Not sure what exactly is going on between Ramelius and Westgold...

Not sure what exactly is going on between Ramelius and Westgold and also not sure how this will end up. But taking a step back this seems another move to consolidate the gold operations in the Murchison. I've thought for a while such a move towards regional consolidation might be a sensible or at least inevitable development. However to be honest I recall my thinking on the idea was based around optimising the use of the unused but near-new 2.5mtpa plant at Dalgaranga (I still believe that it is such a waste having a big efficient low-cost plant idle while there are lots of stockpiled ore in its vicinity at a time of record gold prices).

Were Ramelius to acquire Westgold what are the benefits, where are the synergies? One of the justifications Mark Zeptner originally gave for his ambitions to grow Ramelius to a +400kozpa producer is that gold producers of that size trade at higher multiples than goldies producing less than 300kozpa. I think that is still the case: certainly big producers get loved up by the current market far more than explorers and developers. Another reason could be that Ramelius needs something to at least replace Edna May which surely must be heading towards last rites.

As for Westgold ... I'm fairly ignorant other than the impression that Wayne Bramwell has done a good job of unscrambling what Peter Cooke had thrown together (I see PC and his side-kick from the schmozzle of Breaker are currently in the south island of NZ educating the natives about 19th century mining attitudes). I'd appreciate a quick tutorial from someone who understands the synergies between Westgold and the ex-Musgrave assets as I suspect there are not too many synergies between Westgold's operations and the Mt Magnet operations. I'm still inclined to think that there is greater upside in Ramelius acquiring Spartan and that big mill than what Westgold has but as I say I come from a place of negligible knowledge.