A search for possible economic buried IOCG mineralisation which might exist within a widespread region of sparsely explored ?Archaean to Mesoproterozoic high grade metamorphic basement terrain, which underlies three licence sub-areas located 100-180 km north-west and west of Coober Pedy, was based on the Peninsula Exploration's recognition that this basement exhibits several complex gravity and magnetic anomalies which had not yet been drill tested. For the licences' first year, no field work was conducted by Peninsula Exploration. In the latter part of the year the licensee entered into discussions with a major international base and precious metals explorer, which led to the formation of a joint venture partnership. After a lengthy process of obtaining the required consents by numerous authorities for on-ground activities to commence, the joint venturers acquired a semi-detailed ground gravity survey across the whole project area during September-December 2009. A total of 3138 new stations were read on a 1 km x 500 m spacing in three separate grids, with follow-up infill to 200 m or 100 m station spacings where anomalies of interest were revealed. Consultants GeoDiscovery were next engaged to perform 3-D geophysical modelling of the new gravity data in conjunction with modelling of the 400 m line spaced regional aeromagnetic data. Several partly coincident gravity and magnetic features with likely IOCG signature affinity were identified, and a drilling programme was proposed of 24 holes to test the best ten of them. It was decided that some of the proposed drillholes, sited in the West Tallaringa licence sub-area, would test three possible structurally-controlled mesothermal gold targets rather than IOCG type haematite-altered epithermal/hydrothermal systems, in view of a strong gold-in-calcrete anomaly that previous explorer Goldstream had found there, and because of the interpreted divergent geological character and probably highly complicated tectonic structuring seen in the basement rocks' potential field responses. During 2010-2011, no field work was completed on the tenements owing to the JV partners' being unable to reach agreement with the Commonwealth Department of Defence on mutually acceptable conditions for the latter to grant a Deed of Access to which would allow mineral exploration activities to occur within the relevant often-used distal test range part of the Woomera Prohibited Area. The stalemate caused the commencement of drilling to be delayed by more than twelve months. However, by late July 2011 a Deed of Access was finally able to be signed, to allow exploration to recommence. Over the period December 2011-April 2012 a diamond drilling programme was performed by Sumitomo at three priority IOCG geophysical targets on EL 3887. 5 vertical NQ2 wireline diamond cored holes were completed for a total penetration of 1860.2 m, which included 676.9 m of rotary mud precollaring through the Eromanga and Arckaringa Basins cover sediments. During the programme, adverse wet weather caused major delays to the drilling by affecting logistics and access, leading to budgetted cost over-runs that contributed to a decision to cancel the proposed drilling at other targets within EL 3887, as well as all of those within EL 3872. Basement lithologies encountered were a high metamorphic grade upper amphibolite or granulite facies assemblage of quartz-feldspar gneisses, calc-silicate/marble, amphibole-pyroxene granulites, and garnet bearing gneisses, plus a probable silicate facies iron-formation. They show considerable compositional variation even on a small scale, but changes from one dominant mineralogy to another are often marked by sharp contacts. Banding is common throughout most lithologies, with the exception of the calc-silicate/marble intersected in the early holes and a mafic granulite cored in hole DD12JB005: these lithologies display a more uniform granoblastic fabric. However, the banding is exclusively a gneissic banding, and there is no definite evidence that any primary sedimentary banding is preserved. Other than the broad compositional/lithological changes and occasional finer compositional banding in some of the iron-rich lithologies, which may represent indications of primary sedimentary banding, there are no primary sedimentary features present. Grain sizes vary from medium to very coarse grained. Some evidence that the lithologies may have been at least partly sedimentary in origin is the relatively widespread disseminated graphite in several lithologies and the thicker brecciated graphite-rich quartz-feldspar-garnet rock cored over several intervals in hole DD12JB003. No indications of the presence or proximity to IOCG style mineralisation were observed, nor were any pointers seen to other styles of mineralisation. Minor disseminated and rare semi-massive slugs of pyrrhotite and rarer pyrite were the only sulphide minerals recorded. Portable hand-held XRF scanning of all the recovered drill cores while they were still at the drill sites returned weakly anomalous lead-zinc values and sporadic elevated copper values in two holes. Sections of core later submitted to laboratory ALS for rock sample cutting and check analyses confirmed the results of the initial geochemical scanning. At this stage, in Sumitomo's opinion, the apparent complete absence of indications of IOCG style alteration and the high grade metamorphic rocks encountered seemed to indicate to it that the EL 3887 area might not be prospective for IOCG style mineralisation. In hindsight the company stated that if the SA Government's latest regional geological interpretations were correct and their recent IOCG deposit age dating (Reid, 2012) was accurate, then the Nawa Domain basement rocks underwent high grade metamorphism at a time similar to the Gawler Range Volcanics / Hiltaba Granite magmatic event, so it now appeared unlikely that the Nawa Domain metamorphic rocks could host IOCG style mineralisation of the style and age that is typical of the eastern Gawler Craton. EL 5206 was applied for and granted on 30/7/2012, as a replacement for EL 3872. Due to the disappointing drilling results obtained on EL 3887, Sumitomo withdrew from the joint venture in early 2013. No subsequent field work occurred before the subject licences were allowed to lapse.