Aurora's Wholly-Owned Subsidiary Aurora Metals Ltd Files Registration Statement With the United States Securities and Exchange Commission...

Business Editors

VANCOUVER, British Columbia--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 30, 2000

...and Extends Due Diligence Period With Billiton to July 31, 2000

Aurora Gold Corporation ("Aurora Gold") (OTCBB:ARXG) is pleased to announce that its wholly-owned subsidiary Aurora Metals (BVI) Ltd. ("Aurora Metals" -- a company registered in the British Virgin Isles) filed a Registration Statement, Form 20-F, with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") on June 19, 2000.

According to SEC rules the Registration Statement will become effective sixty days after filing (August 19, 2000) and Aurora Metals will become a reporting foreign issuer.

The filing of the Registration Statement by Aurora Metals follows the announcement in the News Release of June 2, 2000, that the Board of Directors of Aurora Gold had decided on May 18, 2000, to transfer to Aurora Metals, 100% interest in six (6) Exploration Permits in Tunisia, which it held under option, and 100% interest in the ten (10) Exploration Permits in Tunisia which were formally granted by publication in the Tunisian Government Gazette on May 26, 2000, (collectively, the "Tunisian Property"). Aurora Gold also assigned to Aurora Metals, Aurora Gold's interest in the Letter of Intent with Billiton UK Resources BV ("Billiton"), signed on February 25, 2000, for the funding of exploration for zinc on portion of the Tunisian Property. One of the requirements in the Letter of Intent is that a change of domicile be undertaken and this will be satisfied on acceptance of Aurora Metals' Registration Statement by the SEC.

On May 19, 2000 the Board of Directors of Aurora, in order to facilitate the exploration, development and financing of the Tunisian Property, approved and authorized a stock dividend payable to the stockholders of Aurora Gold, on a one to one basis, of the common stock of Aurora Metals. The stock dividend will be payable to Aurora Gold's stockholders of record as of the close of business on June 15, 2000. The Company proposes to issue the stock dividend on the effective date of Aurora Metals' Registration Statement.

The Letter of Intent signed with Billiton specified that an agreement was to be completed by April 14, 2000 and the subsequent News Release of April 17, 2000 announced that time for completion had been extended until May 31, 2000 and the area under consideration increased to 42 km(squared). The News Release of June 7, 2000 announced that the time for completion has been further extended until June 30, 2000 and this has now been extended until July 31, 2000. The final agreement is subject to approval by the Board of Directors of both companies, and regulatory bodies.

The key components of the proposed agreement with Billiton center on the Kebbouch District in Northern Tunisia, and are as follow, with all amounts expressed in US currency:

(i) Billiton will make an initial private placement of $600,000 at

a unit price of $0.70. Each unit comprises a common share and

a purchase warrant, exercisable for a period of one year at

$0.85, for further proceeds of $728,571;

(ii) after the initial private placement is spent, Billiton can

elect to take a First Option wherein it can earn a 51%

interest in the Exploration Permits in the Kebbouch District

by spending $1.0 million over two years;

(iii) in the Joint Venture Phase, following the First Option and

earning-in, the companies will fund pro rata expenditure of an

additional $2.0 million on exploration on the Exploration

Permits in the Kebbouch District;

(iv) prior to the end of expenditure under the Joint Venture

Phase, Billiton can elect to exercise a Second Option to earn

a further 19%, i.e. to reach a total of 70%, by providing

financing for all further work including Pre-feasibility and

Feasibility studies, engineering, mine development and

construction through to commercial production. Aurora Metal's

pro rata share of these costs will be repaid from Aurora

Metals share of cash flow; and

(v) Aurora Metals will be the Operator from the outset and will

also undertake regional geological investigations in the

country. Through an exclusive arrangement, and subject to

certain limitations, Aurora Metals will carry out zinc

exploration activities in the country and Billiton will have a

right of first refusal to enter into further exploration

agreements.

The area to be included in the proposed agreement with Billiton includes Hammala, held under option, and ten (10) other contiguous Exploration Permits held directly by Aurora Metals. The eleven (11) Exploration Permits, totaling 42 km(squared), provide substantial coverage of the crescent-shaped, Jebel Kebbouch diapir extending southwest from its northeastern extremity to the northern and western boundaries of Kebbouch Sud, an exploration permit held by Breakwater Tunisia S.A. The Bahloul Formation, an important formation for zinc-lead exploration within Northern Tunisia, exists on the western and southeastern flanks of the diapir. Known base metal deposits in Tunisia, of which the Bou Grine deposit, currently being extracted by Breakwater Tunisia S.A., is the most significant, are all associated with the Bahloul Formation.

Aurora Gold Corporation is a mineral exploration company pursuing gold, base metal and industrial mineral projects in North America, Latin America and North Africa. Its stock trades under the symbol "ARXG" on the OTC Bulletin Board.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

David E. Jenkins

President

This News Release includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of the United States of America and Section 21E of the Exchange Act of the United States of America. All statements other than statements of historical facts included in the News Release are forward-looking statements. All statements concerning geological resources are also deemed to constitute to be forward-looking statements to the extent that they reflect conclusions that may infer potential for further development of commercial viability. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to have been correct. These forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projections; these risks include but are not limited to exploration, sampling, geological mineralization, accidents, breakdowns, political risk and other risks described in the Company's SEC reports. All attributable to the Company or persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the Cautionary Statement.