Wow - one out of two of our refineries out of action -
is it an act of war or an accident?


https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-04-16/geelong-corio-refinery-fire/106569692

16th April 2026

Out-of-control fire rages at one of Australia's two oil refineries in Geelong.


https://live-production.wcms.abc-cdn.net.au/bd4b61c2aa58871c21983650f87c7c65.jpg


In short:

A fire has broken out at one of Australia's two remaining oil refineries, with emergency services responding to reports of "explosions and flames".

The blaze was yet to be brought under control, Fire Rescue Victoria said early today.

All refinery staff have been accounted for.


An "unprecedented" fire has broken out at one of Australia's two operational oil refineries, with residents in parts of Geelong told to stay indoors due to smoke.

A watch and act has since been issued for suburbs in Geelong, with residents warned to close windows to keep out hazardous smoke.

Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV) was called to the Viva Energy Refinery at 11:05pm following multiple reports of "explosions and flames".

FRV Assistant Chief Fire Officer Michael McGuinness said the fire started in the "mogas" section of the plant where motor gasoline is produced.

"There's been some sort of leak, there's hydrocarbons, flammable liquids which very readily caught fire," he said.

"It was burning in an area of approximately 30 metres by 30 metres. There have been several small explosions."

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15735917/Victoria-Corio-oil-refinery.html


A large blaze has erupted at the Corio oil refinery in Geelong.

The Vic Emergency website confirmed the blaze broke out just after midnight and was out-of-control.

The Viva Energy-run facility is one of only two working oil refineries in Australia.

Corio has been processing oil for seven decades and it employs more than 1,100 workers.

It supplies 50 per cent of Victoria's fuel and 10 per cent of Australia's, putting out 120,000 barrels of oil a day.

The refinery also makes hydrocarbon solvents, marine fuel oil, low aromatic fuel, avgas, bitumen and high-quality plastic feedstock used to create food packaging, medical equipment and polymer banknotes.



https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HF83FyybQAArxLB.jpg

Very suss -

I hope it wasn't any allar snackbars who did it?

The fire started during the night darkness, so the security cameras were connected to solar panels only.

Bobby. wrote on Apr 16^th, 2026 at 8:02am:

Very suss - I hope it wasn't any allar snackbars who did it?

Suss indeed, imo.



The MSM [ABC Radio News] this morning,
are claiming that the fire at the OIL REFINERY was caused 'by an accident'.

Well, fancy that.

bobby,

Are there cadres of any political or extremist groups here, resident in Australia,
who would like to see Australian society, humiliated and weakened, by such 'an accident',
....at a time when Australia is experiencing an energy crisis ?



You watch bobby.........any minute now......Greggerry, will be in this thread,
blaming agents of Donald.

:D          ::)

Dunno Yadda,

it even made it on world news for the BBC:


https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj40pdw79z9o



A major fire has broken out at one of Australia's two oil refineries, deepening fears over the nation's petrol supplies amid a global fuel crunch.

Emergency crews rushed to Viva's Corio oil refinery in Geelong, southwest of Melbourne, just before midnight on Wednesday, after reports of explosions and flames. The refinery produces 50% of Victoria's fuel and 10% of the nation's.

No one has been injured, but the blaze continues to burn and has prompted warnings about air quality in the area.

The refinery is still partially operational - jet fuel and diesel will continue to be made at reduced levels as a safety precaution - but the government has warned of impacts to petrol production.

Energy Minister Chris Bowen said the fire was "not great timing" with Australia's fuel supplies under pressure since war broke out in Iran creating a global oil crisis.

The price of diesel in Australia has doubled in recent weeks, with fuel stations reporting shortages amid reports of panic buying, while airlines are cutting back some services as jet fuel costs rise.

"This is not a positive development, but obviously there's a long way to go in terms of working out just what the impact is," Bowen told Nine's Today show on Thursday, adding he is working closely with the company.

"Obviously, this is very early days."

The cause of the fire was due to "equipment failure",
Fire Rescue Victoria said, adding there will be an investigation.

The refinery produces about 120,000 barrels of oil per day, and employs over 1,100 people.

From another forum:

Q -
I wonder if they'll have to shutdown completely?

A -
No, they won’t. It was a fire in the Mogas unit,
which is an alkylation process that uses HF acid to
make a high octane blend component for petrol and Avgas.
Feed to this unit would be from the Cat Cracker,
which upgrades heavy crude into mainly cat naphtha,
some light cycle oil (essentially diesel) with a small stream of light olefins
which is what would be sent to the Mogas unit.
These 2 units would likely be the only ones shutdown.
Remaining units would mostly be on minimum rates.
The last thing in an emergency like this would you shut down the whole facility.
And while the fire looks impressive and horrendous,
it’s only a very small section of the overall plant.

Equipment failure (a faulty valve) I hear being said on news.
Of all the times for that to happen.
Coincidence not?
I guess it means we won’t be holding our breaths for that .25c drop in fuel price  ::)

Sophia wrote on Apr 16^th, 2026 at 5:37pm:

Equipment failure (a faulty valve) I hear being said on news. Of all the times for that to happen. Coincidence not? I guess it means we won’t be holding our breaths for that .25c drop in fuel price  ::)

Yep - sounds to me like the refinery is old and in a poor state of repair/maintenance.
Maybe the owners were previously losing huge amounts of money
so they never had the money to invest for maintenance?

Bobby. wrote on Apr 16^th, 2026 at 5:42pm:

Sophia wrote on Apr 16th, 2026 at 5:37pm: Equipment failure (a faulty valve) I hear being said on news. Of all the times for that to happen. Coincidence not? I guess it means we won’t be holding our breaths for that .25c drop in fuel price  ::) Yep - sounds to me like the refinery is old and in a poor state of repair/maintenance. Maybe the owners were previously losing huge amounts of money so they never had the money to invest for maintenance?

Bobby, you may remember this….an explosion at a natural gas plant. Melbourne and surround were without hot water, cooking, for 2 weeks! In mid winter too… everyone was complaining about cold showers.

1998 Esso Longford fire (Victoria)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1998_Esso_Longford_fire

This was close family news for us as cousin worked there, was complaining to his dad for months before the explosion about lack of needed maintenance, reports were ignored.
He saw those 2 men alive that day, about 10 minutes before he left to inspect others…. Heard the explosion and ran to find them both deceased, eyeballs fried.
He was in utter shock to say the least.
But there you have it, lack of proper maintenance in due course.

Now this latest explosion at Geelong oil refinery (Victoria again)

Yes I remember the 1998 Esso Longford fire (Victoria)  quite well.

That was caused by gross negligence.

‘Couldn't Be Worse’: Petrol Prices To Rise Within Hours After Shock Oil Refinery Fire | 10 News+



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJTQME-kqRg

Bobby. wrote on Apr 16^th, 2026 at 7:53pm:

‘Couldn't Be Worse’: Petrol Prices To Rise Within Hours After Shock Oil Refinery Fire | 10 News+

Seems to me you kangaroo rooters have to stop raping the kangaroos and start riding them again.


Best of luck.

'Begging for fuel’: Albanese blasted for embarrassing ‘world scrounging tour’



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMZ_868_8fQ

Sophia wrote on Apr 16^th, 2026 at 5:37pm:

Equipment failure (a faulty valve) I hear being said on news. Of all the times for that to happen. Coincidence not? I guess it means we won’t be holding our breaths for that .25c drop in fuel price  ::)

;D yeah - that was never going to happen & this will now make sure that diesel hits $4.00 per litre.

Marla wrote on Apr 17^th, 2026 at 4:21am:

Bobby. wrote on Apr 16th, 2026 at 7:53pm: ‘Couldn't Be Worse’: Petrol Prices To Rise Within Hours After Shock Oil Refinery Fire | 10 News+ Seems to me you kangaroo rooters have to stop raping the kangaroos and start riding them again. Best of luck.

You stick to you barbiturates - you're never lucid long enough to type 2 good posts in a row.

Bobby. wrote on Apr 17^th, 2026 at 5:49am:

'Begging for fuel’: Albanese blasted for embarrassing ‘world scrounging tour’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMZ_868_8fQ

Running TV ads telling us to conserve fuel whilst he's globe trotting & burning over 300,000 litres in jet fuel... stupid hypocrite....

when he could have got on the phone or done a Zoom video/satellite call to do his begging. 

---

Gnads wrote on Apr 17^th, 2026 at 10:13am:

You stick to you barbiturates - you're never lucid long enough to type 2 good posts in a row.

I don't do barbiturates you retard.


Now, hallucinogenics on the other hand 8-)

Marla wrote on Apr 17^th, 2026 at 10:43am:

Gnads wrote on Apr 17th, 2026 at 10:13am: You stick to you barbiturates - you're never lucid long enough to type 2 good posts in a row. I don't do barbiturates you retard. Now, hallucinogenics on the other hand 8-)

;D So you don't even know what your taking?

Your little script at the bottom of your post says you take "Tuinal -  it makes you edgy & mean".


Quote:

Tuinal is a brand name for a combination of two barbiturates—secobarbital sodium and amobarbital sodium

Edgy & mean ey?  ::)

It was used as a sedative & is a powerful central nervous system depressant. Highly addictive.

Silly girl. ;D

You have no idea where that originated from:

https://youtu.be/bej93aPldHE


Stay stupid.

Here is the news, B R-S having been freed on bail....(relevance, yer 'Onnah!).....

The oil resources in Central Australia are predominantly found in shale (as unconventional shale oil/tight oil) rather than conventional sandstone reservoirs. Significant shale oil and gas potential exist in basins such as the Cooper Basin and the McArthur Basin (Northern Territory/Western Queensland).

    Central Australia (Cooper/McArthur Basins): These are largely considered unconventional shale oil/gas plays, where hydrocarbons are trapped within fine-grained shale or tight rock formations.

    Other Australian Deposits: While there are large, distinct deposits of oil shale (rock that needs heating to produce oil) in Queensland, the Central Australian region focuses more on tight/shale oil.
    Sandstone: Conventional production (oil that flows freely) is rare, though some, like the Sawpit Sandstone in the Otway Basin, has seen minor, non-central production.

So extraction is a huge process......

The most efficient method for extracting shale oil (specifically "tight oil" found in low-permeability rock) is a combination of horizontal drilling and multi-stage hydraulic fracturing (fracking). This method, which has driven the U.S. shale boom, allows operators to access large, previously unrecoverable deposits by creating extensive fracture networks underground to allow oil to flow to the wellbore.


then:

Fracking for oil and gas in Central Australia poses significant risks to the Great Artesian Basin (GAB), primarily through potential water contamination, pressure depletion, and interference with aquifers. While proponents often cite hundreds of meters of separation rock, experts and environmental reports warn of risks, including the leakage of chemicals into freshwater aquifers.

Over to you, my learned and unlearned fiends of Ozpol...

My opinion:
We need a new oil refinery in every State of Australia -
and every State needs to find more oil reserves.
Maybe we should build one new coal fired power station in every State too?



https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-04-17/new-refinery-gladstone-proposal-oil-crisis/106576458

Queensland government investigating possible new oil refinery in Gladstone.

In short:

The state government is in discussions with developers about a possible new oil refinery in Gladstone.

Resilient Energy Australia has put forward a proposal for an $11 billion refinery focused on diesel.

What's next?
The company has signalled it will seek federal financing to boost investor confidence.

As the nation continues to grapple with the ongoing fuel crisis, the Queensland government has revealed it is in discussions with developers to build a new oil refinery in central Queensland.

Speaking in Brisbane at a service station today, Premier David Crisafulli confirmed there were multiple sites being explored in the Gladstone region, with several interested companies.

My big question is:-  should we be going it alone as a single Australian nation, building profits back into the nation - or should we continue to be bound to global entrepreneurs taking the cream and feeding shareholders off the cream, while leaving nothing here for australia other than a few paltry royalties and the tiny tax from actual workers?

Even Vietnam has a mandated 50% local ownership... they'd had enough of being exploited by foreigners..... now we're in the same boat .... as THE prime Banana Republic of the South Seas - El Grande Republica Da San Austrador.... governed by despots who rig every election...

So what are we going to do about it, my fine feathered Australians?  Just kow-tow to the global economy rapists of countries and resources, and lose all the profits into the gaping maw of the global vultures - or make a go of it on our own?

A lot of the maintenance schedules would be done by AI written code.
AI doesn't really like humans, so it may well have subtlety caused a fire in a fossil fuel plant.
Don't forget, most initial code is written by silicon valley engineers who have trained this AI and it would , therefore, share their hatred of non green energy.

Expect more behaviours that are anti human.


Also remember, the drones and anti drones in the strait of humuz are autonomous weapons systems.
AI run the lot.

Corporal fatso behind the desk has no idea what they are doing and certainly doesn't understand the recursive ( feedback loop ,) learning that AI systems use.

Interesting that these AI weapons systems are fighting it out in ukraine and the middle east.
Places responsible for the food, fuel and fertilizer that the carbon based life forms need.
Not the silicon based ones though.
Carry on  ;)

^^^^^^

Someone's been watching too many Terminator movies.

There is a fire at a  Mexican refinery as well.


The refinery, on the Gulf coast in Tabasco state, began operations in 2024. The latest incident follows another fire in March in which five people were killed.

Mind you, if we go it alone, compadres in El Grande Republica - we will be labeled the Cuba of the South Seas..... the nation which dared to take back its sovereignty and power from the then equivalent of the globalists.....

Murika, experiencing its New Isolationism via Trump (yes - he is indicating withdrawal back to West of Gibraltar - remember East of Eden?) - will view us as rabid communist revolutionaries - probably after the Trotsky mold - for actually imagining that the resources of the nation are owned by its people and the profits thereform should go to them first.... and rather than seizing the means of production - we would be re-building it in the same style as - say - the original industries were built here... with semi-controlled shareholding and prime profits to the country and its people first.

Australia - once a mix of True Socialism and Controlled Capitalism - where every home owner (that dying breed unless you are a Gypo copping NDIS provider cash plus dole plus AgedCare Provider plus pension plus drug dealing plus the vambly business and have a tradie business rorting pensioners plus affirmative action for your sheilas to cop the best super etc 'working' in the public service etc etc) could afford a car, petrol to run it to the shops where they could buy food without taking out a second mortgage and even power and gas to the home they would one day own through relentless and often boring work.... and then pass on to their children even though it would be eaten up considerably by inflation anyway!! 

NO farken Land Cruiser with mega-boat and mutiple Leb Sleds for them to do the rounds of their investment properties!

But hey - nobody every promised you a rose garden..... and then came the Revolt of The Sheilas (some are truly revolting) with their incessant demands for more and more but only of the very best... then the mentally ill and all that follows including ball and tit chopping of kids .... the New Aristocracy .... something women always were here in reality - but now way out of control under Mummy's Boy Albo...... and all of Hell followed after them..... now the Real People live On the Beach...... and wonder how their great-grandchildren will go as the Generationally Disadvantaged ruled by their despotic warring constantly Gypo and Indio masters.... Aussies = New Sniggers .....

Our people once were Aussies and reasonably Jake - now we're nuthin'!

---

Carl D wrote on Apr 18^th, 2026 at 7:32am:

^^^^^^ Someone's been watching too many Terminator movies.

You've watched contagion too often.

In all seriousness, the best scientific minds put the risk of nuclear annihilation in the next decade at 20 % and the risk of AI annihilation or certainly some sort of global catastrophe at 25 %

That's about 200  X.  The risk from covid.

Check out the first thing on the agenda when XI meets Donald next week.
XI is begging Donald not to put AI in charge of the nuclear arsenal.
Donny is sort of keen on the idea as is sam altman from advanced AI and as is Elon.

Now that's getting close to a terminator scenario

This New Oil Discovery Could Change Everything in Australia


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zr5UgXBa1fY



a comment

@markwaters3050
1 day ago
The sad thing is that very little of this oil wealth will benefit the average Aussie. A few local billionaires will emerge, politicians will fail to ensure royalties and taxes are collected, and we will continue to be extorted for every litre of fuel that we use.