Exploration for possible economic buried sedimentary uranium mineralisation within a large portion of the north-western Frome Embayment located immediately south of the Beverley uranium deposit and covering the southern end of the Poontana Sub-basin, is being undertaken afresh after a considerable hiatus in activity reaching back to late 1982. Recent advances in the understanding of the setting and likely causes of uranium deposition at Beverley, coupled with the ongoing successful development of in situ leach mining techniques, have prompted this resumption of exploration interest. In the first licence year, Giralia Resources did no field work, but conducted a review of available past uranium exploration data, and compiled information relating to recent ISL mine setup development work being done at the Beverley uranium deposit. It became clear that the near-future establishment of a successful ISL uranium extraction operation at Beverley would greatly increase the viability of any nearby small uranium discoveries that might be made on EL 2403. Therefore, Giralia also held discussions with prospective joint venture partners. In the second through to the seventh licence years, while farminee Heathgate Resources began earning a 75% interest in the subject licence after September 1998, that company made preparations to carry out an exploratory drilling programme. However, lengthy delays in resolving issues which arose around obtaining Aboriginal Heritage site clearances, with the negotiations involving multiple Native Title claimant groups, meant that on-ground work did not begin until late in 2003. The company also found itself much distracted by corporate matters and by the level of technical staff commitment that needed to be given to starting uranium production at the Beverley mine. In 2001, Heathgate performed an office-based geological evaluation of the Tertiary Namba Formation based on historical data including downhole geophysical and lithological logs, with the aim of defining prospective palaeochannels and aquifers which could contain uranium that is amenable to ISL extraction. During May 2002, Heathgate contracted Fugro Airborne Surveys to acquire a first-ever TEMPEST airborne EM survey over portions of the Frome Basin where it then held interests in various exploration licenses, including EL 2403. The entire survey coverage was 2927 line km, of which 753 line km were flown over the Wooltana licence area. Flight lines were aligned roughly WNW-ESE at 1 km spacing, but opening out to 5 km apart in the southern half of the tenement. The sensor elevation above the ground surface was a nominal 120 m. Heathgate reported that this survey successfully detected both regional and small-scale faults and broad areas of elevated salinity in groundwater. In an initial drilling compaign on Wooltana undertaken by the JV in October-November 2003, 13 vertical rotary mud holes totalling 2152 m were drilled. Their chosen locations were based upon Heathgate's enhanced stratigraphic and structural understanding obtained from detailed interpretation of conductivity data from Tempest AEM data, plus its detailed knowledge of the geology of the Beverley deposit and its recent analysis of drilling undertaken by previous explorers in the 1970s. The drilling was primarily focussed on testing areas identified as being favourable for palaeochannel development, in addition to offsetting historical holes that had detected anomalous gamma ray log responses in or proximal to sands. All of the completed drillholes were wireline logged using a Geoscience Associates logging unit. The log tools run included neutron, SP, point resistivity, sixteen-inch resistivity and gamma ray. Estimation of the in-situ U3O8 content downhole was also calculated (as %) and is included in the suite of curves in the geophysical logs. No significant downhole anomalous radioactivity peaks denoting uranium mineralisation were detected. During licence Year 8, over the period April-June 2005, the JV partners acquired part of a larger, 18,482 station ultra-detailed regional gravity survey over EL 3012, where 9466 stations were read on a 200 m x 200 m grid spacing. The resulting gravity data clearly outlined two regional fault structures; one on the eastern side of the grid, having a NNW strike (Wooltana Fault), and the other on the western side of the grid, having a NNE strike (Poontana Fault). It was recognised that the latter is the southern extension of the primary fault proximal to the Beverley Uranium Deposit. A number of smaller scale structures were seen to cross-cut these regional structures. Heathgate's geophysical consultant, David McInnes, also noted that the gravity data in the north-western part of survey grid showed a significantly different character to that apparent elsewhere. Interpretation of the derivative gravity anomaly image delineated six isolated residual density highs that were recommended for follow-up. The investigation began with the drilling of one vertical rotary mud hole, WT015, to 218 m depth during August 2005. This hole was located immediately adjacent to Retention Leases 18, 19 and 20 that had earlier been taken out by Heathgate to contain three previously found outlier occurrences of Beverley type uranium mineralisation (the Paralana 'A', 'B' and 'C' deposits), and it was also sited near a gravity high that was believed to have features similar to the gravity signature observed to occur near the Beverley mine. Uranium mineralisation was intersected in the basal Namba 'Alpha Sand' unit of WT015 between 163 m and 165.5 m depth, grading 0.027% U3O8 [an average value calculated from the above threshold spread of gamma ray log readings taken at 2 cm depth intervals]. During licence Year 9, in January 2006, Heathgate performed geophysical inversions on the “x” (horizontal) and “z” (vertical) components of the magnetic field data that had been collected during the Tempest AEM survey flown across the Wooltana licence area in 2002, to try to identify coherent magnetic anomalies within the basement which might indicate metallic mineral prospectivity. Later in the year, targets defined by interpreted coincident gravity and magnetic anomalies were evaluated for potential IOCG style mineralisation. Four vertical rotary mud holes were drilled through the cover sequences and were cased off to allow for later basement testing via RC percussion drill tails. But problems were found with the integrity of the emplaced cement annulus to the casing in each of these precollars, that forced the postponement of the follow-up programme. All four rotary mud precollar holes had to be re-drilled and then cased more effectively, in readiness for a safer attempt at basement drilling. No anomalous gamma ray log responses were recorded from within the cover sediments overlying crystalline basement. During licence Year 10, the joint venturers completed the drill testing of two geophysical anomalies on the Lady Buxton IOCG prospect. From the results of this drilling, it was concluded that the targeted, low amplitude but sharply configured residual gravity highs are simply due to basement lying at shallow depth, and it was thought that the metasedimentary and crystalline rocks that were penetrated represent the uppermost edges of tilted basement blocks that have been brought closer to the surface by the Late Pliocene movement of faults. Diamond cored tails totalling 59.1 m were completed in two of the previously precollared holes (WT048 and WT050). Hole WT048 was drilled from 104.5 to TD 145.5 m into the larger of the two anomalies closest to the Wooltana Fault. This hole encountered haematite altered massive quartzite with minor quartz veining. No sulphide mineralisation was present. Hole WT050 was drilled from 108.0 to 132.6 m into a smaller and weaker gravity high. The dominant lithology encountered was a weakly chloritised siltstone with some interbedded felsic volcanic rocks. Both lithologies had been metamorphosed to some degree, and contain minor quartz veining. Again, no sulphide mineralisation was associated with the veining. A representative sample was taken from each of the two drill cores and submitted for laboratory chemical analysis and also a petrographic examination. No elevated gold or base metal values were returned. Haematite-sericite and chlorite alteration seen in thin section as affecting the matrix to the sedimentary rocks was believed to have occurred under diagenetic / very low grade metamorphic, oxidising conditions. Plans were made to conduct a second rotary mud drilling campaign targeting Tertiary sandstone type sedimentary uranium mineralisation. This time four different and new exploration concepts were to be tested, as the initial concept of drilling mainly along transects perpendicular to the geophysically determined position of the Poontana Fault had met with only limited success. During licence Year 11, the JV partners drilled and geophysically logged 24 vertical rotary mud holes for a total penetration of 4559 m, and they also acquired an ultra-detailed low level airborne magnetic/radiometric/DTM geophysical survey covering ELs 3251, 3934, 3935 (the subject licence), and ML 6321 (the Beverley mine). The airborne survey was undertaken during May 2008, when a total of 10,811 line km were flown along east-west lines spaced 40 m apart, using a nominal sensor mean height of 30 m above the ground surface. A subset of 1977 line km of the data were acquired over Wooltana EL 3935, with 207 line km of this coverage being flown across the three embedded Retention Leases (69 line km in each of RLs 18, 19 and 20). [Images of the TMI and total count processed airborne datasets are provided in the Year 11 annual report]. The exploratory drilling was carried out in two sorties during October-December 2007 and August-September 2008: (i) Drillholes WT051-WT053 were sited proximal to the Paralana Fault which runs along the Flinders Ranges north-eastern rangefront. Uranium mineralisation had previously been discovered close to this fault at Four Mile and in North Mulga (NM035). There are also mound springs associated with the fault, that are located close to these drillholes, suggesting that fluid flow has been and is still occurring up and along this fault. All three holes were drilled to a depth greater than 235 m, but did not record any anomalous gamma ray log peaks. No sand beds were intersected in the Namba Formation, only thick clays. The permeability of such a lithology is low, so it was inferred that fluid is unlikely to have flowed from the nearby Paralana Fault into the Tertiary sediments immediately surrounding these holes. (ii) Drillholes WT060, WT062, WT065 and WT066 were sited to test the inflection in the Poontana Fault associated with the Paralana 'A' Retention Lease, as interpreted by Heathgate from its 200 m spaced gravity data. The area to the west of the retention leases appeared to be a close analogue of the structural configuration seen at Beverley. Hole WT060 was drilled on the western side of the Wooltana Fault and reached basement at 134 m depth, with no anomalous gamma ray log peaks recorded. WT062 encountered large packages of sand within the Namba Formation; however no gamma ray log peaks were recorded. WT065 (a re-drill of WT064) and WT066 were both geologically very similar to one another but markedly different from WT062, both lacking any sands in the Namba Formation. It was assumed that this may indicate the presence of a previously unknown fault between WT062 and WT065. (iii) Drillholes WT054, WT057, WT058, WT059 and WT061 were put in to investigate historic drilling radioactivity anomalies from the 1970s which do not conform to the currently understood structural associations. One of these anomalies was encountered in a core hole drilled by Afmeco, A1S1E. While this hole had a poor drill core recovery, it managed to return 1.1% U3O8, with a gamma ray log - determined grade of 0.34% eU3O8, from a 10 cm long core sample. The five current holes were aimed at a target in a similar stratigraphic/structural setting to the Afmeco hole. Only holes WT059 and WT061 were completed as planned; the other three (WT054, WT057 and WT058) were abandoned due to drilling difficulties. Both WT059 and WT061 failed to record significant gamma ray log responses, but one slightly elevated response was seen on the WT061 log within reduced Namba Formation clays. (iv) Drillholes WT055 and WT056 were sited on an interpreted uplifted fault block, similar to other blocks formed by splays off the Paralana Fault Zone (for example the Wooltana and Poontana Faults). Both holes intersected substantial sand packages within the Namba Formation at depths greater than 150 m; however, neither hole recorded any anomalous gamma ray log readings. (v) Drillholes WT067 – WT074 were sited to test for the possible presence of sand channels lying parallel to the Poontana Fault flexural zone, in a setting similar to that of anomalous downhole gamma ray log hits made further north within Heathgate’s Paralana tenement. The holes were placed directly over many interpreted dilational zones within the flexure, to test for both the presence of sand within accommodation spaces and for evidence that fluids had moved into the overlying Tertiary sediments, using the dilational zones as a conduit. Only two holes, WT070 and WT071, of the 18 holes which were able to be geophysically logged, recorded elevated gamma ray log values. In each case the log response was a thin peak associated with a silt/silty sand package. The two log responses appeared to be isolated stratigraphically from one another, and came from markedly different depths. The two holes are located directly in the centre of the Poontana Fault dilational zone, which may account for their observed geological properties. WT070 intersected 16 m @ 0.016% eU3O8, and WT071 intersected 5 m @ 0.014% eU3O8. These results indicated the as-expected prospectivity of Tertiary palaeochannel sediments to host uranium mineralisation within EL 3935; however, achieving acceptably precise targeting of such mineralisation still remained an issue. So far, all of the above-cutoff grade anomalous mineralisation had been intersected at various depths within isolated, discontinuous stratigraphic packages, and Heathgate was beginning to think that in fact most of the uranium mineralisation present within EL 3935 may exist only in very small pods, no more than several tens of metres in width, requiring very precise targeting. Composited 2-metre rotary mud drill chip samples were collected from each hole drilled during the 2007 sortie (WT051-WT064), and 378 such samples in total were submitted for laboratory geochemical analysis. Each sample represented an individually logged lithology or alteration. No significant assay results were returned. During licence Year 12, a further 6 vertical rotary mud drillholes for 1375 m were completed and geophysically logged during the period October-December 2008. All of the holes were drilled into Namba Formation sediments; the underlying Eyre Formation sequence (the host to the Four Mile uranium mineralisation) was not tested. No significant mineralisation was intersected. Due to hole blockages which resisted efforts to clear them, only three of the holes (WT075, WT076 and WT078) were able to be fully profiled with geophysical logs. Heathgate had sited these holes to test Tertiary sediments that overly major basement structural lineations picked from gravity and magnetic datasets. The lineaments are local expressions of a larger crustal feature aligned north-west to south-east across the Flinders Ranges. On a more local scale, it was thought that these structural lineaments might represent uplifted, tilted fault blocks beneath thick cover, which could provide a path for fluids to interact with Tertiary and Cretaceous sediments. It was hoped that rotation/uplift of the fault blocks would have produced accommodation spaces large enough for small to moderate-sized fluvial channels to occupy. Many of the holes intersected >200 m thickness of Tertiary sands, which it was assumed are fluvial palaeochannel sediments.