OIL SEARCH.

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LX, Issue 10857, 9 July 1932, Page 3

OIL SEARCH.

AIK SURVEY TO BE MADE. Canberra, June 27. Preliminary arrangements have been made for the extensive air reconnaissance of possible oil-produc-tion regions in Australia, which is to be carried out by the Federal Government in co-operation with the Air Force. Negotiations are now in train with the Air Board to make available two ’planes. These will probably fly from Sydney, and follow the air route across North-western Queensland to Darwin.

It is probable that photographic work will be done on the flight north, which will he acompanied by, the geological adviser to the Commonwealth Government (Dr. AV. G. AVoodrough). The first areas to be covered will be Bathurst and Melville Islands and south of Darwin, which will be the headquarters of the expedition. A land party will be sent by boat to co-operate with the ’planes when they arrive.

Remaining in Darwin for several weeks, the expedition will cover a considerable area of promising country whch could not be satisfactorily prospected from the ground. It is anticipated that some thousands of square miles will be covered, and that the reconnaissance will take six or eight weeks. The Rongreach experiment proved that such aerial surveys can be- done very cheaply.