China and India’s burgeoning middle class has changed the way the two nations consume goods. With 1.3 billion people in China alone even a small change in purchase decisions can impact the demand and prices of mineral sands output needed to manufacture these goods. One change in consumer demand was for more Western-style porcelain toilets five years ago. The quantity of toilets required saw the demand for the whitening agent zircon increase to the point that a previously closed Australian zircon mine swung into production. The prime locations for zircon include the Murray basin which extends from the Mount Lofty Ranges in South Australia to Mildura in Victoria. South Australian miner Murray Zircon reopened its mine at Mindarie, about 150 kilometres east of Adelaide. Mindarie is a joint venture with a Chinese company that requires a quantity of zircon for use in China and for selling off to overseas markets. Often demand causes a spike in mineral prices for a short time then