AAPG Memoir 74, Chapter 15: Australian petroleum provinces of the twenty-first century, by I. M. Longley, M. T. Bradshaw, and J. Hebberger, Pages 287 - 317
from: AAPG Memoir 74: Petroleum Provinces of the Twenty-first Century, Edited by Marlan W. Downey, Jack C. Threet, and William A. Morgan
Copyright 2001 by The American Association of Petroleum Geologists. All rights reserved.

Chapter 15
Australian Petroleum Provinces of the Twenty-first Century

Ian M. Longley
Woodside Offshore Petroleum Pty. Ltd., Perth, Western Australia, Australia

Marita T. Bradshaw
Australian Geological Survey Organisation, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia

John Hebberger
West Australian Petroleum Pty. Ltd., Perth, Western Australia, Australia

ABSTRACT

The Australian hydrocarbon exploration effort dates back to the nineteenth century, but it was not until well into the twentieth century that the first commercial field was discovered. The cumulative result of only about 3400 exploration wells drilled in 40 basins in Australia is the discovery of an estimated 6.4 billion barrels (bbl) of oil reserves, 2.1 billion bbl of condensate reserves, 136 trillion cubic feet of gas reserves, and 2.6 billion bbl of liquefied petroleum gas reserves. The majority of these hydrocarbon reserves (98%) is in the Gippsland Basin and the Cooper/Eromanga Basin and on the North West Shelf (Carnarvon, Browse, and Bonaparte Basins).