NEWS RELEASE April 5, Soil Geochemical Survey Highlights Gold Exploration Potential of Windarra s Pukaskwa Property

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1 WINDARRA MINERALS LTD. (TSX.V WRA) West Hastings Street, Vancouver, BC, V6E 3X2 Tel: (604) Fax: (604) Website: NEWS RELEASE April 5, 2006 Soil Geochemical Survey Highlights Exploration Potential of s Pukaskwa Property has received very favourable results from a multi-element grid soil geochemical survey on the Pukaskwa property, near Wawa, Ontario, undertaken in the late fall of. The 1100 sample soil grid surrounds the discovery outcrop of bonanza-grade gold vein mineralization that was first discovered by in the late fall of As was previously reported (see News Releases dated November 25, 2004 and July 25, ), the bonanza-grade quartz-fe carbonate vein contains abundant visible gold and consistently yields multi-ounce assays (e.g., 115.4, 62.0, 25.3, 12.2, 4.1 and 0.95 oz/ton Au). Results from the present survey for As, Pb, Zn, and Cu accentuate the exploration potential of the Pukaskwa property, particularly in the immediate area of the previously-discovered bonanza-grade Au vein, but also in other nearby parts of the surveyed grid The vein, which strikes northeast and dips steeply to the northwest, lies within a broad, Au-mineralized trend that is defined by anomalous Au geochemistry in soils (see News Release dated December 19, ). Because soil geochemistry has proven to be a successful exploration tool in the Wawa district, and because the strike extents of the vein are covered by overburden, the soil geochemical program was designed to help trace the bonanza-grade vein system beneath surficial cover, and to identify similar targets in the vicinity. A 2km x 1km cut grid was established on the property, and in the immediate area of the bonanza-grade vein, more tightly spaced control lines (50 ) were cut, with more closely-spaced (12.5 ) soil samples collected. The bonanza-grade veins on the Pukaskwa property contain up to several percent sulphides (pyrite, chalcopyrite, galena, sphalerite), and other Au-bearing quartz veins on the Pukaskwa property contain common arsenopyrite. As a consequence, pathfinder elements such as Cu, Pb, Zn, and As, were expected to help outline exploration targets, and therefore the soil samples were analyzed for a multi-element exploration ICP package. The results of this work, illustrated in the figures which follow, are very encouraging, and they show that the bonanza-grade vein and the belt of elevated Au geochemistry that encompasses it are coincident with a zone of anomalous arsenic and base metals geochemistry in soils. More significantly, the results for the pathfinder elements accentuate several zones within that belt, including the area immediately surrounding the bonanza-grade vein, and clearly suggest that these zones warrant the highest-priority follow-up. One of these zones, approximately northeast of the bonanza-grade vein, is larger than that surrounding the vein, but equally highly anomalous. And, like the bonanza-grade zone, this newly-recognized zone is also coincident with a strongly anomalous Au-in-soil geochemical anomaly--it therefore has excellent exploration potential. Within the context of extensive late 1980 s to early 1990 s era reconnaissance soil geochemical grid work on the Pukaskwa property, the new data show that the anomalies described above represent extremely attractive exploration targets. The historic data are continuous for at least 15 km of strike length and encompass the area surveyed recently by. The newly defined anomalies lie central to the broadest, most continuous, and 1

2 most geochemically-enriched part of several mineralized sub-trends within the previously defined, regional-scale mineralized belt known as the gold belt. The belt appears to coincide with a zone of relatively high strain, although local geologic controls on mineralization in the zone are not currently well understood. The bonanza-grade vein, and many other vein occurrences in this trend, appear to be hosted by well foliated but relatively competent meta-conglomerate in a part of the belt in which finer-grained and relatively incompetent clastic rocks predominate. is now planning a summer field program on the Pukaskwa property. The work will include follow-up prospecting, trenching and stripping, ground geophysical (Induced Polarization) surveys, and geologic mapping. If results warrant, this work will be followed by a diamond drilling program on the property. The Pukaskwa property is located 50 kilo west of Wawa, Ontario, less than 20 km northwest of River Ltd. s Eagle River Mine, which has produced approximately 600,000 ounces gold since The Pukaskwa property, which consists of a belt of 55 contiguous unpatented mining claims of over 13 km in length, also lies 20 km southwest of the formerly-producing Magnacon mine, in which and its 72% held subsidiary, Westward Explorations Ltd., hold an interest (25%) jointly with River (75%). Like the Pukaskwa property, the Magnacon properties lie along the highly prospective gold belt. can earn a 100% interest in the Pukaskwa Property from Messina Minerals Inc. by issuing 350,000 shares over a 30-month period and by maintaining the property in good standing. Geochemical analyses for samples collected during this program were determined by Accurassay Laboratories of Thunder Bay, Ontario, via an accredited method. Duplicate analyses by Accurassay of every tenth soil sample indicates that analytical reproducibility is high, as does the inclusion by of nearly thirty sample blanks throughout the population of soil samples. The field and analytical data described in this release has been reviewed and approved by C.J. Greig, P.Geo., a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument On behalf of the Board of John Pallot President The TSX Venture Exchange has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of the content of this news release. 2

3 me Bonanza Contoured Soil Geochemistry As (ppm) [includes data from grid and reconnaissance grids] Figure 1. Colour contoured soil geochemical data for Arsenic, which helps outline the east-northeast trending gold belt on the eastern Pukaskwa property, Ontario. Note also the breadth, continuity, and intensity of Arsenic anomaly in the vicinity of 's recent bonanza-grade vein discovery and the grid. Close to 1100 samples were collected on 's grid and the total number of sample sites exceeds

4 me Bonanza Colour Contoured Sums of As, Cu, Pb, and Zn [includes data from grid and reconnaissance grids] Figure 2. Colour contoured sums of geochemical pathfinder elements (As, Cu, Pb, and Zn) for individual sample sites, gold belt, eastern Pukaskwa property, Ontario, showing location of 's grid and multi-element anomalies associated with recent bonanza-grade quartz vein discovery. Total number of sample sites exceeds

5 me Bonanza Soil Geochemistry Products of As, Cu, Pb, and Zn Figure 3. Colour contoured products of geochemical pathfinder elements (As, Cu, Pb, and Zn), gold belt, eastern Pukaskwa property, Ontario, showing location of 's grid and multi-element anomalies associated with recent bonanza-grade quartz vein discovery. Total number of sample sites exceeds

6 me Bonanza Soil Geochemistry Au (ppm) [includes data from grid and reconnaissance grids] Figure 4. Colour contoured geochemical data for gold, gold belt, eastern Pukaskwa property, Ontario, with the most highly anomalous samples shown as yellow stars. Note breadth and intensity of gold geochemical anomaly in the vicinity of 's grid and recent bonanza-grade vein discovery. Total number of sample sites exceeds Au (ppb) 100 to 1,400 (34) 40 to 100 (49) 15 to 40 (61) 10 to 15 (23) 5 to 10 (48) 0 to 5 (797)

7 597 me 598 me 5324 mn 5324 mn Bonanza 5323 mn 5323 mn 597 me me Scale: 1:0 Colour Contoured Products of Geochemical Pathfinder Elements (As, Cu, Pb, and Zn) mn Figure 5. Colour contoured products of geochemical pathfinder elements (As, Cu, Pb, and Zn), grid, gold belt, eastern Pukaskwa property, Ontario. Total number of sample sites is approximately