In the last month, the partners have announced that both the Winna-4 and more recently, the Muthero-3 appraisal well, would be cased and suspended as future producers from the Murta Member and the Birkhead respectively.

The Currambar-1 exploration well, which will produce from the Murta, will undergo a casing test when a workover rig becomes available in the Nockatunga area in the first quarter of this year, according to Magellan.

During drilling, Currambar-1 recorded moderate to fair oil shows in the Murta Member with poor shows in the Westbourne Formation. The well was drilled to a total depth of 1378 metres.

Two drill stem tests were conducted over the interval 1043-1052 metres in the Murta Member, but both failed due to packer problems, Magellan said.

The Ensign 20 rig was released from the well on Wednesday, January 7.

Participants in the Currambar-1 well are Santos Group (operator - 59.064%) and Magellan Petroleum (Eastern) Pty Ltd (40.936%).

Elsewhere in the Cooper/Eromanga Basin, Magellan said the Udacha-1 exploration well, which spudded on Wednesday, was yesterday morning drilling ahead at a depth of 468 metres in a 12¼-inch hole.

Magellan is a partner in the well under a farmin agreement with Great Artesian Oil & Gas Ltd. The company will earn a 30% participating interest in any commercial hydrocarbon discovery and subsequent petroleum production licence.

Udacha-1 is about 12km northwest of the Moonanga gas field and 17km east of the Sellicks oil field.

The Udacha prospect is primarily a Permian oil and gas play. The well will test the hydrocarbon potential of a faulted anticlinical closure at the Patchawarra level. Secondary potential existed in the Tolachee and Epsilon formations and Tirrawarra Sandstone, according to Beach.

“Each of these reservoir intervals is commercially productive elsewhere in the Cooper Basin,” Magellan said.

“The Udacha prospect is considered prospective because of its proximity to Carrickalinga-1 3km west, which recovered a small amount of oil, or 1.2 barrels of muddy oil, from the Patchawarra Formation on testing and flowed minor gas to surface.”

The well's planned total depth is 2775 metres. It is expected to take about 19 days to drill and evaluate.

After drilling Udacha-1, the Century 3 rig will move about 5km southwest to drill Middleton-1 in PEL 106, due to spud in early February.