The Kanmantoo Trough is an arcuate zone of metamorphosed and deformed Cambrian rocks of the Stansbury Basin that crop out along the eastern Mount Lofty Ranges, through Fleurieu Peninsula, and extend to Kangaroo Island in the south. Related Cambrian rocks are known to lie to the east beneath the Tertiary Murray Basin, and to the south along the Padthaway Ridge, with correlatives in the Glenelg River region of western Victoria. Mineralisation is widespread within the trough and, with recent gains in geological and metallogenic understanding, it continues to be highly prospective. The region is host to numerous historical base and precious metal mines that have been mined sporadically since the mid-1800s. The Kanmantoo copper mine (Hillgrove Resources Ltd) and Angas Zinc Project (Terramin Australia Pty Ltd) are currently the 'hottest' prospects within the Kanmantoo Trough. With strong metal prices and recent upgrades of resource and grade definition, these once marginal prospects are now considered to be economically viable. This article summarises the mineral potential of the Kanmantoo area and the recent advances made by these two relatively new to South Australia mineral exploration companies.