Rich find under outback dunny NIGEL ADLAM | April 2nd, 2011
The "golden" bush dunny at the Rum Jungle Resources phosphate prospect at Ammaroo. Picture: SUPPLIED
A HUMBLE bush dunny has opened up the prospect of a multimillion-dollar mine in the Territory Outback.
A geologist was sitting on the improvised loo - a 44-gallon drum with a toilet seat - when he found what turned out to be a significant deposit of phosphate.
Rum Jungle Resources boss David Muller said: "He was kicking his feet around, looked down and said to himself, 'That looks like phosphate'.
"And, sure enough, it was."
An x-ray fluorescene machine confirmed that the deposit was high grade - and there was plenty of it.
The dunny discovery was made at the Ammaroo prospect on the Sandover Highway, 350km northeast of Alice Springs.
Your Say "It'll come to nothing. First it will be declared a sacred site and then be swallowed up in a lands right grab. The usual "dog in a manger" scenario. We dont want and you cant have it!" Ken F Mr Muller said the find made him rethink the drilling strategy.
About 300 holes will continue to be drilled in a grid pattern. But 200 extra holes will now also be drilled around the dunny hole in a bid to pick up the full phosphate deposit.
"At the time, it was a very significant find," Mr Muller said. "It was the first phosphate found outside the grid where we expected to make discoveries.
"It is not so significant nowadays because everywhere you look at Ammaroo there's phosphate."
There is little sentimentality in the mining business.
Mr Muller said the dunny hole was "historic" - but it's still being used. "We might stick in a mango tree when we finish and see how it goes," he said.
Phosphate is a key ingredient in fertiliser and worldwide demand is growing rapidly.
Early drill results at Ammaroo are encouraging - they show layers of phosphate up to 5m thick.
RUM Price at posting:
47.0¢ Sentiment: Hold Disclosure: Held
