EL 3019 located in the Curnamona Province of South Australia covers a portion of the north-south trending buried palaeotopographic high known as the Benagerie Ridge. The north-south elongate licence area occupies part of Quinyambie Station, and is centred about 130 km north-northwest of Broken Hill. Targeted mineralisation is of the iron oxide - associated copper-gold (IOCG) style, possibly occurring in association with inferred Mesoproterozoic basement volcanic and intrusive acid igneous rocks. These rocks were interpreted to lie beneath sedimentary cover expected to range between 100 and 350 m deep locally, and to include several artesian aquifers. Drilling information about the basement was sparse, but the ‘Interpreted Solid Geology of the Curnamona Province’ (Burtt & Betts, 2004) suggested that local bedrock geology consists of Mesoproterozoic Benagerie Ridge Volcanics (~ 1580 Ma), the related Benagerie Ridge Volcanic Breccia, plus variably magnetic granites and minor mafic intrusive rocks of the Bimbowrie Supersuite, along with Strathearn Group pelitic lithologies of the Willyama Supergroup. The Bimbowrie Supersuite volcanic units and granites were considered to be probably similar in age and character to the Hiltaba Suite granites/Gawler Range Volcanics of the Gawler Craton (Burtt et al, 2004), which are closely associated with IOCG styles of mineralisation. Initial office-based studies performed by Jim Allender and later by PlatSearch geophysicists had determined that there were 8-12 promising bullseye type aeromagnetic anomalies arising from the basement of the Benagerie Ridge which might indicate structures having IOCG potential. Subsequent drilling by the INCO/PlatSearch consortium of a magnetic target identified on adjacent EL 2579 had encountered haematitic breccias within the basement below 307 m depth of cover that carry anomalous copper mineralisation; the mineralisation setting was thought to resemble that of the eastern Gawler Craton economic IOCG mineralised systems. Vertical hole QBE1 sampled basalt-andesite volcanic breccia rocks showing abundant haematite, magnetite, pyrite – (chalcopyrite) and K-feldspar alteration, which averaged 620 ppm Cu copper content over a 197 metre thick interval to the end of hole at 504 m depth. This drilling result, along with notice of an impending publically funded gravity survey over the area by PIRSA, led to increased interest in the area by Newcrest, and on 24/6/2005 it commenced a JV with PlatSearch on Lake Frome EL 3019 and the adjoining Poverty Lake EL 2948. Newcrest agreed to spend a minimum of $2 million within 5 years on exploring these two licences, to earn a 70% interest. Field work on the subject licence began in August-September 2005 with the acquisition by the JV partners of 882 stations of 500 m x 500 m spaced infill gravity coverage to PIRSA's recent 2 km x 2 km regional gravity survey. The new gravity readings formed a subset of a larger, 2293 station multi-licence semi-detailed gravity survey acquired for Newcrest across most of the Benagerie Ridge. Modelling of the data for EL 3019 identified a number of prospective residual gravity anomalies, with three anomalies being the targets of a successful exploration subsidy proposal made by the JV to the South Australian Government as part of Round 3 of the PACE Initiative, realised during June 2006 as collaborative drilling project DPY3-06. During June-July 2006, several subtle residual gravity high anomalies, with magnitudes in the 1-2 mGal range, that are semi-coincident with subdued aeromagnetic features termed Anomalies B, C, E & F, and which lie within a 20 km radius of QBE1, were drilled by Newcrest. 6 vertical rotary mud holes (BRD002-007) with short 2-3 m PQ diamond core tails, together having a total penetration of 948.3 m, were completed to test the Proterozoic basement. These drillholes variously transected 102 to 255 m thick sequences of Quaternary, Tertiary and Cretaceous cover sediments to reach the basement, which was found to comprise red-brown, massive, porphyritic rhyolite (quartz-feldspar porphyry) in all six holes. Weak to moderate fracture-controlled sericite-‘red-rock’ (haematite dusted feldspar) alteration was logged in BRD007, while weak fracture controlled alteration was also noted in several of the other holes (e.g. weak sericite-carbonate-pyrite in drill-hole BRD004). Assay results were disappointing; no significant gold or copper results were returned (>0.1 g/t Au or >0.1% Cu). Peak values obtained were 4 ppb Au from hole BRD004 and 14 ppm Cu from hole BRD003. Minor low temperature / low pressure artesian water flow was noted from within the Cretaceous Cadna-owie Formation between 242-255m depth in drillhole BRD007. No artesian flows were noted in the other five holes, which did not intersect the Cadna-owie Formation before entering Proterozoic basement. A specific gravity measurement was acquired from the basement core cut in each drillhole, to assist in geophysical modelling of the targeted gravity anomalies. The resulting SG values were essentially homogenous between holes and in line with the expected densities of unaltered porphyritic rhyolite (2.35-2.70 g/cm3; D.A. Berkman, 1995). Because of the lingering uncertainty as to whether possible mineralised breccias could lie beneath the upper basement levels penetrated by the above drillholes, Newcrest decided during 2007 to deepen four of them (BRD003, 4, 6, & 7) with NQ core 'tails', for a total additional penetration of 1019 m, to try to identify any sources for the observed gravity and/or magnetic anomalies. The deeper Proterozoic basement in all four holes was found to consist of red-brown, porphyritic rhyolite (quartz-feldspar porphyry) or green/grey porphyritic dacite (feldspar-quartz ± hornblende porphyry). A weak regional alteration event was thought to have produced visible minor sericite-‘red-rock’ alteration in the rhyolites and weak chlorite ± sericite ± pyrite alteration in the dacitic units. Eight samples of the cored volcanic rocks were sent for petrographic studies. A disappointing maximum assay value of 78 ppb Au was returned from a quartz-carbonate-chlorite-pyrite vein cored in BRD003. The targeted gravity anomalies were now considered to be the result of variation in the basement topography, rather than reflecting the presence of excess iron associated with IOCG styles of mineralisation. The final hole completed in the 2007 programme, BRD007, was targeted at a subtle magnetic anomaly rather than a gravity target, and it encountered two ~30 m wide zones exhibiting fracturing and brecciation, with strong specular haematite-quartz-carbonate-pyrite infill, which returned anomalous maximum values for Au (51 ppb), Mo (167 ppm),Fe (12.8%), Bi (6.9 ppm), Ag (1.4 ppm), Ba (278 ppm) and REE (1644 ppm). This was deemed as highly encouraging, considering that BRD007 had been collared on the fringe of the magnetic anomaly (Anomaly C, now named the “Boundary” prospect) due to access difficulties in getting the rig through sand dunes, so further drill testing was recommended at the Boundary prospect and on other nearby subtle magnetic anomalies. During 2008, a further six vertical rotary-mud drillholes (BRD008-013) for 2436 m were completed by Newcrest to test the subtle (1-2 mGal range) positive gravity/magnetic anomalies it had mapped under cover as arising in the Benagerie Ridge basement. Four of these holes were completed with 948.3 m of NQ diamond core tails. The Proterozoic basement encountered by all six holes consists of red-brown, massive porphyritic rhyolite (quartz-feldspar porphyry). Weak to moderate fracture-controlled sericite-‘red-rock’ (haematite dusted feldspar) alteration was logged in BRD008, while weak fracture controlled alteration was also noted in several of the other holes. The variable alteration assemblages were interpreted to reflect differences in volcanic rock composition, e.g. rhyolite vs dacite. All of the assay results obtained from the above six holes were disappointing, with maximum values of 25 ppb Au in hole BRD013 and 163 ppm Cu over 3.3 m in hole BRD008. All pathfinder element concentrations were subdued or below detection limits. During 2009, Newcrest did not carry out any field work, but undertook the rehabilitation of its existing drill sites and access tracks. Upon inspections carried out in August by officers of the Department of Water, Land and Biodiversity Conservation, several of Newcrest's drillholes that had intersected artesian aquifers of the Eromanga Basin (synonym 'GAB') were found to be leaking around their drill collars. This environmental protection failing necessitated that Newcrest commission a downhole survey programme to evaluate the casing cementation integrity of each faulty drillhole, and then employ a workover rig to re-enter those holes to plug and grout hole sections that were shown to be in an unsatisfactory condition for abandonment. This work was carried out during 2010 for six drillholes, including the previously most leaky holes BRD006 and BRD014. Newcrest subsequently withdrew from the Benagerie Ridge Project joint venture agreement in April 2011, by finalising the sale of its earned interest in ELs 3831 and 3952 to PlatSearch. When Platsearch resumed operating the exploration programme for EL 3952, it undertook a review of all of the Benagerie Ridge Project work done by Newcrest, plus the digital compilation of all new drilling and assay data. It was concluded that the farminee had addressed the better, more obvious targets, by drill testing four gravity anomalies and one discrete magnetic anomaly, although a number of lower order geophysical anomalies remained untested. The occurrence of elevated REE in drillhole BRD007, within rocks that appeared to have IOCG affinities, was deemed as encouraging. It was decided that Anomaly “A” located within EL 3952 remained the best untested target, although drillhole BRD014 had been inconclusive and thus required a re-drill. It had been sited on co?incident magnetic and gravity highs, with top-of-basement modelled at 400 m, and a target depth set at 600 m. However, this hole had been abandoned at 321.7 m depth due to very high artesian groundwater flows, and was therefore not an effective test. No further field work ensued on the subject licence. During 2011, plans were conceived to conduct ground EM surveys for sedimentary uranium exploration, as follow-up to the SA Government's recently completed 2010 Frome Embayment regional Airborne EM Survey, but an unfolding adverse economic climate for the risky minerals exploration industry then militated against putting these plans into action. Eventually, mid-way through 2012, with no prospect of forming another joint venture partnership, it was decided to allow tenure to lapse.