Enhancing Australia's Economic Prosperity
Resources Energy Tourism Department

Resources

The Australian Government is committed to creating a policy framework to expand Australia's resource base, increase the international competitiveness of our resources sector and improve the regulatory regime, consistent with the principles of environmental responsibility and sustainable development.
Release Area S09-7, Western Otway Basin, South Australia

Location

Release Area S09-7 (Figure 1 [PDF, 280KB]) is located 380 km southeast of Adelaide and 380 km west of Melbourne. The Release Area is bounded to the north by the South Australian Three-Mile Zone and to the south by the continental slope, roughly coinciding with the 1000 m bathymetric contour. Overall, water depths are less than 200 m. Heavy seasonal swells are a common feature in this part of the Great Southern Ocean. The area consists of 66 graticular blocks that cover approximately 3865 km2.

Access to the Release Area is either via the port of Portland, Victoria or via the coastal town of Robe, South Australia. Southeastern South Australia is well serviced by a network of sealed roads and the onshore part has a long hydrocarbon exploration history. Whilst no offshore economic discoveries have been made in the South Australian portion of the Otway Basin, commercial discoveries have been made in the Victorian and Tasmanian portion of the Otway Basin including the Minerva, Casino, Henry, Thylacine and Geographe gas fields.

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Page Last Updated: 4/06/2009 5:47 PM