In a search for carbonate mineral bulk raw materials suitable for use at the BHP Whyalla blast furnace as fluxes in steel-making, 5 exploratory vertical rotary core holes totalling 130 m were drilled on the Nullarbor Plain near the coast and south of Koonalda Homestead, close to the proposed route of the new Eyre Highway. The drill cores were geologically logged and representative samples were taken for materials testing at BHP's Newcastle laboratory. Results of the analyses have been reported, but no conclusions were provided.