During Dampier's exploration conducted near Morgan township in the western Murray Basin, the main target was possible economic coal measures in Cretaceous or Tertiary sediments, with the base metal potential of pre-Mesozoic basement rocks constituting a secondary target. Investigations consisted of the acquisition and interpretation of grid-based ground magnetic and gravity surveys totalling 107 line km, and the drilling of 16 vertical rotary mud holes to depths of up to 152 m, for a total penetration of 1414.25 m. All of the drillholes were geophysically logged with gamma ray, resistivity and SP wireline tools. One hole (TG16) was cored over the bottom 0.25 m. No significant coal was found, with only some minor thin lignite seams being intersected over the depth interval 84-90 m in hole TG11. Basement rocks, encountered in eight of the drillholes, were mainly logged as metamorphosed ?Adelaidean sediments, that showed only background levels of base metals, gold and silver. A petrographic examination made on a sample of the drill core recovered from hole TG16 reported that it is a hornblende diorite.