The mine site is at the north-western end of Koolanooka Hills which rise approximately 140m above the surrounding undulating plain striking north north-west to south south-east for 13km. These hills are composed of banded iron formation (BIF), which is preferentially resistant to erosion.

The major land systems in close proximity to the Koolanooka mine site are the Koolanooka, Pindar and Noolagabbi land systems. Small amounts of the Morawa and Mount Nunn land systems also occur in the area.

The Koolanooka land system comprises the Koolanooka Hills, a range of rolling to very steep low hills with gently inclined foot slopes, which have been extensively cleared for agriculture. The system comprises a complex of Archaean and Proterozoic rocks. Soils are rocky or stony and commonly shallow, grading to red gravely loams.

The Pindar Land System is associated with the gently undulating sandplain with long gentle slopes that surrounds the Koolanooka Hills. This system has been even more extensively cleared for agriculture than the Koolanooka Land System, primarily for cropping and grazing. Soils are moderate to deep acidic sands with areas of gradational sands on ferruginous gravel and gritty sands on gravel.

Blue Hills The Blue Hills mines are located on Karara Station within the Shire of Perenjori approximately 220 km east of Geraldton and 60 km east of Koolanooka.

The Blue Hills range consists of banded iron formations, similar to the Koolanooka Hills and the name given to this ridge line is Windaning Ridge. Dips are generally steep and where the ironstones outcrop the topography is often rugged.

Conventional open pit mining techniques will be utilised at Koolanooka and Blue Hills on this project, drilling and blasting, excavation, loading and hauling will be conducted as per the mining schedule.

A crushing and screening facility for the processing and blending of the various types and grades of DSO will be established at the Koolanooka site. The high grade BIF ore from Blue Hills will be transported to Koolanooka and blended with the screened pisolite lump fraction from Koolanooka to achieve an average DSO quality threshold of 58% Fe.

Ore will be transported from Blue Hills to the Koolanooka site via the existing Mt Karara/Mungada Haul Road, which will be upgraded from its present state. Export product be transported from Koolanooka along existing roads to a rail siding at Tilley, near Morawa, where it will be loaded and transported to the Geraldton Port for export. The use of the Mt Karara/Mungada Haul Road for transportation of ore from Blue Hills to the gazetted Shire Road (Mungada Road) will require the haul road to be reinstated back to its original width to accommodate haulage trucks.