Adelaide Diesel Climbs Five Cents While Blair Athol Servos Lock In at the Exact Same Price and South Australia Keeps Its Tight Spread
Right, so I've been keeping an eye on South Australia this week because something interesting is going on down there. While the eastern states have been copping all the attention with their wild price swings, SA has quietly become one of the more predictable fuel markets in the country. And honestly, that's not always a good thing.
Let me explain. Diesel across SA has climbed about five cents in the last day or so, pushing the state average up to 323.3 cents a litre. Now, five cents might not sound like much when you've got Queensland towns bouncing around by double digits, but for South Australia it's a noticeable bump. The cheapest you'll find diesel in the state right now is 299.9 cents, and the most expensive is sitting at 350.0. That's a 50 cent spread across the entire state, which is tiny compared to what you see in NSW where the gap is over 132 cents, or Western Australia where it blows out to 131 cents.
But here's the thing that really caught my eye. Over in Blair Athol, all three servos are charging exactly 309.5 cents for diesel. Not roughly the same. Not within a cent or two. Exactly the same price, down to the decimal. Now, I'm not saying anything dodgy is going on, but when three competing servos in the same suburb are charging the identical price to the tenth of a cent, you've gotta wonder how much competition is actually happening there.
Compare that to somewhere like Beckenham over in Perth, where three servos have a 12 cent spread between them, or Bassendean where four servos range from 295.3 to 329.9. That's what competition looks like. Drivers in those suburbs can actually save a few bucks by picking the right servo.
Now, the broader picture for Adelaide is worth talking about. SA's average diesel price of 323.3 cents puts it right in the middle of the pack nationally. ACT is the cheapest state for diesel at 317.2 cents with a remarkably tight 15 cent spread, while Victoria is averaging 319.1 and Queensland sits at 321.6. Up in the Northern Territory, you're looking at 332.8 on average, but the spread there is absolutely bonkers at nearly 294 cents from cheapest to dearest. That's the difference between a servo in town and a roadhouse in the middle of nowhere.
For SA motorists filling up a 60 litre tank, that five cent increase means you're paying about three dollars more than you were yesterday. Over a month of weekly fill ups, that's an extra twelve bucks. Not the end of the world, but it adds up, especially if you're running a tradie ute or towing a caravan.
What I reckon SA drivers should be doing right now is shopping around within their suburbs. Even in a state with a relatively tight price spread, there are pockets of value. Look at the difference between 299.9 at the cheapest servo and 350 at the most expensive. That's 50 cents a litre, which on a full tank is thirty dollars. You could buy a decent slab with that.
The other thing worth mentioning is the national trend. Diesel dropped 6.3 cents in WA and 4.6 cents in NSW over the same period that SA went up five cents. So while some states are getting relief, Adelaide and surrounds are moving the other direction. If you're planning a road trip from SA to Melbourne or heading west to Perth, you might want to fill up once you cross the border rather than topping up before you leave.
The Traralgon servos in Gippsland just dropped diesel by 12.4 cents, and even Carrum Downs in Melbourne's south east is sitting at 293.5 at the cheapest pump. That's nearly 30 cents cheaper than the SA average.
Look, end of the day, SA's fuel market is one of the steadiest in Australia, and for most people that's fine. You're not going to get smashed with a 20 cent overnight spike like some of the eastern states. But steady can also mean there's not much downward pressure on prices either. Worth keeping an eye on the interactive fuel map to find the best deals in your area, because even a few cents makes a difference when you're filling up every week.
