Hadda-1 Commences Drilling

Roc Oil Company Limited
17 March 2005






17 March 2005

                             ROC OIL COMPANY LIMITED
                             STOCK EXCHANGE RELEASE

                           DRILLING ACTIVITY UPDATE:
                 EXPLORATION WELL, HADDA-1, COMMENCES DRILLING
                          IN THE OFFSHORE PERTH BASIN

Roc Oil (WA) Pty Ltd, Operator for and on behalf of the WA-325-P Joint Venture,
advises that the ENSCO-56 jack-up drilling rig commenced drilling Hadda-1, a
rank wildcat well in the offshore Perth Basin, at 06.00 hrs on 17 March, 2005,
Australian Western Standard Time.

Hadda-1 is a vertical well located in about 45 metres of water about 150 km
northwest of Geraldton, Western Australia and some 200 km northwest of the Cliff
Head Oil Field. The well will test a structure defined by 3-D seismic which has
an estimated mean recoverable reserve potential in the order of 40 MMBO. The
well is expected to reach a Total Depth of 1,830 metres during the course of
next week.
The Hadda Joint Venture comprises:
                                          Current      Equities post-deals
WA-325-P                                  Equities     announced but not yet
                                                       completed

Roc Oil (WA) Pty Ltd (Operator)            37.50%        37.50%
Apache Northwest Pty Limited               37.50%        37.50%
Voyager (PB) Limited                       10.00%        12.50%
Bounty Oil & Gas NL                        10.00%         7.50%
Wandoo Petroleum Pty Ltd                    5.00%         5.00%


Bruce Clement                            For further information please contact:
Chief Operating Officer                                         Dr John Doran on
                                                            Tel: [phone]
                                                            Fax: [phone]
                                                     Email: [e-mail]
                                       Or visit ROC's website: www.rocoil.com.au

                                                                   Dr Kevin Hird
                                            General Manager Business Development
                                                       Tel:  [phone]
                                                       Fax:  [phone]
                                                     Email:  [e-mail]

                                                                    Nick Lambert
                                            Bell Pottinger Corporate & Financial
                                                       Tel:  [phone]




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