Abstract

For decades the prevailing industry view of the prospectivity of the Perth Basin could be summed up as "gas prone, problems with reservoir and just plain too hard!" Then about 15 months ago the first of a series of onshore and offshore oil discoveries was made and the old perceptions had to be discarded.

Almost overnight it seems the Perth Basin, specifically the northern part, is hot property. Companies have scrambled to build positions and exploration investment has climbed six fold within the space of a year.

At the time of writing two small onshore fields were being brought on production and an offshore multi-well programme of appraisal and exploration drilling was about to confirm or otherwise the Basin's hot status, targeting nearshore structures with 100MMBBL potential.

As is almost always the case, a firm turnaround of this magnitude is not due to an instantaneous breakthrough but the culmination of years of planning and the application of good science.

Presented at: 2005 South East Asia Petroleum Exploration Society (SEAPEX) Conference, Singapore, 2003