A large area centred ~95 km north of Tarcoola was explored initially by grant licensee Afmeco for possible buried economic epithermal / hydrothermal / fault controlled primary uranium mineralisation that may have formed in outcropping or shallowly covered Proterozoic or Archaean now regionally metamorphosed basement rocks, because it had been noticed that in this area a number of magnetic highs are associated with a broad positive regional gravity feature. Late in 1980, Afmeco made a field reconnaissance visit during which aerial photo - interpreted basement outcrops were mapped geologically, geochemically sampled (18 grab rock chip samples) and then were scanned radiometrically using a hand-held scintillometer. Groundwater in local water bores was also sampled for chemical analysis to try to detect any dissolved uranium. No uranium geochemical anomalies were disclosed, but some of the fresh granite outcrops yielded high radioactivity counts of up to 300 counts per second. 46 samples of various outcrops visited were examined petrographically in thin section. During 9-10 January 1981, a 1200 line km detailed low level aerial magnetic survey was acquired covering the south-western part of the subject licence area. Data were collected along north-south flight lines 250 m apart, using a sensor mean terrain clearance of 150 m. Interpretation of them found a generally flat response which was thought to imply a low susceptibility covered gneissic bedrock of sedimentary origin, with the exception of one strong magnetic high of >3000nT intensity caused by a known BIF outcrop. There was an inferred east-west structural break that ran across the southern part of the surveyed area. The NW-SE linear fabric of the Gairdner Dyke Swarm dolerites was clearly evident throughout. Magnetic source depth calculations placed the top of basement everywhere at <20 m below the ground surface. During April 1981, a 118 line km ground gravity survey was acquired over three east-west traverses along station tracks, for a total of 600 stations read. Immediately afterwards, a regional exploratory aircore bedrock drilling campaign was completed, of 25 vertical holes for 967 m, with an additional total of 39.7 m of short bottomhole diamond cores cut in all of the holes. Samples of the cored bedrock were assayed and examined petrographically. This revealed schists and gneisses of the Mulgathing Complex and rhyolite of the Gawler Range Volcanics. During the rest of Licence year 2, Afmeco did no field work, but reviewed its recent exploration results. A switch of exploration focus in the second half of 1982 onto a search for diamondiferous kimberlite intrusions caused Afmeco, now involved in a joint venture with BHP Minerals, to allow that company to investigate five dipolar magnetic highs which it had discerned through reinterpretation of the 1981 aeromagnetic survey data. 10 line km of detailed ground magnetic surveying was done at 10 m station intervals to define these anomalies more accurately. Surface loam sampling for diamond indicator heavy minerals was next undertaken over the whole of the licence area (247 x 15 kg samples collected at ~1 km spacing, 114 samples processed for heavy mineral separation and later observed mineralogically). During January 1983, follow-up RAB percussion drilling of 15 vertical holes for 266 m (average depth 28 m) produced negative results for both base metals and kimberlitic indicators. The sources of three of the target anomalies were identified as non-kimberlitic intermediate to mafic igneous rocks, the no. 3 anomaly having an unusual pyroxenite intrusion present.