, engineering, maths and business. Governor-General Sam Mostyn vowed to raise the idea with the King directly after presenting the award to Isabella last week.

Charters Towers teenager Isabella O’Sullivan and Governor-General of Australia Sam Mostyn.

Originally published as Finger of God points to Renegade Exploration’s Cloncurry copper whopper hopes