The successful discovery at Cliff Head, offshore Perth Basin, by Roc Oil seems to have drawn investors to Bounty Oil, which has a 10 per cent share in an adjacent permit, TP-15. Bounty Oil officials said a well would be drilled later this year in the area in which Australian Worldwide Exploration and Hardman Resources had major interests.

Bounty manages production operations at Hardman's Woodada gasfield, which is having some trouble at the moment. Woodada-18 well is currently being plugged and abandoned after the drill pipe got stuck while pulling out of the hole at 2,024 metres. Woodada-17, a deviated well, experienced the same problem at 1,364m.

Preparations are now underway to drill the Woodada-19 well, which will investigate the prospective deeper exploration targets between the producing gas reservoir and basement that was the original plan for Woodada-18.