Qld

Vale Farah Fazulah Abdullah

12/05/2026 Posted by Sarah.Harris

It is with great sadness that PESA Queensland shares news of the passing of our former colleague and friend, Farah Fazulah. Farah joined PESA when she moved to Australia and volunteered with the Queensland branch from 2023 before joining the PESA Queensland Committee in early 2024. Bringing her energy and enthusiasm to supporting with technical lunches and other committee events and helping to man the booth at AEP Brisbane in 2025, her energy was shared with the broader federal committee and PESA membership.

Farah moved to Australia and joined Central Petroleum as a geologist in 2021, focused on the Amadeus Basin in the Northern Territory.

Eastern Gas Announce Multi-Well Campaign at Venus CSG Project

06/04/2026 Posted by Rachel

Eastern Gas Corporation Limited confirmed 10th March that, following a successful and over subscribed IPO, the Company is now in the final stages of preparation to commence near-term appraisal drilling at their Project Venus coal seam gas project.

Project Venus lies in ATP2051 in the Surat Basin, Queensland. The permit sits within the Walloon -scale gas developments operated by Shell, APLNG Santos and Senex. These projects supply gas to both domestic and export markets via the Wallumbilla gas hub.

Vale Harry “Ross” Brookfield Wecker

06/04/2026 Posted by Rachel

22 August 1947 to 11 September 2025

Ross met his wife Paula when he was 18 and she was 15 years old, when he moved next door. They developed a strong friendship playing tennis and board games. After dating for 6 years, they married in 1972, and welcomed two children, Tamara and Mark. Early evidence of entrepreneurial spirit was exhibited by a succession of fruitful real estate deals.

After graduating in geology and metallurgy from the University of Queensland in the late 1960s, his career began in the early 1970s as a wellsite geologist for Mines Administration Pty Ltd and then with Marathon Petroleum Pty Ltd in the Middle East and Southeast Asia.

Cooper-Eromanga Basin: New Exploration Areas Awarded

08/02/2026 Posted by Rachel

On January 29, the Queensland Government announced the appointment of Santos QNT Pty Ltd and Drillsearch Energy Pty Ltd (a 100% subsidiary of Beach Energy) as preferred tenderers for three new gas exploration areas in the Cooper-Eromanga Basins, aimed at boosting supply, reducing energy prices, and supporting regional jobs.

Both Santos and Drillsearch (Beach) have a strong track record of exploration and delivery in the Cooper-Eromanga Basins. Santos holds a dominant and long-standing tenure position in the basin operating the South Australian Cooper Basin Joint Venture (SACBJV) with partners Beach Energy.

2026 PESA-QLD Scholarship Applications Close Friday Feb 27

05/02/2026 Posted by Rachel

Calling all students at Queensland Tertiary Institutions - if you are studying for an energy geosciences industry-related honours or Master of Science project applications are now open for the 2026 PESA Qld Scholarship.

The scholarship consists of the award of $2,500 to the successful recipient as part of PESA-QLD’s commitment to promote and encourage subsurface energy geoscience research and education at Queensland Tertiary Institutions.

The selection criteria are based on academic achievement and project relevance to the energy geosciences industry.

Bookings Open – Barry Goldstein Medal Lecture Tour

04/02/2026 Posted by Rachel

Our worthy winner of the 2025 Barry Goldstein Medal, Dr Bruce Ainsworth, begins his lecture tour shortly generously sponsored by Santos. Over 5 weeks, he will visit each state branch and give his presentation "Honouring the Humble Clinoform: Towards a Reservoir Modelling Best Practice". Bruce is an excellent geologist and engaging presenter so attendees are in for a treat. Bookings for these events are now live on the website.

The Barry Goldstein Medal was created by PESA to recognise the value of innovation, collaboration and communication in Energy Geoscience as we pursue a clean sustainable energy future.

PESA Symposium 2025 – Juggling the Energy Mix

08/09/2025 Posted by Rachel

Symposium Chair Melanie Fitzell and the Queensland branch committee delivered another successful one-day symposium on Monday 1st September at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre.

The conference opening address was delivered by the Minister for Natural Resources and Mines, the Honourable Dale Last, who closed his speech with the words: “you drill, I sign”. This was followed by a Keynote address from Darren Moor, Executive Director Georesources from the same department, and a final Keynote from industry stalwart Rick Wilkinson of Energy Quest “Energy plan or just muddling through?”.

A technical session featuring CCS and geothermal followed morning tea, three top quality presentations from Nikki Accornero (Accornero Advisory), Rachel Kieft (Santos) and Ray Johnson and Heinz-Gerd Holl (Novus).