Petroleum exploration is proceed ing in Western Australia at an ever- increasing pace. Results in recent years have been very successful, with the discovery and development of the Barrow Island oilfield and the Dongara gasfield, and the discovery of several major gas-condensate fields on the Northwest Shelf. The Northwest Shelf discoveries will have a big impact on the economy of the State by providing an abundant indigenous source of energy. Prospects for further large dis- coveries are believed to be excellent._x000D_
The most prospective areas are thought to be on the continental shelf in the Carnarvon, Browse, Perth, Canning, and Bonaparte Gulf Basins.