VicPet managing director John Kopcheff said the original discovery well showed good oil producing rates were achievable from the Birkhead Sandstone reservoir in this area.

He said 32 prospects and leads have been mapped as follow-up targets in PEL 104 and in the neighbouring PEL 111 permit.

“The current production characteristics of the Birkhead oil sand if further confirmed by Growler-2 could lead to a large development drilling program of the same style as the successful Cooper Oil Project, although it is early days yet for this area,” he said.

“Exploration success at Growler and Wirraway maintains our 100 percent exploration success rate in PEL 104 and further confirms our belief that a new Jurassic ‘Oil Fairway’ and oil production province with the potential for an in-place oil resource of up to 100-plus million barrels of oil is present in the western part of PEL 104 and our adjoining PEL 111 permit, if oil is present.”

The Growler-1 exploration well discovered an 18m oil column in the Jurassic Birkhead Formation. The P50 oil-in-place is estimated to be 5.7 million barrels and most likely recoverable oil is estimated to be 1.4MMbbl.

The participants in Growler-2 and PEL 104 are operator Victoria Petroleum with a 40% stake, Impress Energy (40%) and Roma Petroleum (20%).