A small area centred about 10 km north of Tarcoola has been explored for possible economic buried IOCG mineralisation of Olympic Dam or Prominent Hill type, or any related gold-bearing magnetite skarns that may exist locally in the Proterozoic basement rocks. Known regional magnetic anomalies and associated gold-in-calcrete surface geochemical anomalies were regarded as important pointers to the prospectivity of the area. EL 2898 Cooladding has been explored by Gravity Capital and Stellar Resources in conjunction with several other contiguous small licence areas (EL 2694 Carnding, EL 3089 Tarcoola and EL 3253 Hierns Well). No field work was conducted during the first two years of tenure of the subject licence owing to unresolved land access issues with the relevant Native Title claimant group. Gravity Capital instead undertook an office based data compilation and review to identify potential drill targets. During March-April 2004, the licensee flew a Falcon airborne gravity gradiometer survey over all of the Cooladding tenement area, as part of a wider survey covering its three adjacent ELs mentioned above. A total of approximately 30,000 line km was flown along 250 m spaced north-south lines in this survey, utilising an 80 m sensor elevation above ground in an instrument platform which also acquired complementary magnetic, radiometric and DEM data. During licence Year 3, interpretation of the new airborne geophysical survey datasets was carried out in conjunction with inputs from the previously compiled exploration drilling and geochemistry datasets. The Falcon gravity data [presented as a gravity gradient image] were inferred to have defined quite well the distribution of Tertiary palaeochannel sediments of the Kingoonya system, appearing thereon as sinuous linear negative anomalies. Second order local gravity highs, evident within areas where Tarcoola Formation sediments were interpreted to subcrop, were identified as possible Mount Isa or HYC type sedex style base metal targets. During licence Years 4 and 5, transfer licensee Stellar Resources performed further investigation of the distribution of relict subsurface Tertiary palaeodrainage elements, and trialled the local applicability of basement rock conductivity mapping via the acquisition during January 2006 of reconnaissance low level airborne EM (HoistEM) profiles over the licence area, as part of a broader regional survey. The detailed AEM data confirmed that this technique could provide a better degree of definition of palaeochannel distribution, however, anomalous conductive zones that could be associated with base metal mineralisation with the Tarcoola Formation were not detected. A short RAB drill programme of 3 vertical holes for a total penetration of 94 m was completed during April 2006 to better define the inferred prospective western margin of the Tarcoola Basin. The drilling was hampered by high groundwater inflows to the holes coming from within interpreted palaeodrainage sediments. Assaying of selected drill cuttings samples returned no anomalous geochemistry. During mid-2006, based on some pmd*CRC numerical and reverse engineering modelling, the hitherto little explored eastern margin of the Tarcoola Basin became highly ranked in terms of prospectivity due to its inferred structurally associated dilation. A PACE Initiative co-funded drilling programme, designed to test the potential of this part of the basin to host stratiform Pb-Zn-Ag+Cu mineralisation within the medium to fine grained siliciclastics and lesser carbonates of the Tarcoola Formation, was therefore attempted by Stellar Resources as approved project DPY3-47. However, when the contracted drill rig could not physically gain access to the proposed drill site under its own power, and drill company management were reluctant to accept assistance (e.g. towing) in moving the rig, the planned two-hole diamond drilling programme had to be deferred. Late in 2006, an independent expert's review performed for Stellar Resources of likely gold prospectivity within the subject licence area and broader tenement package concluded that there was probably now a reduced potential for discovering sizeable economic deposits of “Tarcoola” style vein-hosted gold + Pb-Zn-Ag mineralisation. Furthermore, the review highlighted a lack of systematic follow-up exploration, in particular drilling, over broad low level gold-in-calcrete anomalies that may be associated with Challenger style mineralisation, one example being the Au anomalous calcrete that occurs along almost all of the 10 km strike of the Warburton-Tolmer ridge west of the Tarcoola goldfield. Consultant Gus Bravo believed that hidden untested gneissic rocks of the Archaean Mulgathing Complex have the best potential to deliver a sizeable economic gold deposit. During licence Year 6, new licence JV operator Uranium SA carried out a second airborne EM survey on EL 2898, this time using the RepTEM method, hoping to define unconformity related uranium targets in addition to possible palaeochannel hosted uranium mineralisation. In May 2007 a broad-spaced (nominally 500 m), 2383.3 line km regional RepTEM survey was flown across the JV project tenements to try to better delineate previous HoistEM - defined palaeodrainage features. The survey data revealed indications of an extensive palaeodrainage system buried beneath Recent cover. During April 2008, 11 reconnaissance vertical rotary mud exploratory holes for 755 m were completed to test palaeodrainage features interpreted from the RepTEM survey AEM data. All of these holes, which were located along station tracks, at their completion were geophysically logged with a gamma ray - resistivity - SP tool, and were sampled for a wide range of chemical elements that might point to underlying basement-hosted IOCG or other types of uranium mineralisation. This work provided encouragement for doing further drilling based on the RepTEM AEM data, also aimed at defining the palaeochannel boundaries. No field work was undertaken on Cooladding by either Stellar Resources or Uranium SA during the remaining four years of tenure of the renewed EL 3799. Late in 2011, the Australian Commonwealth Department of Defence completed its administrative review of the means of affording third party security access to Commonwealth Government properties (this important transparency step being known as the Hawke Review). A Deed of Access was subsequently granted to the Tarcoola JV partners for EL 3799 and other Stellar Resources licences that fall within the Woomera Prohibited Area. All of Stellar’s Tarcoola district licences are now covered by the Defence Infrequent Zone, which will have variably imposed entry restrictions of up to 55 days per year.