Petroleum Potential Assessment of Australia's Central Eastern Margin

Geoscience Australia's report provides a preliminary petroleum potential evaluation for Australia's east coast, from the NSW-Victoria border to the Great Barrier Reef boundary. The assessment covers at least four sedimentary basins, including the Sydney and Maryborough Basins, and examines basement rocks and Cainozoic sediments.

Use Cases

• Identify prospective sedimentary basins like the Sydney and Maryborough Basins for offshore exploration permit targeting.
• Analyze geological features such as graben and half-graben structures associated with Tasman Sea rifting for basin modeling.
• Map the distribution of Palaeozoic basement rocks and Cainozoic sediment veneer across the continental shelf and slope.

Strengths

• Report covers a significant geographic scope from the NSW-Victoria border to the Great Barrier Reef boundary.
• Assessment includes analysis of at least four named sedimentary basins with offshore extensions.
• Identifies specific geological features like graben and half-graben structures for further study.

Limitations

• Data is described as very limited for several geological features and basins, indicating sparse exploration.
• Petroleum exploration is prohibited within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, excluding that area from assessment.
• Report is a preliminary assessment, indicating findings are not definitive and based on incomplete information.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia Data

Collection Method

Geological analysis and literature review for preliminary assessment.

Time Range

Assessment references historical permit activity from the 1960s and 1970s.

Freshness

Last updated March 2026.

Geography

Australia's east coast, from NSW-Victoria border to southern boundary of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park offshore southeast Queensland.