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Delamerian project reveals new mineral and groundwater insights beneath south-eastern Australia
Page last updated: 18 September 2026
Home（https://www.ga.gov.au/home） Geoscience Australia（https://www.ga.gov.au） > News（https://www.ga.gov.au/news） > Delamerian project reveals new mineral and groundwater insights beneath south-eastern Australia（https://www.ga.gov.au/news/delamerian-project-reveals-new-mineral-and-groundwater-insights-beneath-south-eastern-australia） Delamerian project reveals new mineral and groundwater insights beneath south-eastern Australia
Geoscience Australia has identified new opportunities for critical minerals, copper, gold, and groundwater across a vast under-explored region of south-eastern Australia.
Delivered as the first deep dive study under the Australian Government’s 35-year Resourcing Australia’s Prosperity initiative, the Delamerian project（https://www.ga.gov.au/scientific-topics/resourcing-australias-prosperity/deep-dives/delamerian） offers a detailed analysis of the region and its prospects.
The project's achievements include confirmation of a 1,000-kilometre continental-scale arc system - buried beneath the sedimentary cover of South Australia, New South Wales and Victoria - and refined insights into exploration opportunities for critical minerals, copper and gold.
The work also strengthens understanding of groundwater resources that support communities, industry and the environment, providing a stronger evidence base for water planning and resource management.
Landscape of the Delamerian project region. Image provided by Yanbo Cheng.
Chief of Geoscience Australia's Minerals, Energy and Groundwater Division, Dr Andrew Heap, said the Delamerian project demonstrates the benefits of long-term investment in nationally significant precompetitive geoscience under the Resourcing Australia’s Prosperity initiative.