Hitherto untried exploration for heavy mineral sands on the eastern margin of the Eucla Basin, conducted by the Ceduna Joint Venture partners since 1989 over ten contiguous licence areas in the Ooldea - Barton area centred 150 km north-west of Ceduna, comprised a preliminary photogeological survey, modelling of Tertiary shoreline sand sedimentation and deflation history, reconnaissance auger sampling of the near surface strata in favourable palaeodepositional settings, and five stages of RC/core stratigraphic drilling to basement, at 500 m spacings along eight regional traverses (926 holes, total 25,306 m). Two zones containing highly anomalous heavy mineral concentrations were discovered near Immarna Siding, with some sand lenses approaching ore grade percentages. No deposits of an economic size were located, however. Other lesser prospects identified in the Barton Siding and southern playa lake areas were found to be overly disseminated within the Tertiary sequence, as well as being mantled by deepening Quaternary cover. Drilling of the Ooldea Range basal strata has revealed the existence of at least one significant depositional hiatus within the targeted Eocene - Miocene succession, thought to correspond to a regressive seaward cycle of beach sand reworking with potential for developing localised high grade sand bodies. Palaeopedological cementation evidenced by ferricrete and calcrete layers near this break in sedimentation may indicate palaeochannel - related former water table levels. An attempt to use magnetic data processing methods to directly detect heavy mineral accumulations buried within raised beaches has proved unsuccessful for this particular region.