Coyote

The Coyote processing Plant and associated infrastructure has been leased to ABM Resources to process material extracted from Old Pirate Gold Mine , in the Northern Territory which lays 77klms from The coyote Plant, ore/Material is being transported to the old Coyote Plant by Rusca Bros Services Pty Ltd based out of Darwin

The recent fall in the price of gold has severely affected the viability of the Coyote gold mine in the Tanami Desert Region of Western Australia, which has resulted in its owner Tanami Gold NL placing it on care and maintenance.

Lower Gold Prices Take toll on the Ongoing Viability of the Coyote Gold Mine
The drop in the gold price has also caused Tanami Gold NL to review all its operations in the area besides that of placing the Coyote gold mining project on hold. It has also broadened the scope of the feasibility study being undertaken regarding the adjacent Kavanah gold deposit, deferred the previous development decision regarding the Groundrush Central Tanami Project and broadening the review of its strategic direction into the future.

Coyote Gold Mine on Land Belonging to the Tjurabalan People
The Coyote gold mine is located in the western area of the Tanami Desert, 10 kilometres west of the border with the Northern Territory, in Western Australia and 300 kilometres south east of Halls Creek. The land on which the mine has been developed belongs to the Tjurabalan indigenous people, who are the traditional owners of the land in the area surrounding the mine. The Tjurabalan people signed a native title agreement in 2005 to allow a mining lease to be granted in return for a commitment that a number of its people would be employed on the project.

Coyote Mine Contract Awarded to Brierty
The contract to develop the Coyote mine was awarded to the Brierty contracting company which undertook a method of selective ore and waste mining in order to maintain higher grades while at the same time minimising dilution. The mining service provided by Brierty involved loading and hauling, as drilling and blasting was undertaken on a campaign basis only. The work was carried out by a workforce of 20 employees, who were flown in and flown out to work and back, while completing their work rosters in one of Australia's most remote locations, in extreme weather conditions. The fleet of 40 tonne trucks and 80 tonne diggers with the usual ancillary fleet, was maintained by Brierty along with the other mining equipment.

Tanami Gold Acquired Coyote Mine Tenament From AngloGold
Gold exploration was first carried out in the western Tanami Desert area in 2000 by various gold exploration and development companies, the biggest being Tanami Gold, Otter Gold Mines Limited, Newmont and Anglo Gold. Part of the Coyote Mine was actually covered by a lease held by AngloGold. Tanami Gold acquired its tenament in late 2003 from AngloGold. AngloGold had previously acquired the lease when it took over Acacia Resources.

Coyote Gold Mine Opened in 2006
The Coyote gold mine was opened in May 2006 after a lengthy planning period taking place over the previous 12 years. Its target production level was to be 60,000 ounces of gold a year. Soon after it was opened mining had to be suspended due to difficulties being experienced with the on site gold treatment facility. Ongoing problems with the treatment plant also prevented a merger going ahead with Monarch Gold Mining. The Coyote open pit 2 was closed from January 2007 to April 2007 due to flooding
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