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Ausgold buys WA farmland to progress Katanning gold mine development - ABC News

He said the purchase of the land was a major step. Mr Greentree said engineering and feasibility studies were underway with plans to begin mining in about 18 months. "That's what we're working on at the moment and you'll see a lot more news around that over the coming months," he said. The mine sits in the middle of prime agricultural land but Mr Greentree said some of the mine's land would remain as farmland.

Katanning Shire president Liz Guidera welcomed the purchase of the farmland.

"I think in some way, we were relieved, because purchasing the property is such a key part of the project going forward," she said.

"They've been testing the area for many years, and they've come up with some very large gold deposits is my understanding."

She said the company had told community leaders construction of the mine would start by the end of 2024. The project has significant community support, with a shire study citing an 85 per cent support rate for the development. "[At] the well-attended community meetings that Ausgold held, there was really only a couple of people speaking against it, and these issues were largely to do with flora and fauna," Ms Guidera said.