Austral says Cheal-A4 intersected the Miocene-aged Mt Messenger sands very close to prognosis, and the depth of the base of the oil column appears identical to that predicted from the previous wells. This implies continuity of the oil reservoir over a substantial area, which is a positive factor in estimating potential field size.

Cheal-A4 is now being prepared for next week’s flow-testing of both intervals; while Cheal-A3X testing should restart in the near future.