Rough Range is a location in
Western Australia
Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...
where
oil
An oil is any nonpolar chemical substance that is composed primarily of hydrocarbons and is hydrophobic (does not mix with water) and lipophilic (mixes with other oils). Oils are usually flammable and surface active. Most oils are unsaturate ...
was discovered during an exploration drilling programme in 1953.
West Australian Petroleum (WAPET) drilled its first well at Rough Range near
North West Cape
North West Cape is a peninsula in the north-west of Western Australia. Cape Range National Park, Cape Range runs down the spine of the peninsula and Ningaloo Reef runs along the western edge. It is in the Gascoyne region and includes the town of ...
in 1953. This well produced at a rate of , and was the first working well of Australia's commercial petroleum industry. Despite being abandoned as non-commercial in the mid 1950s, consideration was given in the 2000s to re-work the find.
Notes
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Petroleum industry in Western Australia
North West Western Australia