This overview paper begins by addressing the sources and producing horizons of the hydrocarbons. Then, it follows with an account of the history of natural gas production in Queensland, including how the emergence of CSG displaced the idea to import gas from Papua New Guinea (PNG) to make up a predicted domestic market shortfall, which led to a major new export industry. It provides an overview of challenges in the production process, including issues around associated water management, which are paramount in an agricultural area that has been subject to repeated prolonged droughts. The paper concludes with a description of the regulatory environment and a summary of the socioeconomic effects on the gas field region and the state. As this new CSG-to-LNG industry now shifts from a construction and development phase to a production and operational phase it is timely to review how it occurred, the challenges overcome and the prospects for the future. The lessons learned and discussed here may serve to help smooth the next CSG developments around the world that can supply the global demand for low cost lower carbon energy.