The 1373 square km Roopena licence area, which lies a short distance inland from Spencer Gulf between Port Augusta and Whyalla, was taken by Aurora Gold to explore for possible economic deposits of gold and copper mineralisation formed within a sequence of Palaeoproterozoic to Mesoproterozoic sedimentary, volcanic and granitic rocks that lie in and adjacent to the Roopena Fault Zone. The surrounding district in general was regarded as being prospective for iron oxide - associated copper-gold (IOCG) mineralisation, Tennant Creek style copper-gold-bismuth mineralisation, and mesothermal, fault-hosted gold-copper deposits. Initial work consisted of making a review of past exploration data, an assessment of the importance of aeromagnetic, gravity and electrical (IP, TEM) geophysical anomalies, acquiring 136.54 line km of ground magnetic surveys along 51 traverses, doing geochemical rock (77) and soil (467) sampling, and obtaining custodial clearance of target areas for the protection or avoidance of Aboriginal archaeological and ethnographic heritage sites. This was followed by RAB drilling of 20 gold-copper targets located or immediately to the west of the Roopena Fault Zone (mostly coincident to semi-coincident magnetic and gravity and/or geochemical anomalies ): during 2001 - 86 holes for 4674 m, on 100 m centres along broadly spaced traverses; during 2002 - 33 holes for 2043 m, infilling previous work down to 50 m or 25 m centres. Strongly anomalous copper values were encountered in several drillholes at three prospects, with a best intercept of 6 m @ 0.55% Cu below 66 m depth in hole RPR052 on the Quondong prospect (including 2 m @ 1.13% Cu + 1.9 ppm Ag), occurring within sheared and brecciated haematite-sericite-chlorite-siderite-quartz-albite - altered siltstones carrying minor pyrite and chalcopyrite. A weak elemental association between gold, copper, cobalt and bismuth was detected that is consistent with Ernest Henry or Tennant Creek style mineralisation. A right lateral jog within the Roopena Fault Zone, that extends over a strike length of 3 km, exists in the Quondong prospect vicinity. Following the start of a farm-in agreement signed on 10/11/2003 between EL 2741 holding company Abelle Ltd and new explorer Peninsula Minerals Ltd, the latter completed a programme of regional and infill calcrete geochemical sampling which covered the southern third of the licence area, where the bedrock lies under about 50 m thickness of cover. A total of 1400 calcrete samples plus 7 rock chip samples were analysed, and the results highlighted a number of gold and copper anomalies, ranging up to 17.6 ppb Au and 812 ppm Cu. Other new work carried out by Peninsula Minerals was the acquisition and 3-dimensional modelling of detailed gravity data covering four selected gravity/magnetic targets, where a total of 1721 stations were read. Interpretation of the survey results identified a number of undrilled, dense, weakly magnetic haematite bodies associated with Hiltaba age granite intrusions, that it was hoped might have IOCG affinities. Under a new joint venture arrangement entered into by Minotaur Exploration after 8/11/2004, by which time Peninsula Minerals had finished earning 100% of the licence rights, the former's geophysicists re-interpreted and re-modelled the detailed gravity data and delineated three gravity anomalies of interest that are juxtaposed against the flanks of aeromagnetic anomalies. These anomalies were made the targets for 4 exploratory RC drillholes (with a total penetration of 750 m) that were put down by Minotaur with partial funding assistance from PIRSA through its PACE Initiative project DPY1-36. The drillholes encountered the following Proterozoic basement lithologies: - Target 1C (RP05R001): mainly Roopena Volcanics: altered basalts and intimately associated sediments (sandstone and minor claystone). A relatively unaltered fresh dolerite (Gairdner Dyke) was penetrated at the base of the hole, from 238-252 m depth. - Viking (RP05R002 & RP05R004): interlayered granitic and amphibolitic gneiss and, in RP05R004, narrow zones of calc-silicate altered banded metasediments. - Target 11 (RP05R003): a thick zone (102 m) of amphibolitic rock, altered metagabbro and metapyroxenite, possibly after original layered sills and characterised by high chromium assays, overlying altered granitic and amphibolitic gneiss with substantially lower chromium assays. Drill sample precious and base metal assays were generally low, with the following exceptions: - RP05R001: 1.0g/t Au at 186-188 m, and 2860 ppm Cu at 180-181 m, both intervals being associated with thin dolomite veins; - RP05R002: composite 5-metre samples and subsequent detailed 1-metre resampling from the depth interval 75-95 m returned slightly elevated uranium values, with an average of 36 ppm U; - RP05R003: a broad interval at 50-165 m depth averaged 1342 ppm Cr. A portion of this zone (140-160 m) included elevated arsenic and zinc values. Resampling at 1-metre intervals returned sporadic highs to a maximum of 1000 ppm As, and yielded a non-coincident 1050 ppm Zn. Additional 1-metre resampling of the depth interval 215-220 m (from which the original composite returned a zinc value of 3126 ppm) returned a high of 4850 ppm Zn from 219-220 m depth. In view of the disappointing economic results of drilling, and having reviewed the subsurface geology found at the gravity model target depths, where mafic volcanic and/or intrusive rocks of Palaeoproterozoic to Mesoproterozoic age occur, the potential for finding haematite-rich IOCG-style mineralisation at each of the three anomaly areas was downgraded. Subsequent re-assessment of the geophysical and geochemical data persuaded Minotaur Exploration to continue its JV participation, and in late 2005 it conducted a regional gravity survey over various mineral tenements on north-eastern Eyre Peninsula, including the south-western part of EL 2741 (EL 3443), to identify further possible IOCG targets. 156 stations were read at a station spacing of 1 km x 500 m, to define a 10 km long, positive Bouguer gravity anomaly with an amplitude of ~8 mGal, that lies just north-west of Middleback Homestead and coincides with mapped exposures of amphibolite interlayered with the Broadview Schist. No detailed gravity data modelling was performed because it was concluded by Minotaur Exploration that the presence of abundant amphibolites (?mafic sills and/or basalts) adequately accounts for the gravity anomaly, and so it decided in February 2007 to discontinue with the joint venture. Minotaur's uranium exploration off-shoot company Toro Energy Ltd assumed the operator's role for EL 3443, and made a brief preliminary study of the uranium prospectivity of the Pandurra Formation and Corunna Conglomerate in sites of outcrop bordering the Roopena Fault Zone. Limited rock chip sampling (4 samples) did not reveal any anomalous uranium or other elements, but provided data on background uranium concentrations in these formations that may help the search for unconformity type deposits. However, shortly afterwards Toro Energy decided to also exit the joint venture, citing the unacceptable uncertainty of ongoing access to the majority of the licence area due to Defence Australia's imminent large westwards expansion of the Cultana Army Training Ground reserve, that would effectively hinder or prevent continuing any mineral exploration there. No further activity by the remaining licensee ensued, and ultimately tenure was allowed to lapse.