An area located close to the western margin of the Stuart Shelf, and approximately 120 km south-west of the Olympic Dam deposit, was taken up to explore for possible economic IOCG mineralisation hosted by Gawler Range Volcanics (GRV) and Hiltaba Suite granites, which could be related to a large localized gravity anomaly of approximately double the areal extent and having the same order of intensity as the gravity anomaly associated with Olympic Dam. Only two previous drillholes, to 150 m and 180 m depth respectively, exist in this area. Both holes penetrated the GRV, but were too shallow to reach the source of the gravity anomaly. These holes were interpreted to have bottomed within an extensive rhyolite/dacite ashflow sequence which post-dates the Olympic Dam mineralising event, and is unprospective. However, it was believed by the current licensees that an inferred underlying sequence of oxidised basal GRV and mafic/intermediate and acid volcanics, regarded as equivalent to the Olympic Dam host sequence, could hold untested IOCG potential. The first licence year, when PlatSearch was acting as licence operator for Peninsula Exploration (and for joint venture optionholder Inco Resources after July 2001), was occupied mainly with completing land access negotiations with Native Title holders to allow exploratory drilling to proceed. Geophysical modelling of available regional gravity data was also undertaken to provide depth estimates to likely dense source bodies causing the Coondambo gravity high anomaly located in the south-western part of the tenement. This anomaly is east-west striking, has an extent of 16 km x 4 km, and an amplitude of almost 11 mGal. The inferred basement IOCG target was estimated to lie at ~400 m depth below surface. During the second licence year, Platsearch acquired detailed ground magnetic data along several traverses across the target gravity anomaly, to confirm the indicated source body depth and to refine the anomaly model. Next, in early June 2003, Platsearch completed a single vertical RC percussion hole to a total depth of 504 m at the Scorpion Bore prospect, the chosen drilling site being over a slight 'bulge' on the southern side of the gravity anomaly's apex. Drillhole SB1 remained in GRV dacites and rhyodacites over its entire length, from 5 to 504 m depth. These rocks have been subjected to moderate to intense haematitic alteration, notably evident over the depth interval 349-402 m. The haematite occurs both as a widespread earthy haematite dusting and less commonly as fine micaceous haematite grains dispersed through the rock groundmass. The unusually high abundance of haematite suggested to the licensees that the GRV parent magmas may locally have been fertile for yielding copper-gold mineralisation. A zone of strong haematite alteration over the depth interval 345-405 m interestingly corresponds to high concentrations of the rare earth elements cerium and lanthanum. However, no significant mineralised zones were identified by visual logging of the drill cuttings or by assaying these cuttings. In general the assayed gold and base metal values are low throughout the hole, and only trace pyrite is present. After reviewing the drilling results, Inco chose to withdraw from the JV option agreement with PlatSearch early in 2004. In its place, Marathon Resources shortly thereafter signed a new joint venture agreement over two licences in the Glendambo district, including the subject EL 2819, and became the JV project operator on 10/4/2004. The partners became interested in an area of strong basement magnetic character evident in the north-eastern part of the licence (the Glendambo North prospect), where several close-spaced magnetic lineaments were seen that could derive from members of the Gairdner Dolerite dyke swarm. Marathon decided to survey it with detailed gravity in order to improve the existing sparse, 6 km spaced coverage. This gravity acquisition took place during April 2004, when 332 stations were read on a 500 m x 500 m grid. In addition to the gravity survey, a test AMT profile was acquired passing through the SB1 drillsite and heading north for 2.2 line km into an interpreted east-west trending shear zone bordering the Scorpion Bore prospect. Later that same year, reconnaissance calcrete sampling (13 samples) and limited MMI soil sampling (11 samples taken at 100 m intervals) were undertaken along the same north-south traverse line. A shallow AMT conductor was identified 1.6 km north of SB1, but the calcrete sampling results were inconclusive. During the fifth licence year the joint venturers decided to drill a second exploratory hole, to a total depth of 403.9 m, to investigate the AMT anomaly on the northern margin of the Scorpion Bore gravity anomaly, which was interpreted as a deep-seated shear zone. The AMT anomaly lies close to the boundary between the GRV and the overlying Pandurra Formation. Additionally, the target was in close proximity to the GZ gravity lineament of O’Driscoll (1985), a major WNW trending regional scale deformation zone considered conducive to ore forming processes. The results of the July 2005 MMI geochemical traverse were used to refine the planned position for the inclined RC/diamond core drillhole. This drillhole DD06MN14, which including 123 m of RC precollar drilling, was completed during May 2006. It also stayed within Gawler Range Volcanics felsic tuffs, dacites and rhyodacites for its entire depth, and again, no significant mineralisation was encountered. In view of the disappointing outcome, Marathon chose not to conduct further work to evaluate the Scorpion Bore prospect. Marathon's subsequent exploration focus became directed towards assessing the Coondambo area's potential for hosting Athabasca style secondary uranium deposits. Late in 2006, the company undertook a review of fault structures within the tenement that might cut the unconformity between the GRV and the Pandurra Formation, and began to seek geochemical responses which could indicate leakage anomalies from uranium mineralisation present at depth. A 525 sample calcrete geochemical survey was conducted at 500 m x 500 m grid spacing over indicated subsurface ?fault structural features wich had coinciding weakly elevated uranium channel airborne radiometric responses. The multi-element analysis results for gold were sufficiently encouraging to prompt the acquisition during 2007 of follow-up detailed calcrete and soil sampling done on 200 m x 200 m and 100 m x 100 m centres respectively (282 calcrete samples and 554 soil samples collected). Two rock chip samples were also analysed. A good correlation was observed between the loci of geochemical and radiometric anomalism. During October and November 2008 ground magnetic readings were acquired at 100 m intervals on two grids laid out over the most promising soil geochemical anomalies, for a total coverage of 60 and 120 line km respectively. The detailed magnetic data was interpreted in January 2009, in conjunction with the earlier acquired gravity data. However, by doing this work Marathon was unable to reliably delineate any new drilling targets. Consequently the company decided to withdraw from the Coondambo / Mulga Hill Joint Venture agreement on 2/7/2010, and thereby transferred its 50% interest in EL 3593 back to PlatSearch. After reviewing the tenement data, licence owner PlatSearch elected to allow tenure to lapse at the expiry of the tenth licence year on 4/7/2011.