Southern Cross Gold Receives Work Plan Approval for Exploration Tunnel at Sunday Creek
Rhea-AI Summary
Southern Cross Gold (OTCQX: SXGCF) received Work Plan approval on November 27, 2025 to construct an exploration tunnel (decline) at the Sunday Creek gold-antimony project in Victoria, Australia.
The tunnel enables underground access for detailed mapping, precision drilling, geotechnical data collection and mining-method assessment, and supports a planned expansion to 22 drill rigs (10 surface + 12 underground). Site establishment is due to begin within a month and underground construction is estimated at 6–9 months. The company said it is progressing additional Water Act and Environment Protection Act approvals and will continue community engagement.
Positive
- Work Plan approval granted for exploration tunnel (regulatory milestone)
- Planned 22‑rig pre-development drill program (10 surface + 12 underground)
- Underground access enables precision drilling and geotechnical data collection
- Site establishment scheduled to start within one month
Negative
- Secondary approvals under the Water Act and Environment Protection Act are still pending
- Underground construction timeline of 6–9 months introduces near-term execution risk
Key Figures
Market Reality Check
Peers on Argus
Among key gold peers, several show gains (e.g., SNWGF +3.74%, ALKEF +4.92%, MAUTF +8.25%, RUPRF +1.33%) while one close peer (MWSNF -0.81%) is down, suggesting mixed but generally constructive sector sentiment rather than a synchronized move.
Historical Context
| Date | Event | Sentiment | Move | Catalyst |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-12-01 | Management appointment | Positive | -3.2% | COO with 20+ years underground gold‑antimony experience appointed to lead Sunday Creek. |
| 2025-11-18 | Drilling results | Positive | +2.9% | Golden Dyke hole delivered multiple very high‑grade gold‑antimony intercepts and step‑outs. |
| 2025-11-17 | AGM results | Positive | -3.6% | All AGM resolutions passed with over <b>95.8M</b> shares represented (~<b>37.06%</b> of float). |
| 2025-11-04 | Management change | Positive | -3.1% | Internal promotion to CFO with 17 years’ mining finance experience; prior CFO retained in new role. |
| 2025-10-23 | Drilling results | Positive | +8.7% | Long mineralized interval and record antimony assay extended Golden Dyke system at Sunday Creek. |
Recent history shows positive drill results aligning with share gains, while management and AGM updates often coincided with short-term price declines.
Over the last few months, Southern Cross Gold has advanced Sunday Creek through high‑grade drill results and corporate strengthening. On October 23, 2025 and November 18, 2025, strong Golden Dyke drill assays supported the project’s scale, both followed by positive price reactions. In contrast, the November 4 CFO promotion, November 17 AGM approvals, and December 1 COO appointment all saw short‑term share pullbacks. This tunnel Work Plan approval fits the broader transition from exploration toward potential development.
Market Pulse Summary
This announcement advances Sunday Creek from surface exploration toward underground evaluation, with a Work Plan approval for an exploration tunnel and a planned ramp‑up to 22 drill rigs. It follows a series of high‑grade drill results and recent leadership additions focused on building a mine‑ready team. Investors may watch the 6–9 month construction schedule, progress on Water and Environment Protection Act approvals, and how underground drilling impacts resource definition and development studies.
Key Terms
geotechnical data technical
metallurgy technical
AI-generated analysis. Not financial advice.
Milestone advances underground exploration while maintaining commitment to environmental protection and community engagement
Vancouver, British Columbia and Melbourne, Australia--(Newsfile Corp. - November 27, 2025) - Southern Cross Gold Consolidated Ltd (TSX: SXGC) (ASX: SX2) (OTCQX: SXGCF) (FSE: MV3) ("SXGC", "SX2" or the "Company") is pleased to announce it has received approval of its Work Plan for the exploration tunnel at its Sunday Creek Gold-Antimony Project in Victoria, Australia.
This approval marks a significant milestone in the Company's progression from exploration success towards mine development. Over the past three years, Southern Cross Gold has systematically demonstrated one of the Western world's most significant gold and antimony discoveries.
Purpose and Benefits of the Exploration Tunnel
The exploration tunnel (also known as an exploration decline) will provide underground access to high-grade mineralization at Sunday Creek (Figures 1 and 2). This will enable the Company to:
Conduct detailed geological mapping and sampling of mineralized structures
Execute precision underground drilling to expand and define the resource along strike and at depth
Gather geotechnical data essential for future mine design
Assess various mining methods and equipment selection for potential future operations
Underground access represents a significant advancement over surface drilling alone, enabling the Company to more efficiently delineate high-grade mineralization across multiple areas.
Community and Environmental Commitment
Southern Cross Gold remains committed to the highest standards of environmental management and community engagement. Following extensive consultation, the tunnel design was refined to minimize impacts on the environment, cultural heritage areas, and the community.
Key benefits include:
Reduced impacts from 24-hour surface drilling operations
Fewer surface drill pads required, protecting neighbours, native vegetation and heritage features
Further information, including FAQs and fact sheets are available at www.southerncrossgoldcommunity.com.au. Community enquiries: community@southerncrossgold.com.au or 1800 717 638 or Media contact: Seamus Bradley | seamusbradley@gmail.com | +61 410 256 902
Michael Hudson, President & CEO, stated: "This Work Plan approval is a pivotal milestone in Sunday Creek's evolution from exploration discovery to future potential mine development. We are assembling the pieces needed for a commercially viable operation: an exceptional high-grade discovery with demonstrated depth continuity, strategic freehold land ownership, proven metallurgy, and now approval for underground access.
"The exploration tunnel will allow us access to drill and better understand the high-grade mineralization, significantly enhancing our ability to define and expand the resource and advance technical studies. With 10 surface drill rigs operating today, the Company plans to add an additional 12 drill rigs underground after the decline completion for 22 rigs in total, making it the largest pre-development drill program in Australia.
"We are grateful for the professionalism shown by Victorian government agencies throughout the approvals process. Southern Cross Gold commenced in-house engineering and environmental work in late 2024, submitted our Work Plan in late July 2025, and received approval in November 2025.
"This timeline demonstrates Victoria is open for business while maintaining rigorous environmental and community standards.
"We remain committed to working constructively with all stakeholders - government, community and the Taungurung people - as we advance this globally significant discovery responsibly.
"This approval, combined with our strong balance sheet, and outstanding drilling results, positions Southern Cross Gold to advance Sunday Creek toward its potential as a globally significant Victorian gold producer with a strategic antimony supply that opens the door for wider made-in-Victoria opportunities."
Next Steps
Site establishment activities are scheduled to commence within the next month. The Company will notify nearby residents of this approval and provide ongoing updates as construction progresses.
The Company is also progressing secondary approvals under the Water Act and Environment Protection Act, working closely with the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA), Resources Victoria, and other relevant agencies before underground work commences.
Underground construction will take 6-9 months and comply with strict operational controls to protect people, environment and infrastructure.
The Company will continue to:
Maintain ongoing community engagement throughout the construction process
Continue the expanded drilling program across Sunday Creek's multiple high-grade prospects
Advance engineering and technical studies supporting future development decisions
About Southern Cross Gold Consolidated Ltd. (TSX: SXGC) (ASX: SX2) (OTCQX: SXGCF)
Southern Cross Gold Consolidated Ltd. (TSX: SXGC) (ASX: SX2) (OTCQX: SXGCF), controls the Sunday Creek Gold-Antimony Project located 60 km north of Melbourne, Australia. Sunday Creek has emerged as one of the Western world's most significant gold and antimony discoveries, with exceptional drilling results. The mineralization follows a "Golden Ladder" structure over 1.2 km of strike length, with confirmed continuity from surface to 1,100 m depth.
Sunday Creek's strategic value is enhanced by its dual-metal profile, with antimony contributing approximately
Technical fundamentals further strengthen the investment case, with preliminary metallurgical work showing non-refractory mineralization suitable for conventional processing and gold recoveries of 93
With a strong cash position, over 1,000 Ha of strategic freehold land ownership, and a large 200 km drill program planned through Q1 2027, SXGC is well-positioned to advance this globally significant gold-antimony discovery in a tier-one jurisdiction.
- Ends -
This announcement has been approved for release by the Board of Southern Cross Gold Consolidated Ltd.
For further information, please contact:
Media contact: Seamus Bradley
seamusbradley@gmail.com or +61 410 256 902
Mariana Bermudez - Corporate Secretary - Canada
mbermudez@chasemgt.com or +1 604 685 9316
Executive Office: 1305 - 1090 West Georgia Street Vancouver, BC, V6E 3V7, Canada
Nicholas Mead - Corporate Development
info@southerncrossgold.com or +61 415 153 122
Justin Mouchacca, Company Secretary - Australia
jm@southerncrossgold.com.au or +61 3 8630 3321
Subsidiary Office: Level 21, 459 Collins Street, Melbourne, VIC, 3000, Australia
Forward-Looking Statement
This news release contains forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and assumptions and accordingly, actual results and future events could differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statements. You are hence cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of present or historical fact are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include words or expressions such as "proposed", "will", "subject to", "near future", "in the event", "would", "expect", "prepared to" and other similar words or expressions. Factors that could cause future results or events to differ materially from current expectations expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements include general business, economic, competitive, political, social uncertainties; the state of capital markets, unforeseen events, developments, or factors causing any of the expectations, assumptions, and other factors ultimately being inaccurate or irrelevant; and other risks described in the Company's documents filed with Canadian or Australian (under code SX2) securities regulatory authorities. You can find further information with respect to these and other risks in filings made by the Company with the securities regulatory authorities in Canada or Australia (under code SX2), as applicable, and available for the Company in Canada at www.sedarplus.ca or in Australia at www.asx.com.au (under code SX2). Documents are also available at www.southerncrossgold.com. The Company disclaims any obligation to update or revise these forward-looking statements, except as required by applicable law.
Figure 1: Sunday Creek plan view showing conceptual surface and underground tunnel layout.
To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:
https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/11541/276166_0d3d66f1348b889f_001full.jpg
Figure 2: Sunday Creek longitudinal cross section of exploration tunnel.
To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:
https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/11541/276166_0d3d66f1348b889f_002full.jpg
To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/276166
FAQ
What did Southern Cross Gold announce on November 27, 2025 regarding SXGCF?
How many drill rigs will Southern Cross Gold operate at Sunday Creek after the decline is complete (SXGCF)?
When will construction and underground work at Sunday Creek begin for SXGCF?
Are any additional approvals required before underground work starts for SXGCF?
How will the exploration tunnel affect resource definition at Sunday Creek (SXGCF)?
How will Southern Cross Gold communicate with the community about the tunnel approval (SXGCF)?
