ECR Minerals (ECR) has secured an experienced team to commence initial mining operations at its Raglan alluvial gold project in Queensland.

With the operating team secured, and all site infrastructure, wash plant and mobile fleet already on site, ECR now expects initial gold production before the end of January 2026.

Production from Raglan will provide early cashflow which, in due course, will support development of ECR's larger Blue Mountain project and the wider Queensland portfolio.

The Raglan project lies within an established gold-producing district. It includes a near-new 60 tonne-per-hour wash plant, a fully equipped gold room, established water supply, accommodation camp, mobile mining fleet and complete site infrastructure. 

All key infrastructure, equipment and permits are already in place.  

"Securing our operating team is the final major step to bring the Raglan Project into production, and I am thrilled that we can now set a clear expectation of initial gold production before the end of January 2026,” said ECR’s chairman Nick Tulloch. 

“This is a pivotal moment in ECR's journey. The Raglan project gives us a low-capex, near-term route into gold production, and the revenues which we ultimately anticipate should be able to support the development of our broader Queensland portfolio - most notably the much larger Blue Mountain project. Momentum across the company has been pleasing in recent months, from strong maiden drill results at the Lolworth project confirming a gold-silver system, to completing the acquisition of the Raglan project. With current gold prices sitting at historically high levels, the Raglan project has the potential to be a profitable project, generating meaningful cashflow in due course that can be reinvested across the business.”

 

View from Vox

 

ECR has certainly hit the ground running in 2026. First gold production by the end of January will be welcome news for shareholders, and it’s not surprising that ECR’s share price has jumped by more than 50% in recent months, in anticipation of this moment. After all, there could hardly be a better time to go into production, with gold dancing around the US$4,500 mark.