Its construction was announced in 1958 and began refining crude oil in 1963.

[3] It had a capacity of 3.3 million tons per annum[2] and was owned by ExxonMobil Australia (and previously Mobil).

The refinery was mothballed in 2003, and in 2009 ExxonMobil announced its permanent closure and demolition.

The refinery's most prominent structure, the 90 metres (300 ft) chimney, was demolished on 31 January 2014.

Operation was transferred to Infigen Energy in May 2020 under a 25 year lease, and will be moved to a different site at Bolivar.