WAMEX and the open-file memory of Western Australian exploration
Exploration reports preserve company work long after a project name, owner or field program has changed.
5 min reading time
This volume was assembled and reviewed in 2026. Its number organises the documentary collection; it is not a backdated publication claim.
Search by more than the current mine name
Open-file exploration records may be indexed by report, tenement, company, project or geographic area. Record historical company and project aliases before searching.
A report is a time-bounded observation
Maps, drill logs and interpretations describe the evidence available to the author at that time. Later work can revise names, correlations and geological interpretations.
Connect the technical file to the locality
Council histories and local collections help place field programs within the life of nearby towns. Family photographs and notebooks can sometimes identify camps, vehicles or working names omitted from a report title.
What readers usually ask
What is WAMEX?
It is Western Australia’s open-file mineral exploration report system.
Does an exploration report prove a mine operated?
No. Exploration, development and production are different evidence states.
Why search company aliases?
Ownership and project names can change while the underlying place remains the same.
Do you hold family mining records?
Diaries, field notes, maps, assay books and photographs can reconnect names, places and workings that formal datasets omit. We digitise, preserve and credit — on your terms, under a written agreement.