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Orchard is looking very healthy. NSW holiday today - will be more strong buying tomorrw too.

Orchard Petroleum Limited
ABN 25 061 655 463
3 October 2005
Joint ASX and Media Announcement
South Belridge Continues Success with Third Well of Six Well Program
Orchard Petroleum Limited (ASX; OPL) (Orchard) and Orchard Petroleum Inc. (OP Inc), a
wholly owned subsidiary of Orchard, are pleased to announce drilling and development activities
at South Belridge (Sledge Hamar).
Highlights
• The South Belridge #6-7 well has reached total depth of 4,925 feet and has been
logged and completed. An extensive oil and gas accumulation was encountered in
the Diatomite formation, the best of any wells drilled to date.
• The fourth South Belridge well in the current six well program, #7-7, commenced
drilling at 6:30 am Friday 30th September, 2005, Pacific Standard Time. This will be
the tenth well drilled at South Belridge.
• A multi stage hydraulic fracturing program provided by Halliburton has been
successfully completed on the #4-7 and #5-7 wells over intervals covering more than
2,500 feet of hydrocarbon bearing Diatomite formation.
• A similar fracture stimulation program is about to begin on the #6-7 (just
completed) and the #16-7 wells which are designed to quickly bring into production
these recently completed wells and accelerate the field’s overall oil and gas
production.
• After the #7-7 is completed, two additional wells are scheduled to be drilled in
finishing up the current six well program. The fifth well will again target the oil rich
Diatomite formation and the sixth well will have as its primary target the shallower
Etchegoin formation in order to determine whether there is significant potential in
this shallow gas formation seen across the acreage.
OP Inc. has a 25% interest in the South Belridge project and is the Operator. Maxim TEP holds a
75% interest and funds 100% of the first US$ 28 million of development capital for the multiwell
drilling program.
Comments
OP Inc. is quite pleased with the excellent results from the South Belridge #6-7 well. The
Diatomite section in the #6-7 well appears to be the best of any wells we have drilled and frac’ed
to date.
The current six well program is running on schedule and within budget. The planned hydraulic
fracturing of the completed wells in quick succession is also running according to plan. We
Orchard Petroleum Limited
ABN 25 061 655 463
expect new production for these completed and stimulated wells to start within a month and
make a significant contribution to increasing production levels.
The drilling program at South Belridge will continue with the current program and be followed
by a 10 well program to start early in the new calendar year.
South Belridge (SB) Drilling
The SB #6-7 well spudded on 19 September 2005 with a planned total depth of 5,000 feet. This
well like the SB #4-7 and #5-7 is part of an expanded six well drilling program to develop the
Diatomite formation in this area.
The SB #6-7 well reached total depth at 4,925 feet. It was logged and 5-1/2” casing was run to
complete the well and the rig was released on 28 September 2005. The SB #6-7 well
encountered strong oil and gas shows across the Diatomite sections.
A hydraulic fracturing program was completed on both the SB #4-7 and SB #5-7. The fracturing
program is designed to open up identified intervals over a 2,500 feet interval of hydrocarbon
bearing Diatomite formation. Both wells were fracture stimulated together in order to improve
efficiency in managing fixed costs and to bring production on sooner.
The SB #6-7 and the SB #16-7 are the next wells to undergo a fracturing program. It is planned
to do 11 frac stages in both wells. The objective is to inject approximately 4 million pounds of
sand over the combined 22 intervals in the two wells. Halliburton has been contracted to
perform the well frac programs which are scheduled to begin on 3 October 2005.
The SB #7-7 well spudded at 6:30 am on 30 September 2005 Pacific Standard Time with a
planned total depth of 5,000 feet and is the fourth well in a six well program to develop the
Diatomite sections at South Belridge.
The final well in this six well program will be specifically designed to test the shallow gas
sections encountered in each of the previous wells drilled. Depending on the results of this well,
a separate gas development program will be examined along with the ongoing Diatomite
development program.
OP Inc. has already contracted a drilling rig for a 10 well drilling program at South Belridge to
start in the new calendar year. This new drilling program will focus on the continued
development of the Diatomite and Olig Potter discoveries to date.
For further information please contact Mr Steve Graves on 0011 1805 469 4656.
The geological information included in this announcement is based on information
provided by Mr Edward Duncan, a qualified geologist employed as a technical consultant
to the Company. Mr Duncan has practiced as a geologist in the petroleum industry for
over 20 years. Mr Duncan has consented to the inclusion of the geological information in
this announcement in the form and context in which it appears.