The definition and development of the Mackerel field Gippsland Basin

Abstract

The Mackerel Oil Field located offshore in the Gippsland Basin was discovered in April 1969, with the Mackerel-1 well. The field contains oil in Eocene/Paleocene reservoir sands which lie beneath an unconformity at the top of Latrobe Group. Calcareous shales and mudstones of the Oligocene Lake's Entrance Formation seal the field which is a topographic-erosional feature. By the end of 1973, 235 kms of seismic had been shot in an irregular grid involving seven different surveys and a total of four exploration wells had been drilled to provide data for the initial definition of the field.