A NSW Government website

Describing and mapping an authority area

Describing the land being explored and/or mined is an essential part of applications under the Mining Act 1992 (Mining Act). This includes applications for the grant of an exploration licence, assessment lease and mining lease and throughout the lifecycle of an authority.

This page provides guidance for the following applications under the Mining Act:

To assist you in preparing mapping for your application, please refer to “Application area” section under the “What information or documents are required to accompany an application” heading for your relevant application.

The type of mapping or how the land being explored and/or mined is described depends on the type of authority, but includes:

  • Graticular system
  • Standard maps
  • Coordinates (MGA Easting and Northing in metres)
  • Survey plan

If you consider the requirements to describe the land to be unduly onerous, you may request a variation or exemption from these requirements. Any request to the department must include a justification for the request as per clause 34 of Mining Regulation 2016 (Mining Regulation).

Graticular system

What is the graticular system? 

The graticular system divides NSW into a series of ‘blocks’ with dimensions of five minutes of latitude by five minutes of longitude. Each block comprises 25 ‘units’ with dimensions of one minute of latitude by one minute of longitude. 

Although the area of a unit varies slightly depending on the location within NSW, each unit is approximately three-square kilometres. 

The graticular system is defined in clause 10 and Schedule 4 of the Mining Regulation. 

For an example of the graticular system refer to the diagram below.

Exploration licence application sample guide

How to find the graticular system? 

MinView, our web map application has a layer that illustrates the graticular system used for NSW. 

The graticular system can be viewed using the following instructions:

  • Go to MinView.
  • Click ‘Add view’ from the left-hand side panel and select your preferred view from the available views. The view is the base-layer of the map.
  • Click ‘Add layer’ from the left-hand side panel and select ‘Titles administration’ from the available options and then select ‘Assessment Framework’. The drop-down arrow on this selection will then allow you to select ‘Map blocks and units’ to display the graticular system.

The MinView page also provides further information, a user guide, and technical support.

What applications require the use of the graticular system? 

The graticular system is used to describe land being explored for anything other than coal or oil shale including:

  • Exploration licences for mineral Groups 1-8 and 10-12.
  • Assessment leases for mineral Groups 1-8 and 10-12.

The graticular system does not apply to exploration licences and assessment leases for coal or oil shale (Groups 9 and 9A) or for mining leases (for any mineral or coal). To describe licences or leases for coal or oil shale, refer to the “Mapping data” section on this page below. 

How to use the graticular system to describe an application area?

Application areas being described using the graticular system require nominating the 1:1,000,000 map sheet, the block numbers and unit references. 

If you are using the Titles Management System Portal (TMS Portal) to electronically lodge your application, you can select the units on the displayed map of NSW. 

Alternatively, you can manually list the blocks and units relevant to your application area. 

An example of the data required is shown in the example below. 

Graticular system data example

You do not need to provide any other mapping data such as coordinates as part of your application.

Mapping data 

What mapping data is required?

There are applications under the Mining Act that require you to provide a map to show the alignment of the proposed boundaries of the authority. 

A ‘standard map’ is defined in clause 9 of the Mining Regulation.

Preparing a standard map involves providing mapping data using coordinates in both Geocentric Datum of Australia 1994 (GDA94) and Geocentric Datum of Australia (GDA2020) datums. 

In the future, the department will move to using only the GDA2020 datum. When this transition occurs, the department will notify industry and update the application processes to make the mapping data requirements clear.

What applications require mapping data?

Mapping data is used to describe land being explored and/or mined associated with the following authorities: 

  • Exploration licences for Group 9 (coal).
  • Exploration licences for Group 9A (oil shale).
  • Assessment lease.
  • Mining lease.

The above-listed authorities require mapping data to support the following types of applications:

If an application is for the partial renewal or cancellation of an authority, mapping data is required to describe the area being retained. 

If an application is for the partial transfer of an authority, mapping data is required to describe the area being retained as part of the remainder of existing authority known as the parent title. Additionally, mapping data is also required to describe the area being transferred away from the parent title to the new authority. 

Mapping data is also requested as part of applications to register, renew or vary a mining sublease, register, record or amend a colliery holding and for a permit to enter land to carry out environmental assessment. Further information on these particular applications can be found on the Other applications to manage an authority throughout its lifecycle page. 

If mapping data is not available to describe the land you seek, you can provide a cadastral map. The cadastral map must be published by a government department or a public authority in NSW or the Commonwealth. However, if a cadastral map is not available, you can provide either an aerial photograph, a satellite image or topographic map of a standard acceptable to the department.

How to provide mapping data to describe an application area? 

Applications using mapping data to describe the proposed licence or lease boundaries must provide coordinates in both the GDA94 and GDA2020 datum in a CSV format. 

Coordinates are required at all points where there is a change in the direction of the proposed licence or lease boundary. 

If you are using the TMS Portal to electronically lodge your application, you will be instructed to upload the GDA2020 and GDA94 coordinates for your proposed application area. You can provide either a coordinate file in a CSV format or an ESRI shapefile. 

CSV format

The TMS Portal specifications for the co-ordinate file are as follows:

  • Comma delimited format (CSV).
  • First row contains 4 columns with the following headers: POINT, xEASTING, yNORTHING, WKID.
  • All other rows (excluding the first row) must contain values in the first three columns.
  • The polygon must be closed by duplicating the first co-ordinate.
  • No carriage return character (CRLF) after last coordinates.

Please note that the WKIDs (EPSG) for NSW include the following:

ERSI shapefile

If you are uploading an ERSI shapefile to describe the proposed application area, the shapefile must  be merged as 1 polygon shape. 

If the land being sought has multiple parts, the multiple parts must be merged together to make 1 closed polygon shape. This can be checked by opening the shape attribute table where there should be only 1 row for the polygon. 

However, if the attribute table shows multiple rows, the polygon shape must be merged. This enables the ERSI shapefile uploaded within the TMS Portal to be displayed correctly within the application area map as calculate the polygon area in square metres (m2), hectares (ha) or kilometres square (km2).

If a polygon shape contains separate areas, the application area map within the TMS Portal will not be created and displayed correctly.

Additionally, you must also attach a co-ordinate file in a CSV format where instructed to do so. 

Survey plan

What applications require a survey plan?

A survey plan is used to identify the boundaries of a mining lease in the following situations:

The timing of when to provide the survey plan depends on the type of application. You do not need to provide a survey plan when you lodge your application for the grant, part renewal, part transfer or part cancellation of your mining lease. 

After you lodge your application, the department will send you instructions on preparing a land survey plan to describe your lease area. However, the survey plan must be provided before your application is determined.

If you are partially transferring a mining lease, you will be asked to provide a survey plan of the area being retained as part of the remainder of mining lease known as the parent title. Additionally, a survey plan will also be required to describe the area being transferred away from the parent title to the new mining lease. 

How to prepare a survey plan?

The department will send you instructions on how to prepare a survey plan to describe your mining lease area and the due date for lodgment.

The survey plan must be completed by a registered surveyor and drawn in accordance with the following statutory surveying requirements:

The survey plan will need also to include the details of the lease area being applied for including:

  • The total area in hectares, square metres or square kilometres.
  • Any depth of surface exception (the surface and soil below the surface not applied for).
  • Any depth restriction (the depth to which you require the lease to extend).
  • Strata sought (the soil below the surface between any two specified depths or a coal seam). 
  • The Map Grid of Australia (MGA) zone, showing boundary alignments.
  • MGA coordinates determined by reference to the Geocentric Datum of Australia of all points where there is a change in direction of the boundaries of the land must also be supplied in electronic format as a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet.

If you consider the surveying requirements to be unduly onerous, you may request a variation or exemption from the requirements in accordance with clause 34 of the Mining Regulation. Any request must include a justification for the request. 

Overview of legislation and regulation

Legislation and regulation 

The key legislative and regulatory provisions relevant to describing and mapping an authority area include:

  • Exemptions from or variation of requirements to describe land – clause 34 of the Mining Regulation.
  • Graticulation of the Earth’s surface – clause 10 of the Mining Regulation.
  • Land identification – Schedule 4 of the Mining Regulation.
  • Standard map – clause 9 of the Mining Regulation.