Neptune Oil Company was an Australian independent

petroleum Petroleum, also known as crude oil, or simply oil, is a naturally occurring yellowish-black liquid mixture of mainly hydrocarbons, and is found in geological formations. The name ''petroleum'' covers both naturally occurring unprocessed crud ...

company based in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

. The company was established in 1909 as a privately owned company. The company was taken over by the

Shell Oil Shell plc is a British multinational oil and gas company headquartered in London, England. Shell is a public limited company with a primary listing on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) and secondary listings on Euronext Amsterdam and the New Yor ...

company in 1975.

Distribution

In the Australian states, the usual practice was for storage and transport from the local main port, for distribution through the state, with the head offices in the capital city. In many cases petrol stations with Neptune products were also dealing in second hand cars or other services. A "King Neptune" statue at a Neptune (later Shell) service station was a landmark in the

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

suburb of

Darlington Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. The River Skerne flows through the town; it is a tributary of the River Tees. The Tees itself flows south of the town. In the 19th century, Darlington underwen ...

until 1991. The King Neptune statue now resides at Wills street Birkenhead,inside the gates of the Shell fuel depot.

Publications

In the print era of the mid twentieth century, publications and promotions by the company were produced extensively in the 1950s and earlier Similarly, like Australia-wide oil retailers of the time, Neptune produced a series of road maps Neptune Lease Holder

References

{{Authority control Defunct oil and gas companies of Australia Motor oils Shell plc subsidiaries Companies based in Melbourne Energy companies established in 1909 Non-renewable resource companies established in 1909 Non-renewable resource companies disestablished in 1975 Australian companies established in 1909 1975 disestablishments in Australia Privately held companies of Australia Automotive fuel retailers in Australia