EXHIBIT 99
                             BERKLEY RESOURCES INC.
                           400 - 455 Granville Street
                                 Vancouver, B.C.
                                     V6C 1T1
                     Tel: (604) 682-3701 Fax: (604) 682-3600

November 16, 2004                             Trading Symbols: BKS - TSX Venture
                                                          BRKDF.PK - OTC BB (US)

FIRST CLOSING OF PRIVATE PLACEMENTS

Berkley  Resources Inc. (the  "Company")  announces that it has closed the first
tranche of the brokered private placement of 724,000  flow-through units and the
non-brokered private placement of 355,000 flow-through units (collectively,  the
"Flow-Through  Offering")  and the  brokered  private  placement  of 286,000 non
flow-through  units  and the  non-brokered  private  placement  of  159,000  non
flow-through  units  (collectively,  the "Non  Flow-Through  Offering") all at a
price of $1.00 per unit,  as announced on October 13, 2004 and October 15, 2004.
Each unit of the Flow-Through  Offering  consists of one flow-through  share and
one-half of a non-transferable  share purchase warrant. Each whole warrant under
the  Flow-Through  Offering will entitle the investor to purchase one additional
non  flow-through  common  share at an  exercise  price of $1.25 per share until
November  10, 2005 and  thereafter  at $1.50 per share until  November 10, 2006.
Each unit of the  Non-Flow-Through  Offering  consists  of one non  flow-through
share and one-half of a  non-transferable  share  purchase  warrant.  Each whole
warrant  under the Non  Flow-Through  Offering  will  entitle  the  investor  to
purchase  one  additional  non  flow-through  share at a price  of  $1.10  until
November 10, 2005 and thereafter at $1.25 until November 10, 2006.

The hold period for all securities  issued under this private  placement expires
on March 10, 2005.

In connection with the brokered  portion of the private  placement,  the Company
paid  commissions  to  Canaccord  Capital (the  "Agent") as follows:  $67,650 as
commissions for the brokered portion of the Flow-Through Offering and $28,600 as
commissions  for the  brokered  portion of the  Non-Flow-Through  Offering.  The
Company   also  issued  4,800   shares  and  2,400   non-transferable   warrants
representing  that portion of the Agent's  commission  payable in agent's units,
20,210 agent's warrants and 20,000 shares and 10,000  non-transferable  warrants
representing  corporate  finance  fees.  All  warrants  issued  to the Agent are
exercisable  at $1.25 per share until  November 10, 2005 and thereafter at $1.50
per share until November 10, 2006.

In  connection  with the  non-brokered  portion of the private  placements,  the
Company also paid $21,000 in finder's fees to Golden Capital Securities Ltd.

On behalf of the Board of Directors
of Berkley Resources Inc.

"Matt Wayrynen"
Matt Wayrynen
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.