The Hermes project area lies 65 km to the southwest of Plutonic and covers the southwest portion of the Archaean Marymia Inlier near its southern contact with the Proterozoic Bryah Basin.

In the Hermes and Bryah JV Projects there are two broad mineralisation styles (Outhwaite, 2013) referred to here as the Peak Hill Type and the Bryah Type.

The Peak Hill Type gold deposits are hosted in rocks that are generally highly deformed (four or more fold events) and metamorphosed (up to amphibolite facies), generally represented by the Peak Hill Schist Formation. Mineralisation is early in the paragenesis, (syn- to post-D1 isoclinal folding) with folded mineralisation commonly observed. Previously mined examples include Peak Hill Main/Five-Ways, Mt Pleasant, Jubilee, Wilgeena and St Crispin. The Hermes deposits may be examples of unmined mineralisation that belongs in this category.

The Hermes Gold Resource, consisting of the Hawkeye, Trapper, Klinger, Winchester & Blake deposits, are parallel, northeast trending, mineralised zones separated by mostly barren amphibolite. Mineralisation is generally associated with quartz veins at or near the contact of sheared mafic amphibolite and quartz-biotite-sericite schist.

In fresh rock, the mineralised zone is characterised by recrystallised (grey) quartz veining within silica-sericitebiotite alteration ± pyrite-arsenopyrite. The bulk of the mineralisation is contained within quartz- muscovitebiotite schist, however extensions into the mafic footwall unit are common. In general, the mineralised quartz veins, foliation and relict bedding are steeply- dipping to sub-vertical and high grade shoots are interpreted to plunge shallowly to the north within the mineralised plane.

At Hermes the Hawkeye, Trapper, Klinger, Winchester & Blake deposits are sub-parallel, northeast trending, mineralised zones. Mineralisation at all deposits is typically associated with quartz veins at or near the sheared contact of mafic amphibolite footwall and hangingwall quartz-biotite-sericite schists. Graphitic schist occurs to a minor extent on the hangingwall and footwall sides of the mineralisation at Trapper, Klinger and Blake. The base of strong oxidation varies from 20m to 30m vertically below surface at Hawkeye & Winchester, and from 25m to 45m at Trapper, Klinger & Blake. Transition to fresh rock occurs at approximately 30m to 50m and 40m to 65m, respectively.

In general, the mineralised quartz veins, foliation and relict bedding are steeply NW- dipping to sub-vertical in both the Hawkeye and Trapper deposits and high grade shoots are interpreted to plunge shallowly to the north within the mineralised plane.

The Hermes Complex commenced being mined in December 2017 as a conventional open pit excavator-truck mining operation. A mining contractor was engaged for drilling, blasting, loading, hauling, and dumping, as well as civil services for general site maintenance works. The material mined from each pit is being stockpiled adjacent to each pit exit before being loaded onto road trains for transport along the haul road to Plutonic for processing through the existing mineral processing configuration.

Some near surface weathered material may be free-dig, but 100% of transitional material and fresh rock will be blasted. Blast-hole drilling will be undertaken using surface top hammer drill-rigs on 5 m benches using Plutonic Gold Mine Superior Gold Inc 94 hole sizes up to 115 mm diameter. Drill burden, spacing and sub-drill design will be a function of material types and powder factor. Drill and blast of 10 m benches in the upper waste sections of each pit will be reviewed. Explosive selection will depend on the presence of groundwater and the success of dewatering. The water table at Hermes is estimated at a nominal 29 m below the pit crest. For pit optimisation, ammonium nitrate fuel oil (ANFO) was assumed in the oxide material and emulsion for the remainder of the deposit.

Haul trucks with a load capacity of 100 t will be used in conjunction with 120 t class hydraulic excavators in a backhoe configuration to achieve the required waste extraction ratio and selectively mine the ore. In general, 5 m benches will be mined on two 2.5 to 3.5 m fitches (allowing for heave after blasting). In harder material, where extensive heaving of blasts is likely to occur, it may be necessary to mine the heave separately down to bench level, followed by two 2.5 m fitches to minimise ore dilution. Ancillary services to support the production fleet include graders and water trucks for haul road maintenance and dozers for maintenance of pit benches, preparation of blasted benches, along with waste dump management.

The mining operation will excavate and load ore and waste in accordance with marked ore and waste boundaries to ensure minimum dilution and maximum recovery of ore, with a geologist present during all ore mining. Standard practice to minimise dilution will include mining along the strike of ore blocks, mining from hanging wall to footwall contacts, and grader or dozer clean-ups restricted to along strike in the ore zones. Ore and waste boundaries will be delineated based on grade control sampling results and bench and face mapping. Blocks will be marked out by flagging tape and paint for excavation. Blast monitors will be installed prior to blasting and surveyed post blast to determine ore movement. Blast design software (such as Shotplus) will be used for all blast tie-ins ensuring ore shots are fired in a direction along strike.

Ore will be stockpiled according to grade and rock type on stockpiles within the Hermes project area. Highwaystyle side-tipping road trains with a nominal payload of 220 t will be loaded with ore from stockpiles at Hermes for transportation to the Plutonic ROM pad and stockpiled separately by material type and grade via a proposed 64 km haul road. The frontend loader (FEL) on the Plutonic ROM pad will maintain stockpiles. The rock breaker located at the Plutonic ROM pad will be relocated using a 50 t float to Hermes every 2 to 3 months to campaign break stockpiled oversize ore. A dedicated fleet of a grader, watercart, and roller will maintain the haul road to the Plutonic ROM pad. Low-grade material may be stockpiled for possible processing later in the mine life.

The primary sections of the processing plant that are currently in use are:
• Crushing and conveying
• Ore reclaim and grinding
• Leaching and carbon adsorption
• Carbon stripping, electrowinning, refining and carbon regeneration
• Tailings thickening
• Tailings deposition and storage
• Reagent mixing and handling
• Plant services.