On 25 June, 1998, in response to the matter of safety in Mitcham district quarries being raised in that area's Council proceedings, a working party was formed to address the safety issue of all quarries on Council land. The working party comprised: Councillor Bob Marshall, Mr David Wuttke from the Local Government Mutual Liability Scheme, Mr Greg Drew from the former Department of Mines and Energy (now merged into the larger Department of Primary Industries and Resources South Australia - PIRSA), Mr Roger Grund, a representative of the Mitcham Open Space Advisory Committee, Mr Michael Bell, Council's Risk Officer, Ms Maggie Ragless, Council's Local Historian, and Mr David Deer, Horticultural Consultant. During the last 18 months this working party also had assistance from two university students, Mark Edwards and John Spurling, who co-authored the Natural Heritage Ecotourism Report of January 1999. Other relevant existing reports to Council - Mr Royce Wells (1995), the Gupta Report (1996), and the information on the Sleeps Hills quarries as published by the Department of Mines and Energy (1990) - were also valuable resource material. This investigation has proved to be long and involved, and has necessitated a great deal of research from Maggie Ragless who has spent many hours chasing up past owners of quarries and linking the relevant facts, besides much effort by the assessment team who have spent many hours visiting and climbing over the sites in order to record the condition of the quarry faces and surrounds. This final report includes information on the location of each quarry, a brief history, a relevant photo of the site, and a current status description and prioritised risk assessment of the sites, including data about relevant fencing, signage, height of walls, stability, gradients, proximity to houses, accessibility, current use, future use, geological significance, vegetation and fire risk. The main purpose of the exercise as planned was to focus on the safety of the quarries, which subject forms the major thrust of this report. The authors have been able to use the information gathered to rank the quarries as to the severity of risk on each site. It is proposed to use an international set of warning signs indicating the presence of quarries, and of high quarry faces and unstable conditions, on the majority of the sites assessed. The fences will be constructed based on a design supplied by the Department of Mines, using a supportive fence structure in areas where there are lookouts. Access to some reserves will also be fenced or barricaded to minimise vehicle access and thereby indirectly ensure some extra safety. It is proposed that the work to be done on these quarries will be phased over the next 3 to 5 years, operating within a set budget and starting on the high priority risk sites as identified in this report. This report also suggests that some quarry faces could be used as recreational areas for rock climbing and abseiling, and that Council's recreation officer look at the potential to develop these sites. Eco tourism potential in these areas is also to be pursued as part of Mitcham Council's Tourism Plan. Mountain bike riding is a concern in many areas, particularly for its impacts on native vegetation, and for the dangers to riders who ride in close proximity to quarry faces. There is a Working Group which is currently meeting to discuss mountain bike riding on public land in the Mt Lofty Ranges, and these sites will be included on a inventory of bike riding areas that require some action.