Key highlights

• Dalaroo Metals has stepped up exploration at its Bondoukou Gold Ridge Project in north-eastern Côte d'Ivoire.

• The decision follows high-grade gold returned by the first drilling programme.

• The company has also covered ownership, community, and funding matters for the project.

Dalaroo Metals (ASX:DAL) has stepped up exploration at its Bondoukou Gold Ridge Project in north-eastern Côte d'Ivoire after its first drilling returned high-grade gold. The company's September quarter report, lodged with the ASX on 30 October, explains the decision.

Reverse circulation (RC) drilling at the Wilfred target began in September, with four holes for 962 metres completed by quarter-end. Subsequent assays included 18 metres at 7.31 g/t gold from 63 metres and a further 16 metres at 1.46 g/t gold from 113 metres in BDRC002. Hole BDRC001 intersected 23 metres at 2.14 g/t gold from surface.

Those results led Dalaroo to plan a five-hole diamond programme of about 1,250 metres at Wilfred and to expand the broader Phase 1 RC campaign to a fully funded 12,000 metres.

Why expand so quickly?

Early-stage explorers often move fast after encouraging first holes, both to test continuity and to maintain momentum with investors. Diamond drilling provides core that shows structure and orientation, helping geologists understand how the gold is controlled. That information is needed before drilling can be planned efficiently along strike and at depth.

Two holes are a small sample, however. The intervals are downhole lengths, and the orientation of mineralisation is not yet understood, so true widths are unknown.

Groundwork before drilling

During the quarter, Dalaroo completed 350 auger holes for 2,937 metres. It combined that data with geological, structural, magnetic and soil information to refine targets at Wilfred, Mag and Ali, and completed site preparation at all three.

After the October assays, the company reported a 34-metre downhole interval of alteration and quartz veining in BDRC010C, around 1.25 kilometres north-west of the first two holes. Assays from that interval were pending. Visual alteration and veining can indicate a mineralised system, but they do not confirm gold grades.

Ownership and community

Bondoukou lies in the Birimian Greenstone Belt, which hosts many of West Africa's gold mines. Dalaroo has the right to earn up to 80% of the granted PR 825 permit, so its eventual interest depends on meeting earn-in conditions. The company said all six local villages had confirmed support for exploration across the licence area.

Other projects

At the wholly owned Blue Lagoon critical minerals project in south-west Greenland, Dalaroo completed its 2026 field season, identified four new regional prospects and collected more than 200 samples. Ground-penetrating radar suggested sediment thicknesses of 30 to 50 metres at three shoreline sites, but the company stressed these are geophysical interpretations rather than mineralised widths and remain untested. Work also progressed at Watheroo and Lyons River in Western Australia.

Funding

An A$2.5 million Placement strengthened Dalaroo's funding position. The company describes the 12,000-metre programme as fully funded, although further drilling beyond that would likely require additional capital.

What to watch

Investors may watch for assays from BDRC010C and the rest of the RC holes, diamond drilling results at Wilfred and first drilling at Mag and Ali. No mineral resource has been defined at Bondoukou.

The West African context

Côte d'Ivoire has become one of West Africa's more active gold exploration destinations, with several ASX-listed companies working there. The country's Mining code and permitting framework are generally regarded by explorers as established, though conditions can change and security considerations vary by region. For Dalaroo, the key questions are technical: whether Wilfred's high grades persist along strike and at depth, and whether Mag and Ali host similar systems. A clearer picture is likely only after the expanded RC programme and the diamond holes are complete and assayed. Until then, the project remains at an early stage of discovery. First results from Mag and Ali will be important too.