- Early 1800s Sealers and Whalers use bitumen stranded along Australia’s southern beaches to caulk boats and floor huts.
- 1802 French world scientific expedition finds oil shale in New South Wales near Blue Mountains.
- 1820s First settlers over Blue Mountains use oil shale blocks as fuel.
- 1839 John Lort Stokes of HMS Beagle finds bitumen in water wells sunk on banks of Victoria River, Northern Territory.
- 1840 — 45 Count Paul Strzelecki finds oil shale at Hartley Vale/Petrolea, New South Wales.
- 1849 Rev. W.B. Clarke finds oil shale at America Creek, Wollongong, New South Wales.
- 1852 Police Inspector C.W. Stuart notes presence of surface bituminous substance (Coorongite) at Salt Creek, South Australia.
- 1865 Rev. J.T. Woods publishes History of Discovery and Exploration of Australia in two volumes.
- 1865 J. Graham Sets up Pioneer Kerosene Works at Port Kembla, New South Wales, using oil shale from America Creek
- 1866 West Australian bituminous resins on display in Paris Universal Exhibition.
- 1866 Australia’s first oil exploration well drilled at Salt Creek in the Coorong district of South Australia.
- 1869 One ton sample of Coorongite sent to Scotland for analysis shows petroleum content.
- 1860s First naturally formed petroleum imported into Australia (from America)
- 1865 — 1905 Oil shale production at Hartley Vale, New South Wales.
- 1870 — 1907 Oil shale producton at Joadja Creek, New South Wales.
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