VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwire - March 8, 2011) - Astral Mining Corporation (News - Market indicators)(TSX VENTURE:AA.WT)(PINK SHEETS:AAMJF) ("Astral" or "the Company") is pleased to announce that on March 2nd, 2011 it signed an Option Agreement "the Option" by which the company may acquire a 100% interest in the 8,304 hectare Barriere Ridge Property located 80km north-northeast of Kamloops in southern British Columbia. Company management believes the property is prospective for polymetallic vein and VMS style copper-gold-silver and zinc mineralization.

The Barriere Ridge project is located 20km south of Yellowhead Mining Inc's Harper Creek Copper Deposit that contains an estimated Indicated Resource of 569 million tonnes containing 4,010 million lbs Cu*. Past producing mines in the immediate area include Samatosum Mountain (Minfile 082M 244), and the historic Homestake (Minfile 082M 025) and Windpass (Minfile 092P 039) mines**.

The property is underlain by rocks of the Paleozoic Eagle Bay Assemblage in close proximity to the Mid-Cretaceous Baldy Batholith. The property hosts known mineral occurrences including the polymetallic Silver Minnow showing (Minfile 082M 069) that returned 925.7 g/t silver and 0.69 g/t gold over 0.61m from vein material hosted by limestones and schists of the Lower Eagle Bay Formation (historical values - EMPR Annual Report 1925).

The terms of the Option give Astral the exclusive right to acquire 100% interest in the Barriere Ridge property by making cash payments totaling $75,000, issuing 300,000 common shares and incurring exploration expenditures of $1,000,000 over a period of five years.

Barriere Ridge will add to Astral's claim holdings in the area which, when combined with the nearby Honeymoon Project brings the total in the district to 27,065 hectares in 61 claims.

Technical details contained in this news release have been reviewed by Dale Brittliffe, P.Geo., a Qualified Person as defined in National Instrument 43-101 and Astral's Exploration Manager, but should be viewed as historical as the work was carried out by previous parties.

Astral Mining Corporation is a Canadian company engaged in the exploration and development of precious metal properties in the Americas. By focusing on exploration in mining-friendly districts, the Company minimizes the political and social risks encountered in many other parts of the world. With a new gold discovery at the Company's Jumping Josephine Gold Project in Southern British Columbia, the promising early stage Los Crestones gold-silver project in Sinaloa state, Mexico, an experienced technical team and seasoned management, Astral is poised to leverage this expertise into early exploration success. Further details on Astral Mining Corporation and its high-quality portfolio of exploration projects can be found at www.astralmining.com.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

Mr. Manfred Kurschner, President & CEO

Astral Mining Corporation

* www.yellowheadmining.com
** Taken from BC Minfile production summaries http://minfile.gov.bc.ca

Cautionary Note to US Investors: This news release may contain information about adjacent properties on which we have no right to explore or mine. We advise U.S. investors that the SEC's mining guidelines strictly prohibit information of this type in documents filed with the SEC. U.S. investors are cautioned that mineral deposits on adjacent properties are not indicative of mineral deposits on our properties. This news release may contain forward-looking statements including but not limited to comments regarding the timing and content of upcoming work programs, geological interpretations, receipt of property titles, potential mineral recovery processes, etc. Forward-looking statements address future events and conditions and therefore involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements.

2011 Number 5

Shares outstanding – 17,277,400