The concept of thickened tailings “stacking” as a means of surface disposal of mine tailings, first introduced by Eli Robinsky in the mid 1970s as an alternative to storing tailings in impoundments behind embankments, has come a long way. Australia has been a leader in research and development of the method. From an initial application in base metals tailings, the technique has now been successfully implemented (19 existing Australian operations) for a wide range of other tailings types, including bauxite, mineral sands, gold, coal and diamonds. The authors present a brief overview of the Australian experience to date and provide insights into the application of this technology in the oil sands industry. Experience with mineral sands tailings, is particularly relevant because of the similarity in mineral composition for both the coarse and fine fractions. The current focus with mineral sands is on co-disposal of the sand and clay fractions. These present materials handling, segregation, and consolidation problems, as wellas questions relating to long term behaviour and rehabilitation. The paper will discuss these issues by way of both theory and practical example.