$1.6M, 90,000km² airborne exploration program starts – largest ever flown in NSW

The largest airborne geophysical survey program ever undertaken by the New South Wales Government has commenced, focussing on petroleum opportunities in the Southern Darling Basin.

The 90,000 square kilometre survey area was not only the largest flown in NSW, but one of the biggest of its kind in Australia

The contract is part of the Government’s $30 million, seven year Exploration NSW initiative. Now in its fifth year, Exploration NSW promotes mineral and petroleum exploration prospects in the State.

Once this work has been completed, more than 80 percent of NSW will have been surveyed using this leading-edge technology.

The September quarter 2004 saw NSW record its highest quarterly total mineral exploration expenditure since June 1999 - $17.2 million. Gold exploration was particularly strong at $7.6 million, the highest quarterly gold exploration figure since March 1998.

In 2003-04 new capital expenditure was more than $1.1 billion.

In last year’s State Budget, the Government allocated the bulk of the $5 million Exploration NSW expenditure to the far west, with

• $1.2 million for Broken Hill and surrounds;
• $1.1 million for Cobar and Bourke; and
• $200,000 for the Murray Basin.

The survey tender was won by the world’s largest airborne geophysical contractor, Fugro Airborne Surveys.

The survey area covers parts of the Southern Darling Basin, the Murray Basin and the Eromanga Basin which have not been surveyed using modern technologies.

The rocks in this area are poorly exposed and high technology surveys like these give us an improved understanding of this under-explored region.

The Southern Darling Basin survey will be followed in late April by the Murray survey, and then the Eromanga survey in July this year.

The aircraft undertaking this particular survey will be based in Tibooburra, Wilcannia and Bourke. They will fly 60 metres above the ground along lines either 250 or 400 metres apart.

The survey aircraft will record both surface and sub-surface data, as well as collecting detailed digital topographic information.

The total flying program is expected to conclude in October and results will be available to the international mineral and petroleum exploration industries in early 2006.