If you have access to tengraph,availble from DOIR you can see...

If you have access to tengraph,availble from DOIR you can see exactly what ground has been applied for.The green patches have been granted whether they are prospecting,exploration or mining tenements,and the blue ground has been applied for but not yet granted.FMG ran quite a savy advertisement in the WA papers late last year indicating their 40,000sqkm of tenements and the majority of them were all in blue,applied for but not yet granted.Quite a shrewd way of locking off the ground without having to pay the fee's on it.
Basically you can apply for any blue ground but you have to take a number.They are able to lock this ground up in red tape for as long as they like.
Once an exploration lease is granted they have 5 years and a minimum expenditure that is required.After 5 years has passed they must forgo 50% of the tenement,after 6 they must forgo the rest of the tenemnet or then apply for an extension or a mining application.
Still all this doesn't stop small prospector's from having a scratch,all legal as long as you have permission,their is a heap of GOLD up in the Pilbara as well and have heard story's of people pulling 250oz's or more from the one patch.
Welcome to the wild,wild west,full of poachers,gun slingers and foul mouthed sarspiralla swilling Ho's.
YEAH HAH