A new golden age has dawned for the 3587 people who call the Outback township of Tennant Creek home.

Tennant Mines, since being acquired by London, Johannesburg and now Australian-listed South African gold mining group Pan African Resources, has started mining at the Nobles gold mine and has commenced work on its large, long-life open pit gold resource at the White Devil orebody.

An intense exploration program is also underway and is expected to discover further gold and copper deposits, which could lead to a major expansion of a large tenement area that is already reinvigorating the community.

The mine has spent $30 million in the Barkly since 2024 – an enormous sum for such a small community.

Millions more is expected to be expended on geological drilling over the next year.

And up to $50 million could be spent on upgrades to processing facilities, depending on successful outcomes of the exploration programs.

About 320 workers, employed directly or through subcontractors, are also pumping money into the local economy and boosting local businesses.

Many of them stay at the old Eldorado Motor Inn, which is owned by the mining company and has been revamped to excellent standards.

“The fact that they are staying in town, rather than in a camp, means they are living in comfort and spending money in town,” says chief operating officer Dave White. “We’re revitalising the region.”

He says the White Devil mine went from study phase to operation in less than 18 months.

“That’s incredibly fast. That would not be possible in Western Australia.

“We’re thoroughly enjoying working in the Territory. The NT Government is so approachable – the Chief Minister and local Member of the Legislative Assembly have been very receptive and are very supportive, going out of their way to help expedite matters.”

The first gold was poured from the Nobles processing plant in May 2025 and open-cut mining began in September 2025 with a new milestone of the White Devil open-cut mine breaking ground in July 2026.

The processing plant is the first of its kind to be developed in Tennant Creek in more than two decades and is the largest ever constructed in the region – its 840 kilotonnes per year capacity is more than triple that of any historical plant.

There are plans for underground mines at Golden 40 and Juno, possibly as soon as 2027.

The whole project has a lifespan of up to 15 years, with exploration work expected to increase this significantly.

Tennant Mines is owned by Pan African Resources, a $6 billion Johannesburg-based company keen to expand in Australia, a tier 1 mining country.

“It’s bringing a depth of gold mining capability that a complex mineral field such as Tennant Creek requires to be successful,” says Mr White.

There are an incredible 80,000 historic drill holes in the Tennant Creek Mineral Field, some of them 100 years old, but not to great depths.

“The old miners drilled the hell out of it,” says Mr White. “But only drilled most holes down to 150 metres. So the whole field is data rich, depth poor.”

He sees enormous potential below 150 metres and through greenfield sites, which the company is targeting in an exploration program this year.

Tennant Mining’s production will be about 50,000 ounces of gold per year, increasing to more than 100,000 ounces annually with the full development of future open pits and underground operations, as well as expansions to processing plant capacity.

Further studies will be completed into potential Copper-Gold deposits in the near future.

Tennant Mines is proving its commitment to responsible and sustainable mining by using dry stacking to store mined residue at Nobles.

Unlike traditional tailings dams, dry stacking forms compact, stable landforms that significantly reduce environmental risk.

The method lowers water use, prevents contamination, eliminates the risk of dam failure and requires less land.

A 9.2MW solar plant is under construction by Tennant Mines and once completed is expected to supply a significant portion of the operation’s power needs, offsetting diesel power generation, reducing operating costs and emissions.

Tennant Mines is engaged with local stakeholders and Traditional Owners to ensure safe, inclusive and sustainable development for the long term. TQ