Melbourne Western Suburbs See Wild Petrol Price Swings as Servos Battle It Out
Right, so if you're living out in Melbourne's western suburbs, you might've noticed something a bit mental happening at the bowsers this week. We're talking proper big movements, the kind that can save you a decent chunk of change if you're paying attention.
Here's the thing. Werribee has seen E10 prices absolutely tank by nearly 90 cents in places. Yeah, you read that right. That's not a typo. Some servos out there were sitting at around three bucks a litre and have come crashing down to about 210 cents. If you've been copping it sweet at the high prices, now's your chance to fill up.
What's Happening in the West
The western corridor is seeing some genuine competition between servos, and that's doing the right thing by local motorists. Deer Park has had a bit of a mixed bag though. Unleaded petrol there has jumped about 37 cents to around 194 cents per litre. Fair dinkum, it's a tale of two suburbs when you compare that to what's happening just down the road.
Tarneit drivers have copped the sharp end of the stick with premium 98 jumping about 49 cents. If you're running your car on the fancy stuff, might be worth having a look at whether your engine actually needs it or whether regular unleaded will do the job.
Now, you'd be mad not to check out the diesel situation too. Werribee diesel has dropped over 56 cents, coming down from nearly 247 cents to around 190 cents. That's a proper saving for anyone running a ute or a diesel SUV.
Regional [Victoria](/state/vic) Getting in on the Action
It's not just the metro areas seeing movement. Out in the Gippsland region, Traralgon has had diesel prices drop by more than 72 cents. That's down from about 257 cents to around 185 cents. If you're heading that way or live out there, worth keeping an eye on which servos are passing on the savings.
The Numbers You Need to Know
Looking at the current state average, Victoria diesel is sitting at about 185 cents per litre. But here's where it gets interesting. The spread across the state is absolutely massive. You've got servos doing the right thing at around 147 cents, while others are taking the mick at nearly 346 cents. That's a difference of nearly two dollars per litre.
Let me put that in terms that make sense. On a 60 litre tank, that's the difference between paying about 88 bucks and paying over 207 bucks. That's enough for a decent night out, a few slabs of beer, or a month's worth of coffees.
What Should You Do
Look, end of the day, a bit of planning means more cash in your pocket for the important stuff. Here's my advice for western Melbourne drivers right now:
If you're in Werribee, fill up on E10 or diesel while prices are down. These dips don't last forever and the servos will push prices back up once they reckon people have stopped paying attention.
For Deer Park and Tarneit folks, might be worth a short drive out to Werribee or checking what Cranbourne West is doing over in the southeast. They've got diesel averaging around 175 cents there.
If you're running on premium 98, have a genuine think about whether you need it. Most modern cars run perfectly fine on 95 or even regular unleaded. Check your owner's manual. You might be paying extra for no real benefit.
Coming Week
Historically, the fuel cycle tends to see prices creep back up through the week after a big drop. Don't leave it too long if you need to fill up. Tuesday and Wednesday usually see prices start climbing again.
For the tradies and commercial drivers out there running diesel, the competition between servos in Melbourne's west is genuine right now. Worth shopping around because the price spread means there are real savings to be had.
Can't argue with that.
