According to its Critical Minerals Strategy of 2022, Australia aims to turn into the “global critical minerals powerhouse” by 2030 by becoming an integral part of the international critical minerals supply chain (DISER, 2022). The Geological Survey of South Australia (GSSA) has recognised there is great potential to explore for critical metals in mine waste materials across the state forming part of this new supply chain. This report uses publicly accessible data to identify mine waste from historic occurrences in South Australia which may contain. For this desktop study a ranking criteria was created using four key inputs based on data available from the Mines and mineral deposits (MinDep) database. The criteria included, i) mine status; ii) known commodity; iii) associated commodity; and iv) discovery year. The data for an additional criterion, mine waste features, was also collected as part of this study. The ranking was used to identify abandoned/historic mine sites with a high probability of containing critical metals in the mine waste. The results indicate that South Australian mine waste is fertile in metals including Co, Cu, Ni, REEs and Au, predominantly from the Adelaide Rift Complex, Gawler Craton, Nackara Arc, Kanmantoo Group and Willyama Supergroup. The Middleback Ranges was recognised as a potential host for Mn, with notable enrichment likely in waste materials. The ranking indicated the potential for bismuth at several sites (Gawler Craton and Nackara Arc). In-depth case studies for a range of high-ranking mine sites have been presented, including recommended sampling programs to further assess the mine waste potential. In addition, each case study describes the site geology, mining and processing history, information about mine waste and past research. The case studies shown in this report are: Mount Gunson, Port Pirie, Burra, Mount Grainger, Alma and Victoria, Paratoo, Moonta Mines, Challenger, Dome Rock, Iron Knob, Brukunga and Kanmantoo.