The Perth-based company today said it had observed more than 50% of samples had fluorescence and total background gas increased from two to 17 units over the interval 1728-1737m.

VicPet said it was pulling out of the 8½-inch hole at 1737m in order to perform a drill stem test in the basal Birkhead sand over the interval following the oil shows.

“The oil shows seen in the basal Birkhead sand are encouraging, as they appear similar to those encountered in the Callabonna-1 Birkhead oil discovery, 16km to the northeast,” managing director John Kopcheff said.

“However, we must await the results of the drill stem test to evaluate the real significance of the oil shows we have seen.”

VicPet said this would be the first well drilled by the PEL 104 joint venture in the under-explored Jurassic area, which covers the western flank of the productive Patchawarra Trough.

The well will target a potential 9-16 million barrels in multiple reservoirs in the seismically defined four-way dip closed Growler structure.

Primary objectives are the Namur, Basal Birkhead, Hutton and Poolawanna Sandstones between a depth of 1401m and 2079m. The well is expected to take just over a fortnight to reach a planned total depth of 2079m.

Kopcheff said exploration success at Growler-1 would establish a new oil production province in the western part of PEL 104 and the adjoining PEL 111 permit.

”There are also a number of similar follow-up prospects in the vicinity of the Growler Prospect,” he said.

“Growler-1 is also an important well for VicPet, as it is the first well in a 10-well exploration drilling program to take place over the next six months in VicPet’s South Australian and Queensland Cooper Basin Permits,” Kopcheff said.

“Given the current industry exploration success rate of 45% in the Cooper Basin, VicPet would expect to enjoy some degree of exploration success in the 10-well drilling program.”

The well is 16km west of the Santos-operated Callabonna field, which recovered oil from the Jurassic Basal Birkhead sands on drill stem test.

It is also located in an analogous geological position of the Permian-source kitchen, which flowed 2400 barrels of oil per day in the Beach Petroleum-operated Callawonga Jurassic oil discovery, about 40km south.

The PEL 104 joint venture comprises VicPet (operator with a 40% stake), Impress Ventures (40%) and Roma Petroleum (20%).