Victorian Northern Suburbs Cop Nearly 30 Cent Petrol Price Hike as Cycle Kicks In

Victorian Northern Suburbs Cop Nearly 30 Cent Petrol Price Hike as Cycle Kicks In

Right, so if you've got mates in Melbourne's northern suburbs, give them a call because they're probably not happy right now. The fuel cycle has hit Victoria hard this week, and places like Coburg have seen unleaded petrol jump by nearly 29 cents in just a few days.

Here's the thing, right. Coburg drivers are now paying an average of 189.4 cents per litre for standard unleaded, up from around 160.9 cents. That's the kind of increase that makes you wince when you pull up to the bowser. We're talking about an extra $15 or so to fill up a typical 50 litre tank.

Craigieburn Copping It Too

Craigieburn has been hit just as hard, with unleaded prices jumping nearly 20 cents to average around 206.7 cents per litre. That's pushing past the two dollar mark, which always stings a bit more for some reason. E10 in Craigieburn has also gone up 17 cents to sit at 198.8 cents.

Now, you'd be mad not to shop around if you're out that way. The price spread in Reservoir is a good example of why. You've got servos sitting at around 169 cents for diesel while others are charging over 200 cents. Same suburb, 31 cent difference. Fair dinkum, that's worth driving an extra couple of minutes for.

The Peninsula is Getting Squeezed

Mornington and Hastings down on the peninsula aren't faring much better. Mornington unleaded has climbed over 14 cents to average 213.2 cents, while Hastings has gone up 15 cents to hit 210.3 cents.

Interesting bit though. Frankston has actually seen premium 98 drop by nearly 31 cents to 215.1 cents. So if you're running a car that needs the good stuff and you're on the Mornington Peninsula, Frankston might be worth a look.

What's Going On?

Look, this is classic fuel cycle behaviour. Melbourne tends to run on a roughly fortnightly cycle where prices slowly drop over about 10 days, then shoot back up in a day or two. We're clearly in the spike part of that cycle right now.

The outer suburbs tend to feel it first, with Werribee in the west and Craigieburn in the north usually leading the charge upwards. Then the inner suburbs follow suit over the next day or two.

Where to Find Better Deals

If you need to fill up today and you're in the northern suburbs, here are a few spots worth checking:

Regional Victoria is actually looking pretty good right now. Towns like Bright in the alpine region have diesel as low as 160.9 cents, and Myrtleford is sitting around 167 cents. Obviously not practical for most city commuters, but if you're heading up that way for a weekend trip, fill up there rather than in Melbourne.

Closer to home, Deer Park in the western suburbs has diesel around 168 cents, and Cranbourne West in the southeast has options starting from 165.9 cents. The southeast suburbs generally seem to be lagging behind the price spike, so if you can make it out to Cranbourne or Doveton, you might save yourself a few bucks.

The Bottom Line

If you've been putting off filling up hoping prices would drop, you've probably left it too late for this cycle. The spike has hit and it'll take another week or so before prices start creeping down again.

My advice? Fill up in the outer southeast if you can, and keep an eye on the Melbourne prices over the next couple of days. Once the inner suburbs catch up to the outer suburb prices, that usually signals the peak and things start heading back down.

Worth keeping an eye on Petrolmate for real time updates. A bit of planning means more cash in your pocket for the important stuff. Can't argue with that.