Others have posted about the possibility of an Open Pit starter...

Others have posted about the possibility of an Open Pit starter at Boda/Kaiser.
The Wind turbines are one issue to be managed, and I was finding it hard to locate where they are.
Fortunately Rabbit trap posted back in the day, and while the resource size and shape is out of date, it is still clear.
https://hotcopper.com.au/threads/ann-high-grade-continuity-north-west-of-boda.6492743/page-2#post-58426317




It appears to me that starting at Kaiser while the turbines are still in place would be problematic, but the possibility of a pit at Boda looks feasible to me, unless a turbine is also at the north end, but is obscured by the drilling.

If Boda is feasible with turbines still in place, the initial mill size might be based on processing the open pit 233m tonnes (indicated and inferred). Payback would be 4.3m oz Au equivalent.


200m tons would feed a 20m ton mill for ten years - apart from Kaiser's later contribution when the turbine removal is negotiated.
I have no feel for capital costs, but as per image below - in mid 2023 Caravel made a estimate for a 30m ton mill - of $1.1billion.



The prize is certainly there - but the hurdles are not minor IMO.

Moving to Tomingley, where we now know that plant capital costs are around $70m in todays dollars - before Newell highway diversion.
Doing a quick google search on costs per kilometer for highways in Aus, I come up with $3.8m per kilometer lane (Bureau of Infrastructure and Transport Research Economics). The best estimate of length that I can come up in my searches is 8.3 kilometers x 2 lanes = $63m, apart from the overpass costs for Kyalite Road.

I recognize that this is wild conjecture at best, but it is helping me to come to grips with the moving parts.

The good part is that Tomingley Extension for this quarter is projected at about $1750 AISC - it must be for them to arrive at a little under $2100 AISC for the year. So the first quarters of next year will be at a lower AISC than we have been dealing with this year.