LOCATION & ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING
PROJECT LOCATION
Hells Gate Projects are located approximately 200km West Northwest of Port Moresby, Kerema District of Gulf Province, Papua New Guinea.
The nearest township is Malalaua Town Station a ten minutes drive from Terapo Catholic Mission while Kerema Town is located 65km further West of Malalaua Town Station. Travelling along the Hiritano Highway it takes approximately three hours to reach Malalaua Town Station from Port Moresby.
It will soon be possible to drive directly to the project site as a nineteen kilometer feeder road is under construction of which approximately twelve kilometers has been completed and a remaining six kilometers or so needs to be driven in to the lease boundaries.
Previously one drove to Terapo Mission Station and then travelled to mining lease up the Tauri River by dingy. The boat trip takes about three to four hours up the ever winding river for approximately fifty kilometers. There is opportunity to construct an airstrip within the mining tenement boundaries and there is currently an existing airstrip located adjacent to Tarapo Mission Station. The Tarapo airstrip needs to be Recertified for use by the Department of Civil Aviation although this airstrip is in relatively good condition and could be easily and quickly opened if and when required.
PROJECT SETTING
The annual rainfall ranges between 3000 and 5000ml per year and the lease area is described as low lying swamps, river flats and low ridges. Most of the area is covered by rainforest, while sago is dominant in the swampy areas. The basin is drained by the Tauri River and related tributaries. The land where the proposed mining operations will take place sits at fifty meters above sea level is not swampy and gradually rises into steeper, forest covered terrain. There is approximately a two thousand population living in the wider communities surrounding the mining tenement but generally the population is scarce.