interesting history for sure. I found this from 2011, talk about cycles repeating (but this time with renewable energy, green steel synergies added in), is it finally HIOs time to shine?
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Miners unite for Braemar iron ore

Dan Hall

Updated May 24, 2011 – 4.00am,first published at 12.02am

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A number of iron ore explorers in South Australia and NSW have banded together to unlock billions of tonnes of iron ore 150 kilometres east of South Australia’s Spencer Gulf.

The Braemar Iron Alliance consortium comprises listed and privately owned mineral exploration companies with prospective tenements along the Braemar Iron Formation, which stretches for about 250km from Peterborough in SA to Broken Hill in NSW.

According to Braemar Iron Alliance spokesman Andrew Woskett, the managing director of ASX-listed explorer Minotaur Exploration, the group members see the potential for 20 billion to 40 billion tonnes of mineable deposits.

“There’s a general view that there is probably enough iron ore there to last 100 to 200 years based on 200 to 300 million tonnes mined each year," Mr Woskett said.

Mine developments along the Braemar Iron Formation would not match the sheer scale of mining in the iron heartland of Australia, Western Australia’s Pilbara region.

However, about $6 billion worth of investment could be spent in the region if all of the anticipated projects proceed to development, Mr Woskett said.

A lack of adequate infrastructure will have to be overcome before mining can commence in the budding minerals province.

Hundreds of kilometres of rail will be required to transport ore from the region to a new port facility in the Spencer Gulf.

“Ultimately there will have to be a deepwater port in the upper Spencer Gulf, and it may be about 60km south of Port Pirie," he said. 

ASX-listed companies in the Braemar Iron Alliance include Carpentaria Exploration , Havilah Resources , Minotaur Exploration , Royal Resources and U3O8.

Private companies Sinosteel PepinNini Curnamona Management, Bonython Metals Group and Wentworth Metal Group are also part of the group.

The group’s formation has coincided with the release of an exploration target for Minotaur’s jointly owned Mutooroo magnetite project llocated within the Braemar Iron Formation, about 100km south-west of Broken Hill.

The joint venture is 40.9 per cent owned by Minotaur Exploration and 59.1 per cent owned by Japan’s Sumitomo Metal Mining Oceania.

Minotaur has released an initial iron ore exploration target of between 2.4 billion and 4 billion tonnes. 

Separately, Carpentaria Exploration and joint-venture partner Bonython Metals Group has announced the completion of the pre-feasibility study of the Hawsons Magnetite Iron Project within the Braemar Iron Formation.

The proposed project will ramp up from 5 million tonnes to 20 million tonnes per year.

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