Copper and gold mineralisation associated with felsic, intermediate and mafic igneous intrusive rocks which have intruded Adelaidean and Cambrian metasediments in the Nackara Arc region has been the target of exploratory drilling conducted with the financial assistance of PACE Initiative Year 9 Discovery Drilling Project funds grants. Two separate grants were obtained to allow for the drill testing of five prospects located on two adjoining exploration licence areas located east of Truro. The 2017 drilling programme was planned to be a reconnaissance one used for identifying, within cover and bedrock sequences, possible anomalous geochemical dispersions and alteration zonation typically associated with copper mineralisation, thereby providing vectors for guiding subsequent, more targeted exploratory drilling. In March-April 2017, 11 vertical or inclined open rotary mud or RC holes totalling 906.9 m, with the addition of 40.2 m of diamond cored tails cut in 3 of the holes, were drilled on the five chosen prospects. To suit anticipated ground conditions in the extensive Murray Basin cover succession, the rotary mud method was used where the cover is thick, and the RC method where it is shallower. Prior to the commencement of the PACE drilling, a 39.5 line km ground magnetic survey was conducted over two sets of traverses (these readings were not grid spaced) at Brownlow on EL 5744 and Sedan on EL 5089, to provide better resolution magnetic data for detailed modelling of some complex drill targets, because the existing open file aeromagnetic data from there appeared to have been spatially mis-located. 120 selected 1-metre hole interval samples of drill cuttings and quarter-core were submitted for laboratory assaying of gold and a multi-element analyte suite. 17 grab surface rock chip samples, collected from the Brownlow prospect while the PACE drilling was taking place there, were also laboratory assayed. These outcrop samples were mostly mapped as Yerelina Subgroup. The depths of groundwater tables that were intersected were recorded on the geological logs. At the Brownlow prospect, 5 eastwards inclined RC holes were drilled at locations along a north-south trending linear magnetic anomaly defined by regional aerial magnetic data and a ground magnetic survey recently conducted by the licensee. The objective was to find copper-gold skarn pathfinders along the western flank of the Brownlow igneous intrusion. All holes penetrated various intensity parts of the magnetic anomaly, which is adequately explained by the occurrence of minor disseminated magnetite (1-3%) plus some narrow, semi-massive magnetite-quartz veins within Neoproterozoic Yerelina Subgroup and Saddleworth Formation metasediments. The metasediments are fissile aluminous lithologies (phyllite) that are largely unoxidised and show no alteration or mineralisation. The base of oxidation within them is interpreted to occur between ~15-20 m vertical depth (20-30 m downhole). Weak supergene gold enrichment (up to 8 ppb Au) occurs at this redox boundary, along with variable weak enrichments in base metals (0.5-1.2 ppm Bi, 50-115 ppm Cu, 5.5-7.5% Fe and 35-85 ppm Co). The Brownlow North, Stonefield and Bower prospects were each tested by a single either inclined or vertical rotary mud hole ending in an NQ diamond cored tail. The rotary mud precollar to each was drilled with a roller bit until refusal at basement rock, and the hole was then drilled with an HQ diamond coring bit for 1 m and continued with an NQ diamond coring bit to end of hole. These holes' objectives were possible skarn and intrusive vein style Cu-Au mineralisation that may have formed within reactive host Kanmantoo Group metasedimentary strata proximal to the Brownlow, Bower and Stonefield intrusions. At the Stonefield prospect, Ordovician basement was entered at 97.3 m downhole in SAW001, with a sharp erosional contact and a minor weathering profile grading into fresh rock at 99.3 m. The basement lithology seen in the drill core is an unfoliated, medium-coarse grained hornblende diorite, which exhibits strong disequilibrium crystallisation textures e.g. patches, clots and swirls of variably sized plagioclase and amphibole phenocrysts and porphyroblasts exhibiting reaction rims and alteration haloes. Minor magmatic crystallisation banding can be observed, especially in mafic minerals. Alteration occurs as 10-40 cm patches (~25%) of chlorite +/- epidote +/- sericite +/- zeolite (pink adularia +/- Fe oxide), but no mineralisation is present. An alkaline igneous trace element geochemical signature (>500 ppm Ce, 14 ppm Hf, 216 ppm La, 46 ppm Th, 245 ppm Y and 494 ppm Zr) was seen in assay results from the downhole interval 103-104 m, but no discrete such lithology was discernable. At the Bower prospect, pre-Tertiary ?Ordovician weakly weathered basement rocks were penetrated in hole SAW002 at 148 m downhole, beneath a very sharp erosional contact. Cored basement comprises multi-phase igneous intrusive lithologies of fine grained diorite, porphyritic diorite – granodiorite, and fine-medium grained adamellite – granite. Frequently observed complex intrusive contacts likely represent the stoping margins of a fractionating magmatic intrusion, with an early stage dioritic phase evolving through porphyritic diorite-granodiorite to later stage granitic phases. The mafic–intermediate intrusive rocks, especially porphyritic diorite – granodiorite, exhibit disequilibrium crystallisation textures e.g. corroded and embayed plagioclase feldspar porphyroblasts, bimodal grain size crowded phenocrysts, and zoned feldspar megacrysts with plagioclase cores (Na, Ca) and microcline rims (K). Hydrous alteration of feldspars and amphiboles is absent, and no hydrothermal alteration or veins are evident. The dioritic phases have enough magnetite present to explain the targeted magnetic anomaly. At the Brownlow North prospect, pre-Tertiary basement rocks were penetrated in hole SAW003 at 108 m downhole, with a sharp contact between lignitic clays (91-108 m) and strongly weathered shales, graduating to fresh rock at 129 m (base of oxidation). The cored basement lithology is a black-dark green, laminated pyritic shale interpreted as the Neoproterozoic Tapley Hill Formation. Pyrite content increases from 2-3% to ~5% on relict bedding traces, fractures and cleavage planes, with very minor carbonate alteration on tensional fractures. No mineralisation is present. At the Clivia prospect, 3 vertical RC holes were drilled to test the interpreted pressure shadow north of the eastern Black Hill Complex for its potential to have acted as a fluid corridor and to assess geochemical dispersion and alteration within the Kanmantoo Group metasediments. Holes SAW010 and SAW011 both entered metasediments beneath the Murray Basin cover sequence, however, hole SAW009 passed directly into a felsic adamellite - monzogranite intrusion beneath the cover, thus indicating a basement topographic high. The thickness of Recent and Tertiary cover varies from 39 to 101 m. The basement in hole SAW010 is a highly foliated – schistose micaceous metasedimentary rock, whereas in hole SAW011 it is a foliated to schistose micaceous and pyritic metasedimentary rock (phyllite – greywacke) – possibly an intermediate volcanoclastic (Cambrian). No mineralisation is present in these holes. It was concluded that this PACE project's aim of identifying vectors to mineralisation had not been effectively realised, with no definite intra-basement alteration or mineral zonation identifiable, and only very weakly expressed geochemical pathfinder anomalism developed at the basement-cover interface, or else it is missing due to erosion. So recommendations were made for conducting further non-drilling ground geophysical, surface geochemical and geological work that will provide needed detail concerning the nature of igneous intrusive bodies, controlling structures, host rock stratigraphy, igneous contact zones, and possible loci of supergene enrichment of disseminated volcanogenic or magnetite-rich skarn mineralisation.