Mining operations, highly unstable and unpredictable ventures, have on occasion provided a sense of stability to South Australia and its economy. Indeed, the history of European settlement is intricately linked to the fluctuating fortunes of the mining industry. The appointment of the first Government Geologist, Henry Yorke Lyell Brown, on 1 December 1882 was made during a period of drought and depression in the Colony. The establishment of the Department of Mines in 1894 occurred under similar circumstances. Both measures were intended to assist private industry in the exploitation of mineral and water resources and thereby to ensure that the people of South Australia acquired some benefits. This historical research work: In Search of Mineral Wealth was commissioned by the South Australian Department of Mines and Energy to mark its approaching centenary in 1982, and was written by Bernard O'Neil as his thesis contribution to a Master of Arts degree from the Department of History at the University of Adelaide. Its first two chapters, covering the period between 1836 and 1882, concentrate on the politics of the time and outline the interaction of the Government and private enterprise in the mining industry. The following four chapters describe the operations of the Geological Survey and Department of Mines until 1911; attention is focussed on the activities of H.Y.L. Brown who became a legend in his lifetime. The final four chapters canvass the functions of the Department under the leadership of L. Keith Ward and also relate the development of mineral deposits, including uranium, coal, copper, iron and gold, and the petroleum and water resources of the State.