Great Divide Mining’s Challenger Gold Mine demonstrates a contemporary approach to gold recovery.

Great Divide Mining Ltd (ASX:GDM) is demonstrating that modern gold production does not necessarily require complex chemical processing or new environmental footprints, with its Challenger Gold Mine near Adelong in southern New South Wales recovering gold using just gravity and recycled water on existing historic mine sites.

At Challenger, crushed and milled gold-bearing material is processed through a gravity separation circuit which takes advantage of gold’s higher density to separate it from surrounding material.

The GDM process uses only recycled water. Unlike chemical extraction it does not require cyanide or mercury as part of the gold recovery process.

It is a comparatively simple approach in an industry often associated with increasingly complex processing plants.

“Sometimes the simplest solution is also the best solution,” said Great Divide Mining CEO Justin Haines.

“At Challenger we’re essentially using gravity, water and the physical characteristics of gold to do the work for us.”

“We don’t need cyanide to recover the gold. We don’t need mercury. And the water we use within the processing circuit is collected on-site, treated and recycled for reuse.”

GDM recommissioned the previously dormant Challenger processing plant during 2025, achieving its first gold pour on 16 July that year before progressively upgrading the operation toward continuous production.

The Company subsequently installed spiral separators as part of the plant upgrade. These gravity-based concentrators separate gold-rich material using gravity and recycled water flowing through spiral troughs.

The approach has since moved beyond commissioning and proof-of-concept. Challenger is now producing gold concentrate for sale, with GDM announcing that it had shipped over 200 tonnes of concentrate from the operation.

Haines said the environmental advantages of the Challenger process also aligned closely with commercial reality.

“There can sometimes be a perception that improving environmental outcomes must mean increasing costs,” he said.

“Challenger demonstrates that the two can actually work together.”

“A simpler processing circuit means fewer inputs, less complex equipment and potentially lower operating and maintenance requirements. If you can avoid bringing processing chemicals onto a mine site in the first place, you also avoid the costs and risks associated with handling and disposing them.”

Water management forms another important part of the Challenger operating model.

Water used within the gravity circuit is collected and returned for reuse, reducing the requirement for fresh process water. GDM has previously demonstrated 100% water recycling within its gold recovery circuit.

The approach is consistent with GDM’s broader strategy of redeveloping mining operations within areas of historical mining activity, utilising existing infrastructure wherever practical and progressively improving those operations.

Challenger itself sits within the historic Adelong Goldfield, where gold mining dates back to the 1850s.

“It’s genuinely refreshing to see a mining company that understands that environmental responsibility and commercial success don’t have to be competing priorities,” said Tim Langdon, Publisher of Eco-Voice, an independent sustainability news platform with more than 20 years of experience.

“What stands out about GDM is that environmental rehabilitation isn’t something being considered at the end of the mining process, it is happening from day one. They have taken an existing mine site and begun the process of restoring and improving it rather than simply accepting environmental degradation as the cost of doing business.”

“GDM is demonstrating that the environment can be a core value of a mining operation, not an afterthought or a box to be ticked. That is a fundamentally different approach to how mining is often perceived.”

“If GDM can demonstrate that a profitable mining operation can work in genuine harmony with environmental rehabilitation and stewardship, it provides a model that other mining companies should be looking very closely at.”

“The real test will be whether GDM can continue to deliver commercially while maintaining that environmental commitment throughout the life of the operation. If they can, they won’t just be mining a resource, they’ll be demonstrating a better way forward for the industry.” said Mr Langdon.

Mr Haines said the Company was not seeking to position Challenger as a universal processing solution for the gold industry.

“Every orebody is different and every mine has to be designed around its geology and metallurgy,” he said.

“But where the geology allows us, why would we make the process more complicated than it needs to be?”

“For us, responsible mining isn’t a slogan. It’s about making sensible operating decisions that reduce complexity, lower costs and minimise environmental impact.”

“That’s what we’ve done at Challenger, and it works.”

About Great Divide Mining

About Eco Voice 

Eco-Voice First published in 2003, Eco Voice is the go-to publication for sustainability news in Australia. Eco Voice prides itself as an independent news platform with a clear focus on sustainability, with articles coming from a diverse range of contributors – all levels of government, corporations, not-for-profits, community groups, small to medium sized businesses, universities, research organisations, together with input from international sources. Eco Voice values community, conservation and commerce. Eco Voice is a media partner of the prestigious Australian Banksia Sustainability Awards – The Peak Sustainability Awards. Tim Langdon, Publisher – www.ecovoice.com.au

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