This Bulletin presents the results of detailed studies of the Tertiary marine sequence in Gippsland, Victoria. Most of the information used in it has been obtained as a result of scout drilling jointly by the Victorian and Commonwealth Governments and of wildcat drilling by private companies. Though primarily a detailed study of a local problem, the results cannot frail to have an important bearing on the stratigraphy of the Tertiary rocks in the Australasian region and this in turn will facilitate the study of problems involving palaeogeography and correlation with extra Australian areas. The results will also have an important bearing on a major economic problem the search for oil in Australia.

The Hatches Creek wolfram field is situated at the south-east end of the Davenport Ranges approximately 300 miles by road north-north-east of Alice Springs. The present report is written primarily to indicate the amount of ore which may be expected in the principal mines, chiefly by limited development in depth, and to suggest certain lines of prospecting and development which are likely to result in production of ore and which will enable a more confident statement of possibilities to be made at an early date.

The most important phosphate deposits in South Australia are situated in the Kapunda-Angaston districts and of those the principal deposits which have been worked are: 1) St. Kitts, 11 miles easterly from Kapunda; 2) St. Johns, 4.25 miles south-east from Kapunda; 3) Tom's, 5 miles east-south-east from Kapunda; 4) Moculta or Klemms, 3 miles north-east of Angaston. Deposits Nos. 2, 3 and 4 were examined in company with Mr. S.B. Dickinson, Deputy Government Geologist of South Australia on the 30th March. The following notes are written to set out as briefly as possible, the salient features of the deposits and to indicate the prospecting which it is considered is immediately necessary.

Four lines of diamond drill holes were selected at the King Island scheelite mine and holes were drilled as follows: No. 1 line - Nos. 35, 39, 29, 32 and 33; No.2 line - Nos. 34, 37, 22 and 24; No.3 line - Nos. 31, 38, 23, 25 and 26; No. 4 line - Nos. 36, 28, 30, 40 and 27. The results of drilling are described herein. The amounts and the average grades of ore on each of the four lines of drill holes are recorded.

The uranium ores of the Mt. Painter area, in South Australia, although inadequately developed or proved, are the most important sources of uranium compounds yet discovered in Australia. Their chemical treatment is relatively easy, whereas the extraction of uranium from certain other recorded ores is difficult. The possibility of the Mt. Painter ores being amenable to appreciable beneficiation is not remote. The uran-ilmenite from Radium Hill (in South Australia) can be considered as a comparable source of uranium only if the ore is processed for its titanium content so as to obtain the uranium as a by-product. This ore is not amenable to significant beneficiation as regards its uranium content. The remaining minerals listed require several modifications of chemical treatment, detailed consideration of which is not yet justified by known reserves of ore. The recovery of the associated uranium can be effected from any uranium ore without substantial modification of the processes advocated for the extraction of the uranium. The methods suggested for the recovery of uranium from these several minerals aim at the production of sodium diuranate which is a convenient intermediate for conversion into other uranium derivatives. The methods discussed were formerly applied on a small commercial scale to the treatment of South Australian uranium ores, particularly those from the Mt. Painter field.

Phosphate deposits in the vicinity of Canowindra, Molong, Wellington and Borenore were examined in company with members of the Joint Parliamentary Committee on Rural Industries on the 27th and 28th February, 1943. Two slightly different types of deposit occur in these localities. These deposits are described herein.

The Ashford Caves are situated on M.L. 1, Parish of MacIntyre, County of Arrawatta, approximately 12 miles north-westerly from Ashford and 47 miles from rail at Inverell. Claims have been made that there are large reserves of both guano and phosphate rock in these caves. It has been claimed in the Press that 1,200,000 tons of guano are available. The caves were visited on 17.6.43 by the writers in company with the Commonwealth Parliamentary Joint Committee on Rural Industries. The writers' conclusions regarding the guano and phosphate rock deposits are summarised herein.

The following information regarding calcium phosphate deposits or phosphate rock in Tasmania has been obtained from the following sources - published reports and typewritten reports of the Tasmanian Mines Department and my own personal knowledge gained while Government Geologist of Tasmania.

A brief description of the talc deposits is given in this report. Details including situation, geology, and tonnage are noted.

Excluding a preliminary visit on September 22nd, four days, November 20th - 23rd was spent on the property. In company with Mr. F. Hanlon of the New South Wales Geological Survey, the surface in the vicinity of the lode outcrops was mapped by plane table on a scale of 100 feet to the inch, and the accessible underground workings mapped in detail and sampled. Cleaning out of the lower "F" Adit had begun at the time of examination, but at the time of writing is not yet complete. This will be mapped at a later date and the results of the examination will be added as an appendix to this report. In addition to the geological and contour map of the surface, plans submitted with this report include a longitudinal section on a scale of 100 feet to an inch, showing the generalised outline of the orebody and the relation between the various outcrops, a more detailed longitudinal section on a scale of 30 feet to an inch showing the distribution of ore values in the principal mineralised section, cross-sections through each of the two principal shafts, and plans of the A, B, and C levels (that of the F level to be prepared later) all on 30 feet to an inch. This report contains notes on the development, general geology, petrology, economic geology, and ore reserves of the Attunga mine.