Norwest Minerals (ASX:NWM) said reverse circulation drilling is now underway at the Bulgera gold project in Western Australia, with the drill rig on site, according to a Thursday Australian bourse filing.

The initial 11-hole, 2,600-meter campaign will test for gold mineralization trending down-dip from known near-surface gold-bearing shear zones within the Bulgera mining lease, the filing added.

This drilling program immediately follows a 33% increase in the Bulgera Gold mineral resource estimate to 288,400 ounces or 8.4 million tonnes at 1.07 grams per tonne gold, disclosed late last week.

Reverse circulation drilling will also test several gold targets at the Marymia East project identified from a comprehensive analysis of recent and historical exploration work, the company added.

The company's shares rose 7% in recent Thursday trade.