Southern Cross Gold Consolidated Ltd (TSX: SXGC) (ASX: SX2) (OTCQX: SXGCF) (FSE: MV3)  announces results from six drill holes targeting the upper portion of the Golden Dyke prospect at the 100%-owned Sunday Creek Gold-Antimony Project in Victoria (Figures 1 to 5). All holes were drilled within the highest-density drilled zone of the project, directly above the planned exploration decline base.

Results confirm that antimony-rich areas in the upper parts of The Sunday Creek epizonal system, consistent with the well-established geological zonation of epizonal gold-antimony deposits worldwide. Best results included 7.9 m @ 19.9 g/t AuEq (2.8 g/t Au, 7.1% Sb) from 363.1 m in drill hole SDDSC233. The true thickness of the mineralized intervals is interpreted to be approximately 75% to 85% of the sampled thickness for all reported holes.

Four High Level Takeaways: 

• Continued High-Grade Growth in Upper Golden Dyke: Best result 7.9 m @ 19.9 g/t AuEq (2.8 g/t Au, 7.1% Sb) from 363.1 m in SDDSC233, including 3.7 m @ 37.5 g/t AuEq (3.5 g/t Au, 14.2% Sb) from 367.3 m, with three individual assays exceeding 50 g/t Au and seven individual Sb assays exceeding 20% Sb across the six holes reported.
• System Continues to Grow: Four new vein sets identified across three holes, with SDDSC224 extending the GD35 vein set 170 m up-dip from SDDSC208, and SDDSC228 intersecting eight vein sets including two previously unrecognised structures outside the current model.
• Infill Drilling Confirms a Predictable System: All drillholes in this release were drilled as infill holes between existing intercepts and delivered multiple high-grade zones exactly where expected. This consistency gives confidence that Golden Dyke’s grade and continuity will support future mining studies.
• Epizonal Geology Delivers Antimony Where It Matters Most: In epizonal gold-antimony systems, antimony concentrates in the upper, shallower portions of the system, transitioning to gold-dominant mineralization at depth. Upper Golden Dyke is the highest-density drilled area of the project and sits directly below the base of the planned exploration decline, meaning the Company is targeting a zone of peak antimony endowment with the greatest drill confidence on the project. Individual antimony assays in this release reach up to 47.0% Sb & 20.1 g/t Au over 0.13 m (SDDSC233) and 46.6% Sb & 1.3 g/t Au over 0.13 m (SDDSC228), with 108 composite intersections exceeding 10% Sb across the project, demonstrating a critical mineral endowment directly relevant to Western defence and semiconductor supply chains.

Michael Hudson, President & CEO states: “What these results tell us is the antimony story at Sunday Creek is strong and is strategically significant, alongside the gold story. In epizonal systems like ours, antimony concentrates in the upper parts of the mineralized system, and by definition near to surface, and that is exactly what we are seeing in the highest-density drilled zone of the project, directly below the current planned base of our exploration decline.

“We have drilled this part of Golden Dyke more than anywhere else on the project, and every time we put a hole in, the antimony numbers confirm what the geology predicts. Individual assays up to 47% Sb are not an anomaly, they are a feature of this system. SDDSC233 returned our best result from this release at 7.9 m @ 19.9 g/t AuEq, with antimony grades up to 47% Sb in the same hole. The critical mineral potential of this project is real, it is shallow, and it sits directly in the path of our decline. Sunday Creek is shaping up as a project where the antimony alone would attract serious attention, quite apart from the gold which forms 80% of the in situ recoverable value. With eleven rigs turning and 69 holes pending, there is a great deal more to come.”

For Those Who Like the Details – Highlights:

• SDDSC233 – intersected five vein sets including one new vein set, with five individual Sb assays exceeding 20% Sb and one exceeding 50 g/t Au.
  • 1.1 m @ 10.9 g/t AuEq (7.9 g/t Au, 1.3% Sb) from 248.6 m (GD100 and HG core), including:
    • 0.15 m @ 78.3 g/t AuEq (55.8 g/t Au, 9.4% Sb)
  • 7.9 m @ 19.9 g/t AuEq (2.8 g/t Au, 7.1% Sb) from 363.1 m (GD60 vein set), including:
    • 3.7 m @ 37.5 g/t AuEq (3.5 g/t Au, 14.2% Sb) from 367.3 m
  • Individual assays included 55.8 g/t Au & 9.4% Sb, 47.0% Sb & 20.1 g/t Au, 43.5 g/t Au & 0.7% Sb, 40.6 g/t Au & 2.0% Sb.
• SDDSC228 – intersected eight vein sets, two previously unrecognised, with two individual Sb assays exceeding 20% Sb and one exceeding 50 g/t Au.
  • 0.4 m @ 86.2 g/t AuEq (2.7 g/t Au, 34.9% Sb) from 246.8 m (GD110 vein set)
  • 8.3 m @ 11.4 g/t AuEq (5.2 g/t Au, 2.6% Sb) from 361.8 m (GD70 vein set), including:
    • 3.0 m @ 28.7 g/t AuEq (12.2 g/t Au, 6.9% Sb) from 364.7 m
  • Individual assays included 127.0 g/t Au & 5.5% Sb, 48.6 g/t Au & 1.6% Sb, 46.6% Sb & 1.3 g/t Au, 28.6% Sb & 3.5 g/t Au.

For Those Who Like the Details – Highlights – Continued: 

• SDDSC224 – intersected three vein sets plus one high-grade core, extending GD35 170 m up-dip from SDDSC208, with one individual Au assay exceeding 50 g/t.
  • 7.0 m @ 8.1 g/t AuEq (5.7 g/t Au, 1.0% Sb) from 381.0 m (GD45 vein set and HG core), including:
    • 1.7 m @ 25.2 g/t AuEq (20.0 g/t Au, 2.2% Sb) from 385.3 m
  • 4.2 m @ 1.4 g/t AuEq (0.8 g/t Au, 0.2% Sb) from 407.8 m (GD35 vein set, 170 m up-dip extension)
  • Individual assays included 59.6 g/t Au & 0.1% Sb.
• SDDSC219 – intersected three known vein sets and intersected one new vein set at 15 m to 30 m up- and down-dip spacing, confirming structural and grade continuity.
  • 4.8 m @ 1.9 g/t AuEq (1.6 g/t Au, 0.1% Sb) from 316.2 m (new vein set)
  • 2.7 m @ 6.1 g/t AuEq (0.6 g/t Au, 2.3% Sb) from 368.0 m (GD80 vein set), including:
    
    Project Totals to Date 
  • 268 drill holes for 129.6 km reported from Sunday Creek since late 2020
  • 88 composite intersections exceeding 100 g/t Au by applying a 1 m (down hole length) @ 5 g/t AuEq lower cut
  • 108 composite intersections exceeding 10% Sb by applying a 1 m (down hole length) @ 5 g/t AuEq lower cut
  • 69 holes pending results currently being processed and analysed, including eleven holes actively being drilled and three abandoned holes, with eleven drill rigs currently operational on the project
  • 200,000 m drill program continuing through to Q1 2027

Drill Hole Discussion

Six drill holes are reported here targeting the top 300 vertical metres of the Golden Dyke prospect, drilled in an east-to-west orientation to optimize high intersection angles across the steeply dipping vein architecture. These holes were designed to infill known mineralization to the highest level on the project to date, as well as expand on exploration opportunities in the shallow areas of Golden Dyke.

Three individual assays exceeding 50 g/t gold and seven individual Sb assays greater than 20% antimony were intersected amongst the six holes reported showing the continued high-grade growth in upper Golden Dyke as the exploration continues to infill and expand the known boundaries of the mineralization.

SDDSC216 & SDDSC216A

SDDSC216 was abandoned due to extensive deviation at start of hole, a second hole SDDSC216A was drilled completing a northern bounding hole on the upper Golden Dyke area with no significant intersections reported confirming the geological model in this area.

SDDSC219

SDDSC219 intersected three known vein sets and one new vein set in Golden Dyke at a 15 m to 30 m up- and downdip spacing, confirming both structural and grade continuity.

Selected composite highlights include:

• 4.8 m @ 1.9 g/t AuEq (1.6 g/t Au, 0.1% Sb) from 316.2 m (New vein set)
• 2.4 m @ 4.1 g/t AuEq (1.2 g/t Au, 1.2% Sb) from 324.2 m (GD90 vein set)
• 2.7 m @ 6.1 g/t AuEq (0.6 g/t Au, 2.3% Sb) from 368.0 m (GD80 vein set)
  • Including 1.6 m @ 8.9 g/t AuEq (0.6 g/t Au, 3.5% Sb) from 368.5 m

SDDSC224

SDDSC224 infilled three vein sets and identified one new high-grade core that returned an individual assay exceeding 50 g/t Au:

• 59.6 g/t Au & 0.10% Sb over 0.54 m from 386.45 m

The hole successfully extended GD35 vein set returning 4.2 m @ 1.4 g/t AuEq (0.8 g/t Au, 0.2% Sb) from 407.8 m a 170 m up dip extension of SDDSC208 (1.9 m @ 37.2 g/t AuEq (35.9 g/t Au, 0.5% Sb) from 565.7 m. Released February 18^th, 2026).

Selected composite highlights include:

• 3.2 m @ 2.8 g/t AuEq (1.5 g/t Au, 0.5% Sb) from 207.3 m (GD110 vein set)
• 7.0 m @ 8.1 g/t AuEq (5.7 g/t Au, 1.0% Sb) from 381.0 m (GD45 vein set and HG core)
  • Including 1.7 m @ 25.2 g/t AuEq (20.0 g/t Au, 2.2% Sb) from 385.3 m
• 4.2 m @ 1.4 g/t AuEq (0.8 g/t Au, 0.2% Sb) from 407.8 m (GD35 vein set)

SDDSC228

SDDSC228 infilled 8 vein sets, of which 2 were previously not recognised or modelled with one individual assay exceeding 50 g/t Au:

• 127.0 g/t Au & 5.53% Sb over 0.15 m from 264.91 m

Two individual assays exceeded 20% antimony, highlighting the high antimony presence in the shallow part of the system, including:

• 46.60% Sb & 1.3 g/t Au over 0.13 m from 246.84 m
• 28.60% Sb & 3.5 g/t Au over 0.24 m from 246.97 m

Selected composite highlights include:

• 0.4 m @ 86.2 g/t AuEq (2.7 g/t Au, 34.9% Sb) from 246.8 m (GD110 vein set)
• 4.7 m @ 3.9 g/t AuEq (2.9 g/t Au, 0.4% Sb) from 259.6 m (GD100 vein set)
  • Including 0.3 m @ 34.0 g/t AuEq (31.7 g/t Au, 1.0% Sb) from 264.0 m
• 3.0 m @ 7.8 g/t AuEq (6.7 g/t Au, 0.4% Sb) from 264.6 m (GD100 vein set)
  • Including 0.5 m @ 45.9 g/t AuEq (41.5 g/t Au, 1.8% Sb) from 264.6 m
• 8.1 m @ 4.2 g/t AuEq (2.1 g/t Au, 0.9% Sb) from 328.3 m (GD85 vein set)
  • Including 2.5 m @ 8.0 g/t AuEq (3.8 g/t Au, 1.8% Sb) from 329.8 m
• 0.2 m @ 52.5 g/t AuEq (48.6 g/t Au, 1.6% Sb) from 346.5 m (New vein set)
• 3.4 m @ 4.1 g/t AuEq (3.2 g/t Au, 0.4% Sb) from 350.6 m (GD80 vein set)
  • Including 0.9 m @ 12.3 g/t AuEq (10.0 g/t Au, 1.0% Sb) from 351.1 m
• 1.3 m @ 7.9 g/t AuEq (4.7 g/t Au, 1.3% Sb) from 357.6 m (New vein set)
• 8.3 m @ 11.4 g/t AuEq (5.2 g/t Au, 2.6% Sb) from 361.8 m (GD70 vein set)
  • Including 3.0 m @ 28.7 g/t AuEq (12.2 g/t Au, 6.9% Sb) from 364.7 m

SDDSC233

SDDSC233 intersected 5 vein sets, one HG core, of which one vein set was previously not recognised or modelled.

One individual assay exceeded 50 g/t Au:

• 55.8 g/t Au & 9.40% Sb over 0.15 m from 248.55 m

Five individual assays exceeded 20% antimony, highlighting the high antimony presence in the shallow part of the system, including:

• 27.40% Sb & 9.1 g/t Au over 0.28 m from 369.20 m
• 47.00% Sb & 20.1 g/t Au over 0.13 m from 369.64 m
• 36.30% Sb & 3.4 g/t Au over 0.32 m from 369.77 m
• 22.40% Sb & 0.9 g/t Au over 0.11 m from 370.52 m
• 41.20% Sb & 1.7 g/t Au over 0.15 m from 370.85 m

Selected composite highlights include:

• 1.1 m @ 10.9 g/t AuEq (7.9 g/t Au, 1.3% Sb) from 248.6 m (GD100 and HG core)
  • Including 0.15 m @ 78.3 g/t AuEq (55.8 g/t Au, 9.4% Sb) from 248.6 m
• 0.2 m @ 45.2 g/t AuEq (43.5 g/t Au, 0.7% Sb) from 256.6 m (New vein set)
• 0.9 m @ 9.2 g/t AuEq (7.1 g/t Au, 0.9% Sb) from 353.0 m (GD65 vein set)
• 7.9 m @ 19.9 g/t AuEq (2.8 g/t Au, 7.1% Sb) from 363.1 m (GD60 vein set)
  • Including 2.6 m @ 6.5 g/t AuEq (2.6 g/t Au, 1.6% Sb) from 363.1 m
  • Including 3.7 m @ 37.5 g/t AuEq (3.5 g/t Au, 14.2% Sb) from 367.3 m
• 0.3 m @ 45.3 g/t AuEq (40.6 g/t Au, 2.0% Sb) from 378.9 m (GD50 vein set)

Pending Results and Update

Eleven drill rigs are currently operational on the Sunday Creek project. Results are pending from 69 holes currently being processed and analyzed including eleven holes that are actively being drilled and three abandoned holes (Figure 2). The Company continues its ongoing 200,000 m drill program through to Q1 2027.

About Sunday Creek

The Sunday Creek epizonal-style gold project is located 60 km north of Melbourne within 16,900 hectares of granted exploration tenements. SXGC is also the freehold landholder of 1,392 Ha that forms the key portion in and around the main drilled area at the Sunday Creek Project.

Gold and antimony form in a relay of vein sets that cut across a steeply dipping zone of intensely altered rocks. These vein sets are like a “Golden Ladder” structure where the main host extends between the side rails deep into the earth, with multiple cross-cutting vein sets that host the gold forming the rungs. At Apollo, Golden Dyke and Rising Sun these individual ‘rungs’ have been defined over 600 m depth extent from surface to over 1,200 m below surface, are 2.5 m to 3.5 m wide (median widths) (and up to 10 m), and 20 m to 100 m in strike.

Cumulatively, 268 drill holes for 128,843.28 m have been reported from Sunday Creek since late 2020. This amount includes five holes for 929 m that have been drilled for geotechnical purposes and 22 holes for 2,972.92m that were abandoned due to deviation or hole conditions. Fourteen drill holes for 2,383 m have additionally been reported regionally outside of the main Sunday Creek drill area with fifteen additional regional holes currently being processed. A total of 64 historic drill holes for 5,599 m were completed from the late 1960s to 2008. The project now contains a total of eighty-eight (88) composite intersections exceeding 100 g/t Au and seventy-eight (78) composite intersections between 50 g/t and 100 g/t Au, and one-hundred and eight (108) composite intersections exceeding 10% Sb by applying a 1 m (down hole length) @ 5 g/t AuEq lower cut.

Southern Cross Gold’s systematic drill program is strategically targeting these significant vein formations, which are currently drill defined over 1,550 m strike of the host dyke/sediment (“rails of the ladder”) from Christina to Apollo prospects, of which approximately 650 m has been more intensively drill tested (Golden Dyke to Apollo). At least 122 ‘rungs’ have been defined to date, defined by high-grade intercepts (20 g/t Au to >7,330 g/t Au) along with lower grade edges. Ongoing step-out drilling is aiming to uncover the potential extent of this mineralized system (Figure 2).

Geologically, the project is located within the Melbourne Structural Zone in the Lachlan Fold Belt. The regional host to the Sunday Creek mineralization is an interbedded turbidite sequence of siltstones and minor sandstones metamorphosed to sub-greenschist facies and folded into a set of open north-west trending folds.

Further Information

Further discussion and analysis of the Sunday Creek project is available through the interactive Vrify 3D animations, presentations and videos all available on the SXGC website. These data, along with an interview on these results with President & CEO/Managing Director Michael Hudson can be viewed at www.southerncrossgold.com.

No upper gold grade cut is applied in the averaging and intervals are reported as drill thickness. However, during future Mineral Resource studies, the requirement for assay top cutting will be assessed. The Company notes that due to rounding of assay results to one significant figure, minor variations in calculated composite grades may occur.

Figures 1 to 5 show project location, plan and longitudinal views of drill results reported here and Tables 1 to 3 provide collar and assay data. The true thickness of the mineralized intervals reported individually as estimated true widths (“ETW”), otherwise they are interpreted to be approximately 75% to 85% of the sampled thickness for other reported holes. Lower grades were cut at 1.0 g/t AuEq lower cutoff over a maximum width of 2 m with higher grades cut at 5.0 g/t AuEq lower cutoff over a maximum of 1 m width.

Critical Metal Epizonal Gold-Antimony Deposits

Sunday Creek (Figure 5) is an epizonal gold-antimony deposit formed in the late Devonian (like Fosterville, Costerfield and Redcastle), 60 million years later than mesozonal gold systems formed in Victoria (for example Ballarat and Bendigo). Epizonal deposits are a form of orogenic gold deposit classified according to their depth of formation: epizonal (<6 km), mesozonal (6 km to 12 km) and hypozonal (>12 km).

Epizonal deposits in Victoria often have associated high levels of the critical metal, antimony, and Sunday Creek is no exception. China, Russia and Tajikistan together account for over 90% of global antimony mine production, with China alone supplying roughly half. China’s dominance is greater still in processing, controlling an estimated 80% of global antimony refining capacity. Antimony features highly on the critical minerals lists of many countries including Australia, the United States of America, Canada, Japan and the European Union. Australia ranks seventh for antimony production despite all production coming from a single mine at Costerfield in Victoria, located nearby to all SXGC projects. Antimony alloys with lead and tin which results in improved properties for solders, munitions, bearings and batteries. Antimony is a prominent additive for halogen-containing flame retardants. Adequate supplies of antimony are critical to the world’s energy transition, and to the high-tech industry, especially the semi-conductor and defence sectors where it is a critical additive to primers in munitions.

Antimony represents approximately 21% to 24% in situ recoverable value of Sunday Creek at an AuEq of 2.39 ratio.

About Southern Cross Gold Consolidated Limited

Southern Cross Gold Consolidated Ltd. is defining a leading gold-antimony project at the Sunday Creek Gold-Antimony Project, located 60 km north of Melbourne. Sunday Creek is a significant gold and antimony drill discovery in a Tier 1 location, with high-grade drill results including 88 composite intersections exceeding 100 g/t Au from 128.8 km of drilling at Sunday Creek. The mineralization follows a “Golden Ladder” structure over 12 km of strike length, with structures tested from surface to 1,200 m depth.

Sunday Creek’s strategic value is enhanced by its dual-metal profile. The Company has a critical mineral the Western world needs. This has gained increased significance following China’s export restrictions on antimony, a critical metal for defence and semiconductor applications. Southern Cross’ inclusion in the US Defense Industrial Base Consortium (DIBC) and Australia’s AUKUS-related legislative changes position it as a potential key Western antimony supplier.

Technical fundamentals further strengthen the investment case, with preliminary metallurgical work showing non-refractory mineralization suitable for conventional processing and gold recoveries of 93% to 98% through gravity and flotation.

With a strong cash position, 1,392 Ha of strategic freehold land ownership, and a large 200 km drill program planned through Q1 2027, SXGC is well-positioned to advance this globally significant gold-antimony discovery in a tier-one jurisdiction, delivering milestone by milestone.