EL 373 was taken up by Dampier Mining primarily to test the coal potential of part of the western Murray Basin, while a secondary objective was to assess the nature and base metal potential of the underlying basement, including that of a possible subcrop of sulphide-bearing carbonatite recorded as being present at Kings Well. Exploration activities have comprised field geological reconnaissance, exploratory rotary drilling (8 holes totalling 510.65 m, including 5.15 m cored in holes K1, K3 and K6) and geophysical logging, grid-based ground magnetic surveying of the Kings Well area (36 line km), plus two IP traverses (10 line km) across this grid, and petrographic / petrogenetic studies of surface rock chip and drillhole core and cuttings samples. This work failed to give any indications of coal within the Murray Basin sediments, or to disclose significant base metal mineralisation within the basement. Slightly deformed dolomite - calcite - talc - chlorite breccias with minor primary magnetite and haematite, and small bodies of weathered, probably un-related, undeformed dioritic intrusive rocks were encountered in the basement at Kings Well. Stable isotope and petrological evidence suggests that the metasomatically carbonate - altered breccias have a marine sedimentary affinity, and that the trace pyrite and chalcopyrite seen in them appears to have a recrystallized texture indicating hydrothermal migration. An unusual lamprophyric, phlogopite - rich and chlorite - altered trachytic rock was also found at Kings Well, and is interpreted to be of a possible basic intrusive/volcanic origin that may be related to diapirism in the region.