The explorer announced it was made aware of a hoax media release that suggested it would cease unconventional gas activities in the Clarence Moreton Basin.

"There is no substance to the hoax media release," the company said.

"Metgasco intends to continue its conventional and unconventional gas exploration and development activities."

The Northern Star reported that the media release, which was dressed up with a Metgasco logo, might have been intended as an April Fools' Day joke and "appears to have been sent from a high school student's email account".

The hoax media release had Metgasco saying it wanted to make a new start and would withdraw from all operations in Bentley and throughout the Northern Rivers area.

"We are proposing instead to engage in wide raging [sic] community consultation to gain support for the construction of a baseload solar thermal plant near Casino that will provide sustainable power to Richmond dairies and other local industries," the hoax media release continued.

While the Rosella well is targeting conventional along with tight gas potential, coal seam gas-related fears helped swell the numbers of protestors at the Bentley drilling site, 15km northwest of Lismore.

"Police agreed that between 1000 and 2000 people were present at the campsite as dawn broke on Monday," the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

The newspaper reported that numbers dwindled to a few hundred after news spread that Metgasco would not begin to move equipment to the site yet.

Metgasco spokesman Peter Henderson said drilling might start in the next two weeks.

"Our timing is driven by weather and [machinery] availability," he reportedly said.

"We didn't call off because of protesters."

Activists were reportedly preparing to chain themselves to cement blocks as part of efforts to disrupt the drilling.