The Jurassic-Cretaceous Great Artesian basin occupies most of the interior of eastern Australia. The subsurface geology of this area before 1960 was virtually unknown. Extensive geophysical surveys and wildcat drilling have been undertaken during the past few years, mainly in Queensland and northeastern South Australia. The results of this work, made public under provisions of the Petroleum Search Subsidy Acts of the Commonwealth of Australia, have delineated three new petroliferous provinces: the Surat basin (Permo-Triassic) of southeastern Queensland, Adavale basin (Devonian-Carboniferous) of south-central Queensland, and Cooper Creek basin (Cambrian-Permian) of northeastern South Australia and southwestern Queensland. The subsurface extent of the Drummond basin (Devoni n-Carboniferous) and the Lake Galilee basin (Permian) of north-central Queensland has not been delineated fully.

Oil and gas are produced from Permian, Triassic, and Jurassic reservoirs in the Surat basin, and gas has been found in the Middle Devonian of the Adavale basin and in the Permian of the Cooper Creek basin. A fair oil show was found in the Permian(?) of the Lake Galilee basin.

A regular progression in time and space is noted with respect to regional metamorphism across the Great Artesian basin, suggesting eastward shift of the Tasman geosynclinal complex form Proterozoic to Permian time.

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