A licence area in the Olary district comprising three separate sub-blocks has been explored for possible economic stratabound iron ore occurrences within partly concealed Neoproterozoic bedrock. The subject ground was taken up by Wentworth Metals Group Pty Ltd (WMG) to assess the economic potential of the tillitic/siltstone Braemar Iron Formation, which outcrops semi-continuously with very low relief in poorly vegetated places spread amongst mainly Recent alluvium/colluvium covered hillslopes and plains. During the first year of the subject licence, in September-October 2010, aerial geophysical survey contractor GPX Airborne was hired to fly 1273.1 line km of fixed-wing aircraft instrument platform, combined magnetic, radiometric and digital elevation model coverage that included a small part of the northern sub-block of the subject EL 4566, as well as parts of the adjoining ELs 4199 and 4533 held by the Drew Hill joint venture consortium. Survey data acquisition was along 100 m spaced NE-SW lines, using a 30 m sensor mean terrain clearance. The resulting magnetic field intensity data were reported to have an intense dynamic range extending up to 16,800 nT, corresponding to published and interpreted magnetic susceptibilities of the Benda Siltstone and Pualco Tillite. They outlined a NW-SE trending linear magnetic feature which becomes narrower and more intense at its north-western end, within EL 4566. Here the anomalism was forward modelled by WMG's geophysical consultant to estimate possible depths to and dips of various buried structures that might contain significant amounts of magnetite. Priority Location 1, amongst eight selected as being of interest for drilling, was forward modelled as three magnetic horizons having a 60 degree dip to the north-east and susceptibilities of up to 0.88 SI units. Enhanced magnetic data imagery showed that locally there is potential for defining many other highly magnetic horizons with exploration potential. Preliminary automated source depth analysis was applied to the aeromagnetic data, but the results proved uncertain and showed the need for filtering to remove bogus solutions. Late in 2010, Bonython Metals Group (BMG) personnel conducted a field visit to perform a geological reconnaissance of the target magnetic feature, and portable XRF instrumental spectrometric scans of 388 grab samples of ironstone float were made, yielding an average iron content of 21.45% Fe. Hand specimens of the scanned material were logged mineralogically, and most seemed to be magnetite-rich. Subsequently, for purposes of geochemical data comparison, the float samples were laboratory assayed, from which it was seen that in 131 samples their original pXRF iron content exceeded the more reliable laboratory values by an average of 8.7%. Magnetic separation Davis Tube Recovery (DTR) testing was also performed on the ironstone samples, separating magnetite with an average iron content of 68.84%. The level of undesirable chemical impurities within the magnetite concentrate was said to be low. During November 2010, WMG employed a contractor from overseas, [? Ukranian] company Onyx, Inc., to acquire surface geophysical readings using the “Passive Magnetic Resonance Subsurface Exploration” (PMRSE) technique. This survey method is new to Australia, apparently, and remains unproven by the local mineral exploration industry – WMG confidently tout it as being cheap ‘virtual drilling’ for the iron explorer that is capable of locating buried magnetite bodies down to depths of 250-300 m, and of providing estimates of the magnetite-haematite ratio of susceptible iron oxide mineralisation. The contractor made angled (to a maximum depth of 680 m @ 45 degrees dip) PMRSE depth soundings at 34 sites on EL 4566, and the resulting processed 'virtual drillhole' data are tabulated. Some later-provided depth sounding layer plots and Fe3O4 compositional results are also presented in a pseudo-structural profile. Plans were made to conduct a 40-hole resource delineation drilling campaign to address an exploration target estimated by BMG to comprise >467 Mt of magnetite grading on average 17% Fe. No new work was performed on the subject licence during the following two years, due to purported delays in successfully concluding with the Ngadjuri and Wilyakali Native Title custodial groups the legal negotiations necessary for gaining land access. The loss of exploration funding due to the bankruptcy of joint venturer BMG also impacted on the proposed drilling work and ability to execute legal proceedings to try to resolve land access issues. During licence Year 4, in December 2013, a WMG associate company Australian Tailings Group (ATG) completed a mining pre-feasibility study for what it termed the Wawirra Creek Iron Ore Project, seeking to produce 2 Mtpa of magnetite concentrates over 5 years from Holocene fine-grained detrital iron-bearing alluvial floodplain sediments that had been identified as being present near Outalpa Rail Siding in the 'Area C' [south-western sub-block] part of EL 4566, covering in total 6100 ha of the Wawirra Creek system down to 2 m depth, with an average grade of 5% Fe. As a critical part of the aforesaid study, ATG undertook testing of 400 x 25 kg bulk samples of the creek sediment (sand) which it extracted from Area B of EL 4566 (the licence sub-block situated closest to Olary, where on-ground land access was allowed), using commercially available small-scale magnetic separation equipment manufactured and sold by Eriez Magnetite Pty Ltd, to find if an iron oxide-rich concentrate could be obtained that contained >62% Fe, i.e. the lower cut-off for so-called Direct Shipping Ore that Chinese steel mills purportedly could handle. The various individual sand samples were tested for their average iron recovery, with XRF chemical analyses of the sample material being made at the collection, post - feed ore preparation (by sand sieving to give a minus 5 mm rock particle/sediment grain size fraction), tailings runoff and recovered concentrate stages of the mineral processing. The separation equipment setup parameters were modified experimentally to try to maximise the iron recovery relative to what was in each sample to begin with. After numerous tests had been completed, the following problems were apparent: (1) The separation technique used was not operationally stable, and therefore did not produce repeatable, consistent results; and (2) The recovery of magnetite on occasion was found to be <10% of the particulate iron contained in the samples. The licensee concluded that downward changes to the average world market DSO magnetite iron ore price which had commenced late in 2014, plus the demonstrated unreliability of the basic magnetic separation technology, would render the envisaged sediment mining project uneconomical to instigate over a large area. Therefore further development of the Wawirra Creek Iron Ore Project was put on hold pending an improvement in magnetite concentrate prices. During licence Year 5, WMG/ATG continued conducting processing tests on another 332 x 20 kg bulk sand samples collected from the north-eastern corner of the Area B creek system in EL 4566, but no improved stability in magnetic separation recoveries attended their efforts. On 19/6/2015, WMG submitted to DSD an application for renewal of the licence (ELA 2015/00124), but on 2/9/2016 the Minister of Mines refused to approve the grant of a succeeding licence to the company since evidence of its adequate financial means had not been provided to DSD over the intervening period, despite requests made to WMG to do so. Due to this non-compliance with requirements, and because of WMG's poor performance in meeting past expenditure commitments, its prior tenure of EL 4566 was deemed to have been cancelled.