Australia has a long and proud history of gold mining which has shaped our country in many ways.

Gold not only spurred Australia's first modern day mining boom; it triggered the gold rushes of the late 19th century that brought people from all around the world for an opportunity to make their fortunes in the new goldfields of Bathurst, Ballarat, Bendigo and Kalgoorlie.

Since then, Australian gold miners have modernised and expanded to become a world leading mining industry that sets new benchmarks in technology, sustainability, safety and community engagement.

In 2020 Australia produced a record 327 tonnes of gold, becoming the second largest gold producer in the world. 

Newcrest Mining is the largest gold producer in Australia and one of the world's largest gold mining companies.

To support Newcrest's Cadia operations in New South Wales, our Rig & Well Services business provided specialised drilling services, drilling three boreholes to depths of 1,580 metres.

Each borehole was drilled in 2 sections,12.25" and 8.5", with the first borehole vertical and the remaining 2 boreholes directionally drilled with an S shaped trajectory.

Rig & Well Services' General Manager Operations, Luke Smith, said drilling the boreholes was a complex project due to large fractures throughout the rock.

The formations were considerably harder than typical formations at this depth throughout Australia.

"Our drilling teams anticipated challenging conditions and made adjustments during the project, like using multiple bit trips for changes in the bottom hole assembly to maximize the rate of penetration throughout the volcanic rock formations and testing different types of drill bits to ensure the drill string didn't get stuck in the borehole."

Rig & Well Services General Manager Kyle Koziol said:

Our highly experienced drilling teams and the versatility of the rig were well suited to manage and adapt to the challenging drilling conditions of the volcanic rock formations on this project.

Specialising in production and coring wells, Rig & Well Services' Advantage Drilling rigs are capable of directional and pad drilling, as well as under-balanced air drilling and coring, making it a versatile and efficient solution for varying operational requirements.