Trip to outback toilet reveals multimillion-dollar fertiliser deposit

A humble bush dunny has opened up the prospect of a multimillion-dollar mine in the Australian 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. 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."

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.