Oil and gas discoveries in Australia's offshore basins are concentrated on the North West Shelf (Northern Carnarvon, Browse and Bonaparte basins) and Bass Strait (Gippsland, Otway and Bass basins). While discoveries have been made in a few regions outside these areas (e.g. Perth Basin), a large proportion of Australia's offshore basins remain exploration frontiers. However, the decline in oil production from the North West Shelf and Bass Strait basins since 2000 has led to an increasing exploration interest in the frontier basins. In order to improve our knowledge of the offshore frontiers and encourage exploration to these areas, from 2003-2011, Geoscience Australia was funded by the Australian Government to undertake a series of pre-competitive data acquisition and analyses programs in frontier basins around the Australian margin. This Record presents a comprehensive inventory of the geology, petroleum systems, exploration status and data coverage for 35 frontier basins, sub-basins and provinces, that draws on the results of those pre-competitive data programs, as well as exploration results and the geoscience literature. The Record also provides an assessment of the critical science and exploration questions and issues for each area. The results of each basin assessment are summarised in a prospectivity ranking. The availability of data and level of knowledge in each area is reflected in a confidence rating for that ranking. While the prospectivity of some areas is widely acknowledged to be high (e.g. Ceduna Sub-basin), the perception of prospectivity in many basins is negatively affected by the amount or quality of data available; in these basins, the acquisition of new data or targeted research could make a significant difference to the understanding of petroleum potential and likelihood of success. Therefore, recommendations for future work that could assist in addressing key knowledge or data gaps are included in each basin assessment.

At Whites Deposit, Rum Jungle, chalcopyrite-uraninite ore has been intersected in a cross-cut at a depth of 100 ft., and sampling shows a grade of 1.5 per cent. U3O8 and 4.6 per cent. Cu. over a distance along the cross-cut of 34ft; material containing an average of 0.94 per cent. U3O8 and 2.97 per cent. Cu extends over 60 ft. Uranium mineralization is known to occur over a length of 200 ft, but the average width and grade over this distance is unknown. The ore replaces flatly pitching drag-folded beds and the width of ore along the strike is expected to vary considerably. At Dysons Prospect, about 30,000 tons of autunite-bearing ore, perhaps containing 0.25 per cent. U3O8, has been indicated by drilling. Browns Prospect is similar in many ways to Whites, but no payable ore has yet been intersected. In the district as a whole leaching of copper and uranium has been extensive and favourable areas are, in many cases, covered by soil. Structural conditions are such that non-outcropping ore is likely to be found. To-date, 3,300 ft. of drilling and approximately 700 ft. of underground prospecting have been carried out in the area and the results obtained are considered highly encouraging. Extensive drilling and underground development are warranted.

Wellington is a small town on the Macquarie River about 200 miles north-west of Sydney (see Plate 1). These are several old mine workings - shafts, pits, costean, etc. - about 7 or 8 miles south-east of the town. Massive sulphide ore has been found and developed in one of these workings, namely, the main shaft of the Commonwealth Mine. A fairly big dump, which shows signs of good ore and some smelted material, is evidence that there was once a good bit of mining activity in the area. In 1951, the Consolidated Zinc Corporation became interested in the abandoned mine and arranged for the lease owner, Mr. George Wilkins, to de-water it. As pointed out in the report of the Company's geologist, nothing is known from the numerous old workings regarding the extent of the sulphide orebody. The purpose of the geophysical investigation was to determine if there is any extension to the known orebody and to provide the Company with drilling targets. The geophysical work was carried out from the end of July to the beginning of September, 1952, and it covered the whole of the old mining area, some 6,000 feet in length. The Consolidated Zinc Corporation carried out the necessary surveying work, such as pegging and levelling traverses, and the Company's drilling party assisted where necessary. The general results of the survey were discussed with representatives of the Company as soon as the field work was completed.

The area described in the report lies between latitudes 12°48' and 12°56' S., and longitudes 130°56' and 131°11'E. Most of the mapped region lies between the Stuart Highway and the North Australian Railway. The investigation of this area is still in the early stages and has consisted of general geological mapping, and detailed investigation (including drilling) of areas found to have been radioactive during airborne scintillometer surveys carried out in 1952. At Brodribb and Ella Creek superficial hematite-rich deposits have been found to be radioactive to the extent of up to ten times background, but drilling of this type of deposit at Brodribb has not yet proved the existence of payable primary ore. Further drilling is proceeding. A new discovery at Ella Creek in July this year gave high radioactivity over a length of about 300 ft. and two pits sunk to a depth of 3 ft. of this line have shown counts of 5,000 per minute and 10,000 per minute respectively. The field geologists recommend further testing here. In the Frazer area, laterite, which contains a belt of radioactivity up to eight times background, is known to exist, but, apart from limited trenching, has not yet been adequately tested.

Since 1949 a considerable amount of geological and geophysical investigation as well as diamond drilling and some underground development has been undertaken in the search for uranium ore in the Darwin-Katherine region, and in the course of this work information has been gained which, it is thought, may be of interest to prospectors and companies who are now beginning to pay considerable attention to the possibilities of the area, but have had little or no experience of prospecting for uranium in the Katherine-Darwin region. Investigations of the area by the Bureau, by private companies, and by prospectors [are] now proceeding more vigorously than ever, and without doubt a good deal more remains to be found out concerning the uranium deposits of this province. In these circumstances the notes supplied below are put forward tentatively as being some facts known to the present writer at this time (July, 1953) as well as some more controversial opinions. It is expected that more information will be made available as the investigation proceeds. (The following notes should be read in conjunction with Pamphlet No. 3 (Radioactive Mineral Deposits) of the Bureau of Mineral Resources, Geology and Geophysics and a copy of the Mineral Map (NT32B-4) would greatly aid in their understanding).

The Capel and Faust basins are located on the northern Lord Howe Rise in water depths of 1300-2500 m. Geoscience Australia recently completed a geological study and assessed the petroleum prospectivity of the area, based on new seismic, potential field, multibeam bathymetry and rock sample data. The data sets were acquired under Australian Government initiatives aimed at providing pre-competitive information to industry. Existing data coverage in these remote frontier basins is sparse and the DSDP 208 drill hole provides the sole well control. The interpretation of seismic data has confirmed the existence of large depocentres containing a maximum total sediment thickness of over 6 km. The early syn-rift megasequence is inferred to Comprise Early Cretaceous volcanics and volcaniclastic sediments, with possible coal and lacustrine sediments. The late syn-rift megasequence is likely to be a Late Cretaceous non-marine to shallow marine clastic succession. The post-rift megasequence is a Late Cretaceous to Holocene marine succession that becomes increasingly calcareous. In some areas, the syn-rift sediments overlie an older (?Mesozoic) pre-rift basin succession. Two major extensional episodes are recognised and appear to be related to distinct breakup stages of the eastern Gondwana margin. Potential source rocks may occur in the pre-rift and syn-rift sections. Basin modelling indicates that the deeper depocentres have reached the oil or gas window and that expulsion could have occurred from the Early Cretaceous onward. Fluvio-deltaic, shoreline and turbiditic sandstones may provide potential reservoirs in the syn-rift and the lower post-rift sections. There is considerable potential for stratigraphic and fault-related traps, and large anticlinal structures have been identified. Similar large depocentres appear to also occur over the central and southern Lord Howe Rise, highlighting the exploration potential of this vast frontier region.

Promotional flyer describing the GA programme in national unconventional hydrocarbon prospectivity and resource assessment commenced in 2011 by the Onshore (Unconventional) Hydrocarbons Section, Basin Resources Group, Energy Division.

The Capel and Faust basins are located over the northern part of the Lord Howe Rise, a large offshore frontier region containing a number of basins with untested petroleum prospectivity. Recent data acquisition by Geoscience Australia has significantly improved geological knowledge of these basins. Given the diversity of acquired data, comparative sparseness of data coverage, lack of deep drilling control, and complexity of geological structure, effective data integration and analysis methods were essential for a meaningful geological interpretation of the Capel and Faust basins. By using the 3D visualisation and modelling environment provided by GOCAD, the datasets were captured, processed and interpreted to create an integrated 3D model that enabled key geological and prospectivity questions to be answered. This presentation summarises the construction methodology and the resulting geological and prospectivity implications of the Capel-Faust 3D geological model.

Phosphate deposits in the vicinity of Canowindra, Molong, Wellington and Borenore were examined in company with members of the Joint Parliamentary Committee on Rural Industries on the 27th and 28th February, 1943. Two slightly different types of deposit occur in these localities. These deposits are described herein.

A point has been reached in the prospecting of this field where it is necessary to review results and consider future actions. The bore on site A has been completed and Mr. Knight has concluded his preliminary geological survey of the area. The information now available modifies some of our earlier views. The following statement summarises the position.