Energy exploration has picked up sharply in Australia driven by growing Asian gas demand, technological advances and an improved investment climate, with the Iran war underscoring the urgency to develop supply, after years of sluggish spending. Quarterly oil and gas exploration spending in Australia, the world's second-largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) producer, hit a 10-year high of A$471-million ($329-million) in the March quarter, government data released in June shows.