Across Australia, groundwater is a vital resource that supports and strengthens communities, culture, the environment and numerous industries. Movement of groundwater is complicated, taking place horizontally, vertically and across different timescales ranging from weeks to millions of years. It is affected by changes in climate, human use and geological complexities such as the type, geometry and distribution of rocks. Understanding how all these factors interact is known as a groundwater conceptual model and it is an important first step. This groundwater conceptualisation is for the shallow groundwater in the north Bowen Basin as well as surface-groundwater interactions. Figure 1 shows the location of the cross sections used to conceptualise groundwater in the north Bowen Basin region. It also shows the combined (stacked) confidence for both salinity and water levels for the shallow (<50 m below ground surface) groundwater system in the north Bowen Basin. There is no publicly available geological model for the north Bowen Basin extended region. As a result, only the shallow groundwater system is included in this conceptualisation (Wainman et al., 2023). Confidence was calculated for both salinity and water levels (Hostetler et al., 2023) and combined to show overall confidence. The level of knowledge across the extended region is medium to low. The groundwater conceptualisations show the average value of the shallow groundwater, salinity and confidence over an area of 50 km along the cross section line.

Statements of existing knowledge are compiled for known mineral, coal, hydrocarbon and carbon capture and storage (CCS) resources and reserves in the Galilee Basin region. This data guide illustrates the current understanding of the distribution of these key resource types within the Galilee Basin region based on trusted information sources. It provides important contextual information on the Galilee Basin and where additional details on discovered resources can be found. The Galilee Basin region contains 6 known metallic mineral deposits, with most of these containing the critical mineral vanadium. There are 17 coal deposits found in the basin containing thermal and metallurgical coal. The primary form of coal in the deposits is thermal coal. The Galilee Basin hosts large coal tonnages, with known black coal resources of approximately 33 billion tonnes. The Galilee Basin and overlying basins are known to contain significant hydrocarbon resources. The majority of the known hydrocarbon resources are found in the Julia Creek oil shale deposits located in the Eromanga Basin above the Galilee Basin. Moderate coal seam gas (CSG) resources have also been identified in the basin; however, conventional gas resources are more limited. At this time, there are no active or planned Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) projects in the basin.

Publicly available groundwater data have been compiled to provide a common information base to inform environmental, resource development and regulatory decisions in the Cooper Basin region. This data guide gives examples of how these data can be used. The data package included with this data guide captures existing knowledge of Cooper Basin aquifers and their properties, including salinity, water levels, resource size, potential aquifer yield and surface water interactions. The methods used to derive these data for the Cooper Basin aquifer are outlined in the associated metadata files. These are described in groundwater conceptualisation models (Gouramanis et al., 2023). The Cooper Basin includes one broadly defined aquifer named the Nappamerri Group aquifer. Compiled data are assigned to these intervals and used to characterise groundwater systems at the basin scale. The data are compiled for a point-in-time to inform decisions on potential resource developments in the Basin. The available historical groundwater data can be used to assess the potential effects on groundwater. The data can also be used for other purposes, such as exploring unallocated groundwater resource potential. Data to January 2022 are used for this compilation.

Publicly available geological data in the north Bowen Basin region are compiled to produce statements of existing knowledge for natural hydrogen, hydrogen storage, coal and mineral occurrences. This data guide also contains assessment of the potential for carbon dioxide (CO2) geological storage and minerals in the basin region. Geochemical analyses of gas samples from petroleum, coal and coal seam gas boreholes in the basin show traces of natural hydrogen. However, the generation mechanism of the observed natural hydrogen concentration is unknown. Numerous mineral occurrences are found in the basin. Most contain gold, which historically has often been mined. Most occurrences are small, with some exceptions, such as Cracow, Golden Plateau, Kauffman’s Prospect and Miclere gold deposits. The north Bowen Basin has potential for epithermal gold-silver and gold-copper deposits in the deeper formations, but the depth of much of the basin makes exploration and mining difficult and expensive. There is also potential for sandstone-hosted uranium and paleoplacer gold deposits in the upper coal-bearing formations, such as what is seen in the Miclere area. The north Bowen Basin has a significant quantity of coal, with 152 deposits found in the basin, totalling about 47 billion tonnes of black coal. The results of CO2 geological storage assessment of 3 play intervals in the north Bowen Basin suggest there is low storage potential within the basin.

Publicly available geology data are compiled to provide a common information base for resource development, environmental and regulatory decisions in the Cooper Basin region. This data guide gives examples of how these data can be used and supports the data package that provides the existing knowledge of the key geological intervals of the Cooper Basin and the overlying Eromanga and Lake Eyre basins. The key geological intervals identified by the Trusted Environmental and Geological Information (TEGI) Program for resource assessment and groundwater system characterisation are termed play intervals and hydrostratigraphic intervals respectively. The Cooper Basin includes 7 plays, which are consolidated into 1 hydrostratigraphic interval. Overlying the Cooper Basin are 9 play intervals of the Eromanga Basin, which are consolidated into 7 hydrostratigraphic intervals and 1 Cenozoic play interval and 1 hydrostratigraphic interval for the Lake Eyre Basin. The geological groups and formations included in the play and hydrostratigraphic intervals are summarised in the stratigraphic charts of Wainman et al. (2023). Gross depositional, depth structure and thickness maps are provided with 3D model and cross-sections summarising the geology of the Cooper Basin and the overlying basins. The mapped depths and thicknesses of the key intervals are used to inform resource assessments and provide the framework for assigning groundwater data to hydrostratigraphic intervals.

Publicly available baseline surface water data are compiled to provide a common information base for resource development and regulatory decisions in the Galilee Basin region. This data guide captures existing knowledge of the catchments and watercourses overlying the Galilee Basin, including streamflow quality and quantity, inundation, and climatological data. The Galilee Basin straddles the Great Dividing Range and encompasses the headwaters of 9 major river basins, with the largest area underlying Cooper Creek, Diamantina River and Flinders River catchments. The Galilee Basin geological boundary also intersects parts of the catchment of the Burdekin River, Fitzroy River, Warrego River, Bulloo River, Paroo River and Condamine-Balonne rivers. The data on the catchments overlying the Galilee Basin have been summarised at a point in time to inform decisions on resource development activities. Key data sources are the Water Monitoring Information Portal (Queensland Government), Water Data Online (Bureau of Meteorology), DEA Water Observations (Geoscience Australia) and Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network.

Publicly available data was compiled to provide a common information base for resource development, environmental and regulatory decisions in the Galilee Basin. This data guide gives an example of how these data can be used to create the components of a workflow to identify conventional hydrocarbon resource (oil and gas) opportunities. The data guide is designed to support the data package that provide insights on conventional hydrocarbon resources in the Galilee Basin. The conventional hydrocarbon assessment for the Galilee Basin includes oil and gas resources for 5 geological intervals, termed plays – these intervals have been defined by Wainman et al. (2023). The assessment captures data from well completion reports and government data sources (e.g. Queensland Petroleum Exploration Database (QPED) from the Geological Survey of Queensland (GSQ) Open Data Portal) to inform the 5 components required for conventional hydrocarbons to be present. One hundred and sixty-three boreholes in the Galilee Basin were assessed with data used to map out gross depositional environments and their geological properties relevant for conventional hydrocarbon assessments. From these datasets, the following properties were evaluated and mapped across the basin: reservoir presence, reservoir effectiveness, top seal, trap and charge. The data are compiled at a point in time to inform decisions on resource development activities. The guide outlines the play-based workflow for assessing conventional hydrocarbon resource prospectivity. Each of the elements required for a working unconventional hydrocarbon system is explained and mapped. These data are integrated and merged to show the relative assessment of hydrocarbon prospectivity across the basin, at both the play interval and basin scale. As an example of assessments contained within the data package, this data guide showcases the conventional hydrocarbon prospectivity of the Jericho Play interval.

Publicly available baseline ecology data are compiled to provide a common information base for environment, resource development and regulatory decisions in the north Bowen Basin region. This data guide captures existing knowledge of the ecosystems and environmental assets overlying the north Bowen Basin. The land overlying the north Bowen Basin is dominated by the Brigalow Belt North and South Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia (IBRA) bioregions. The data on the ecosystems and environmental assets overlying the North Bowen Basin have been summarised in July 2021 to inform decisions on resource development activities. Key data sources are broad vegetation groups - pre-clearing and 2019 remnant - Queensland series (Queensland Government), Field Environmental Data, Australian Wetlands Database and Heritage places and lists (Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water), and the Atlas of Living Australia.

Publicly available geological data in the Cooper Basin region are compiled to produce statements of existing knowledge for natural hydrogen, hydrogen storage, coal and mineral occurrences. This data guide also contains assessment of the potential for carbon dioxide (CO2) geological storage and minerals in the basin region. Geochemical analysis of gas samples from petroleum in the basin shows various concentrations of natural hydrogen. However, the generation mechanism of the observed natural hydrogen concentration is still unknown. The mineral occurrences are all found in the overlying basins and are small and of little economic significance. The Cooper Basin has some potential for base metal and uranium deposits due to somewhat suitable formation conditions, but the depth of the basin makes exploration and mining difficult and expensive. This also applies to coal, where there are no identified occurrences or resources in the Cooper Basin. However, if some were identified, the depth of the basin would probably make extraction uneconomic, with the potential exception of coal seam gas extraction. CO2 geological storage assessment in the overlying Eromanga Basin suggests that most areas over the Cooper Basin (except over the Weena Trough in the south-west) are prospective for geological storage CO2.

Publicly available baseline ecology data are compiled to provide a common information base for environmental, resource development and regulatory decisions in the Cooper Basin region. This data guide captures existing knowledge of the ecosystems and environmental assets overlying the Cooper Basin. The land overlying the Cooper Basin is dominated by the Channel Country, Simpson Strzelecki Dunefields and Mulga Lands Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia (IBRA) bioregions with small areas of Mitchell Grass Downs and Stony Plains bioregions. The data on the ecosystems and environmental assets overlying the Cooper Basin have been summarised in July 2021 to inform decisions on resource development activities. Key data sources are broad vegetation groups - pre-clearing and 2019 remnant - Queensland series (Queensland Government), Field Environmental Data, Australian Wetlands Database and Heritage places and lists (Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water), and the Atlas of Living Australia.