Wirraway-1 is 5km west of the PEL 104 Growler-1 oil discovery, which recovered oil from the Jurassic Basal Birkhead sands on drill stem test, said Victoria Petroleum managing director John Kopcheff.

“Also in PEL 104 we have three prospects in the vicinity of the Wirraway Prospect and a further nine similar prospects including Ascender and Liberator in the immediately adjacent permit to the north, PEL 111,” Kopcheff said.

“Seven drillable prospects have been identified with unrisked P50 recoverable reserves of 28 million barrels of oil in the Birkhead Formation, if oil is present.”

Wirraway-1 is targeting the seismically defined four-way dip closed Wirraway structure interpreted to have the potential to contain a combined recoverable oil target of up to 7.6MMbbl of oil. This Jurassic prospect covers the western updip flank of the hydrocarbon-productive Patchawarra Trough.

The well is being completed as a Birkhead sand oil producer by the drilling rig, with short-term production testing to follow upon installation of the surface-testing equipment.

Following the completion of Wirraway-1, the rig will immediately move to start drilling the Growler-2 appraisal well, 4.7km southeast of Wirraway-1 and 705m north and updip of the Growler-1 discovery well.

Wirraway-1 is the first well drilled by the PEL 104 joint venture this year in this underexplored part of the western Cooper Basin.

The PEL 104 and 111 venture comprises Victoria Petroleum (40%), Impress Energy (40%) and Roma Petroleum (20%).