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RELEASE AREA V13-2,
GIPPSLAND BASIN,
VICTORIA
HIGHLIGHTS
BIDS CLOSE – 22 May 2014
 Located in a world class producing
petroleum province
 Shallow to ultra-deep water depths (70–
2500 m)
 Exploration opportunities in deep-water
frontier area
 Proven plays in anticlines, tilted fault
blocks, stratigraphic pinchouts and channel
sandstones
 Multiple potential oil- and gas-prone source
rocks and active petroleum systems within
the region
Figure 1 Location of the 2013 Release Area in the
Gippsland Basin
 Special Notices apply, refer to Guidance
Notes
Release Area V13-2 straddles the modern continental shelf edge and extends into the Bass Canyon where water depth
increases to 3000 m. Geological control is provided by 16 exploration wells which have tested top-Latrobe Group and
intra-Latrobe Group targets. Oil and gas discoveries at Angler and Archer/Anemone have demonstrated that a petroleum
system involving the Santonian (Upper Cretaceous) Golden Beach Subgroup exists in the southeastern part of the
Release Area.
The basin developed during the Early Cretaceous as part of the break-up of Gondwana and extension between the
Australian and Antarctic continents. Continued rifting into the Late Cretaceous generated a classic extensional geometry
comprising a depocentre (the Central Deep) that is flanked by platforms and terraces. Several petroleum systems
operate in the basin. The largest oil and gas fields are hosted by top-Latrobe Group (Eocene) shallow marine barrier
sandstones with additional discoveries made in intra-Latrobe (Paleocene) coastal plain and deltaic channel sandstones.
.
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Figure 2 Structural elements of the Gippsland Basin showing petroleum fields and discoveries, the location of regional
cross-sections and the 2013 Release Area
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Figure 3 Stratigraphy and hydrocarbon discoveries of the Gippsland Basin based on the Gippsland Basin Biozonation
and Stratigraphy Chart 40 (Partridge et al, 2012). Geologic Time Scale after Gradstein et al (2012)
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Figure 4 Seismic line G92a-3040 across the Southern Terrace and southeastern Central Deep. Location of the line is
shown in Figure 2.Seismic line G92a-3040 across the Southern Terrace and southeastern Central Deep. Location of the
line is shown in Figure 2
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Figure 5 Seismic line GDW99-18 across the Bass Canyon and Strzelecki High. Location of the line is shown in Figure 2
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PETROLEUM SYSTEMS ELEMENTS
Gippsland Basin
Sources
 Upper Cretaceous-Paleogene marine to non-marine Cobia and Halibut subgroups (Latrobe Group) –
coals and carbonaceous shales
 Upper Cretaceous marine Anemone Formation (Golden Beach Subgroup) – shales
 Upper Cretaceous lacustrine Kipper Formation (Emperor Subgroup) –carbonaceous shales (unproven
in release area)
 Lower Cretaceous non-marine Strzelecki Group (unproven in release area)
Reservoirs





Seals
Regional seals
Cretaceous–Paleogene marine and non-marine Latrobe Group;
Eocene–Oligocene lower coastal plain Burong Formation (Cobia Subgroup)
Paleocene–Eocene Mackerel formations (Halibut Subgroup)
Campanian–Maastrichtian Volador formations (Halibut Subgroup)
Santonian–Campanian Chimaera and Anemone formations (Golden Beach Subgroup)
 Oligocene–Miocene marine carbonate Early Oligocene Wedge (EOW), Lakes Entrance and Swordfish
formations (Seaspray Group)
Intra-Latrobe Group seals
 Paleocene marine Kate Shale (Halibut Subgroup)
 Campanian–Paleocene volcanics (several distinct horizons)
 Santonian–Campanian Anemone Formation (Golden Beach Subgroup)
Traps




Structural traps (anticlinal closures)
A variety of fault related traps, including tilted fault blocks
Channel plays
Stratigraphic pinch out plays
INFRASTRUCTURE AND MARKETS
The Release Area is situated to the southeast of pre-existing infrastructure in the Central Deep, which contains most of
the major oil and gas fields. Hydrocarbon production in the basin remains strong expanded by a new $4.4 billion
investment to develop the Kipper Tuna Turrum project. The oil and gas resources are processed at the Longford facility
and made available for the growing SE Australian energy market. Despite long term production, the Gippsland Basin is
still recognised as a world class petroleum province, with crude oil and condensate production of 3.34 GL, condensate
production of 1.5GL and gas production of 5.5 Gm 3 in the 2010/2011 financial year.
CRITICAL RISKS
Risks include migration distance and migration shadows. Generation from the Kipper Shale and Anemone Formation is a
critical risk since the Halibut Subgroup has not reached thermal maturity in this region, and would rely on longer distance
migration from the Central Deep. The timing of peak generation from the Strzelecki and Emperor subgroups compared to
trap formation is also a critical risk. These subgroups reached peak generation during the Late Cretaceous (~85–80 Ma),
while the main trap-forming event at top-Latrobe level occurred in the Oligocene. Hence, the preservation of any
hydrocarbons generated in this early phase must rely on stratigraphic trapping or traps formed within the lower Latrobe
Group.
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DATA SETS
For the Wells Data Listing go to
http://www.petroleum-acreage.gov.au/2013/support/geo.html
For the Seismic Surveys Listing go to
http://www.ga.gov.au/energy/projects/acreage-release-and-promotion/2013.html#data-packages
GEOSCIENCE AUSTRALIA GEOSCIENCE AND VICTORIA PRODUCTS
Regional Geology and Seismic

Australian Southern Margin Synthesis, Project GA707, Client report to Geoscience Australia by Australian Southern
Margin Synthesis, Project GA707, Client report to Geoscience Australia by FrOG Tech Pty Ltd., 2009.
GEOCAT 68892

XYZ single and multibeam bathymetry grids of the Gippsland Basin, 2012. GEOCAT 74009

Regional Structure of the Gippsland Basin: Interpretation and Mapping of a Deep Seismic Data Set, Australian
Geological Survey Organisation Record 1993/13. GEOCAT 14616

A regional Review of the Offshore Gippsland Basin, 1990. GEOCAT 15209

O'Brien, G.W., Bernecker, T., Thomas, J.H., Driscoll, J., Harrison, M. and Frankel, E., 2007. Hydrocarbon
prospectivity of areas V07-1, V07-2 and V07-3, north-eastern offshore Gippsland Basin, Victoria, Australia. Victorian
Initiative for Minerals & Petroleum Report 92. Department of Primary Industries.

Bernecker, T., Thomas, J.H. and O'Brien, G.W., 2006. Hydrocarbon Prospectivity of Areas V06-2, V06-3 and V06-4,
Southern Offshore Gippsland Basin, Victoria, Australia. Victorian Initiative for Minerals and Petroleum Report 88,
Department of Primary Industries.

Bernecker, T., Driscoll, J., Powell, A. and Thomas, J.H., 2004. Hydrocarbon prospectivity of the 2004 Acreage
Release Areas, Victoria, Australia. Victorian Initiative for Minerals and Petroleum Report 83. Department of Primary
Industries

Thomas, J.H., Bernecker, T., and Driscoll, J., 2003. Hydrocarbon Prospectivity of Areas V03-3 and V03-4, Offshore
Gippsland Basin, Victoria, Australia: 2003 Acreage Release. Victorian Initiative for Minerals and Petroleum Report
80. Department of Primary Industries.

Bernecker, T., Wong, D., Driscoll, J. and Liberman, N., 2002. Hydrocarbon prospectivity of areas V02-2, V02-3 and
V02-4, offshore Gippsland Basin, Victoria, Australia: 2002 Acreage Release. Victorian Initiative for Minerals and
Petroleum Report 74. Department of Natural Resources and Environment.

Smith, M.A., Bernecker, T., Liberman, N., Moore, D.H. and Wong, D., 2000. Petroleum prospectivity of the deepwater gazettal areas V00-3 & V00-4, southeastern Gippsland Basin, Victoria. Victorian Initiative for Minerals and
Petroleum Report 65. Department of Natural Resources and Environment.

Wong, D. and Bernecker, T., 2001. Prospectivity and hydrocarbon potential of area V01-4, Central Deep, Gippsland
Basin, Victoria, Australia: 2001 Acreage Release. Victorian Initiative for Minerals and Petroleum Report 67.
Department of Natural Resources and Environment.

Woollands, M.A. and Wong, D. (eds), 2001. Petroleum Atlas of Victoria, Australia. Department of Natural Resources
and Environment.
Stratigraphy

Gippsland Basin Biozonation and Stratigraphy Chart 40 – Gippsland Basin. GEOCAT 75819
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Petroleum Systems and Accumulations

The Oils of Eastern Australia, 2002. GEOCAT 68754

South-eastern Australia Surface Geochemistry II: Light Hydrocarbon Geochemistry in Bottom-waters of the
Gippsland Basin, Eastern Otway Basin, Torquay Sub-Basin and the Durroon Sub-Basin. Volumes 1 and 2.
Australian Geological Survey Organisation Record 1992/54. GEOCAT 14562

Southeast Gippsland Basin Hydrocarbon Prospectivity Package. Bureau of Mineral Resources Record 1991/09.
GEOCAT 14395

Australian Petroleum Accumulations Report. Gippsland Basin, Victoria, 1987. GEOCAT 37050
For Geoscience Australia products and for further information or to order these reports contact the Sales Centre: phone
61 (0)2 6249 9966, email sales@ga.gov.au
For Geoscience Victoria reports access: http://dpistore.efirst.com.au/
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KEY REFERENCES
BERNECKER, T. AND PARTRIDGE, A.D., 2001—Emperor and Golden Beach Subgroups: The onset of Late
Cretaceous Sedimentation in the Gippsland Basin, SE Australia. In: Hill, K.C. And Bernecker, T. (eds), Eastern
Australasian Basins Symposium, A Refocused Energy Perspective for the Future. Petroleum Exploration Society of
Australia, Special Publication, 391–402.
BERNECKER, T. AND PARTRIDGE, A.D., 2005—Approaches to palaeogeographic reconstructions of the Latrobe
Group, Gippsland Basin, southeastern Australia. The APPEA Journal, 45(1), 581–600.
BERNECKER, T., WOOLLANDS, M.A., WONG, D., MOORE, D.H. AND SMITH, M.A., 2001— Hydrocarbon prospectivity
of the deep-water Gippsland Basin, Victoria, Australia. The APPEA Journal, 41(1), 79–101.
BURNS, B.J., BOSTWICK, T.R. AND EMMETT, J.K., 1987—Gippsland terrestrial oils – recognition of compositional
variations due to maturity and biodegradation. The APEA Journal, 27, 73–85.
BURNS, B.J., JAMES, A.T. AND EMMETT, J.K., 1984—The use of gas isotopes in determining the source of some
Gippsland Basin oils. The APEA Journal, 24, 217–221.
DUDDY, I.R., 1994—The Otway Basin: Thermal structural tectonic and hydrocarbon generation histories. In: Finlayson,
D.A.I. (ed), NGMA/PESA Otway Basin Symposium Abstracts. Australian Geological Survey Organisation Record
1994/14, 35–42.
DUDDY, I.R., 2000—Modelling source rock maturation histories for 7 wells and 7 pseudowells, Gippsland Basin deep
water project. Geotrack Report 741.
GOLDIE DIVKO, L.M., O’BRIEN, G.W., HARRISON, M.L. AND HAMILTON, P.J., 2010—Evaluation of the regional top
seal in the Gippsland Basin: implications for geological carbon storage and hydrocarbon prospectivity. The APPEA
Journal 50(1), 463–486.
GORTER, J.D., 2001—A marine source rock in the Gippsland Basin? In: Hill, K.C. and Bernecker, T. (eds), Eastern
Australasian Basins Symposium, A Refocused Energy Perspective for the Future. Petroleum Exploration Society of
Australia, Special Publication, 385–390.
GROSS, M., 1993—Determination of reservoir distribution over the Blackback/Terakihi oil field, Gippsland Basin,
Australia. The APEA Journal, 33, 1–14.
HOCKING, J.B., 1988—Gippsland Basin. In: Douglas, J.G. and Ferguson, J.A. (eds), Geology of Victoria. Victorian
Division Geological Survey Australia Inc., Melbourne, 322–347
HOLDGATE, G.R., WALLACE, M.W., DANIELS, J., GALLAGHER, S.J., KEENE. J.B. AND SMITH, A.J., 2000—Controls
on Seaspray Group sonic velocities in the Gippsland Basin – multidisciplinary approach to the canyon seismic velocity
problem. The APPEA Journal, 40(1), 295–313.
MOORE, D.H. AND WONG, D., 2001—Down and out in Gippsland: using potential fields to look deeper and wider for
new hydrocarbons. In: Hill, K.C. and Bernecker, T. (eds), Eastern Australasian Basins Symposium, A Refocused Energy
Perspective for the Future. Petroleum Exploration Society of Australia, Special Publication, 363–371.
PARTRIDGE, A.D., 2012—Palynology and kerogen analyses from seven wells in Gippsland Basin: Anemone-1 & 1A,
Carrs Creek-1, Hermes-1, Omeo-1, Perch-1, Sunday Island-1 and Volador-1. Biostrata Report 2012/03 prepared for
Geoscience Victoria and Geoscience Australia, 44pp (unpublished).
PARTRIDGE, A.D. KELMAN, A.P., KHIDER, K., LE POIDEVIN, S. AND MANTLE, D.J., 2012—Gippsland Basin,
Biozonation and Stratigraphy, 2012, Chart 40. Geoscience Australia. GEOCAT 73734
TINGATE, P., CAMPI, M., O'BRIEN, G., MIRANDA, J., GOLDIE-DIVKO, L.M., LIU, K., MILLS, D., VOLK, H., HALL, D.
AND HAMILTON, J., 2011—Understanding the plumbing of the Gippsland Basin; new results on fluid migration and
reservoir quality. The APPEA Journal 51 (DVD) – extended abstract.
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