Sale Petrol Drops 14 Cents to 185.7 as Victoria Bucks the National Diesel Surge

Right, so I was having a smoko with the lads this morning and one of them rocks up grinning, reckoning he just filled the ute down in Sale for under 186 cents a litre. Now that's the sort of news that gets your attention, because while NSW, Queensland and South Australia all copped a diesel kick in the guts overnight, Victoria is going the other way entirely. Fair dinkum.

As at 8am AEDT on Thursday 28th May 2026, Sale unleaded has come back 14.2 cents to 185.7. That's the biggest single suburb drop in the country today, and it isn't on its own either. Shepparton E10 is down 13.5 cents to 176.3, and Dandenong South premium diesel has slid 13.5 cents to 228.4. While half the country queued up at the bowser yesterday, regional Victoria quietly slipped to the bottom of the cycle.

What's actually going on with the eastern states

Here's the thing, right. NSW diesel has jumped 13.8 cents overnight to 230.3 cents. Queensland is up 9 cents to 230.7, and SA has added 8.8 cents to 229.9. That's the wholesale price catching up to the bowser, and motorists in Sydney and Brisbane are going to wear it for the next week or so.

Meanwhile Victoria diesel has come back 5.1 cents to 228.6. So the Victorian state average is now cheaper than NSW, QLD and SA, and that hasn't happened often this year. If you're running a diesel ute or planning a road trip out west, unleaded petrol prices and diesel both look a fair bit kinder in Victoria right now.

Where Victorian motorists are getting it cheapest

You'd be mad not to know about a few of these spots if you're out that way anyway. Here's the rundown for diesel across regional and outer Melbourne:

And for the unleaded mob, Sale at 185.7 is the biggest move going around today. To put that in real money, on a 60 litre tank you're saving about 8 bucks compared with filling up a week ago. A couple of decent coffees and a bakery pie with change to spare.

Shepparton drivers running E10 are in for an even better deal at 176.3. Worth a look if you're heading up the Goulburn Valley Highway anytime soon.

Queensland regional is going the other way

Flip the map and Queensland regional is having a rough morning. Hughenden diesel has jumped 14.2 cents to 254.1. Warwick is up 11.6 cents to 221.5. Dalby is up 8 cents to 225, and Chinchilla is up 6.8 to 225. That's the wholesale rise hitting truckie country, so if you're towing the van out west, fill up before Toowoomba and cop it sweet, or top up at Roma where prices have been holding lower.

There's a bit of relief in the Sunshine State though. Yeppoon unleaded has dropped 9.4 cents to 194.5. And Gympie diesel is sitting at 195.7 cents, one of the cheapest spots in the country right now.

A few other movers worth knowing about

Clare in SA is the one to watch on the petrol side. ULP up there is up 7.3 cents to 187 cents as South Australia keeps climbing toward the top of the cycle. If you're heading through the Clare Valley for a long lunch, fill up in Adelaide on the way out and you'll save a fair bit.

Over in Mount Gambier, 98 octane has slid 9 cents to 200.4. Not bad for a regional centre. That's cheaper than a lot of Melbourne and Adelaide servos right now.

What I reckon you should do

Look, here's the long and short of it. If you're in Victoria, get in now. The cycle has bottomed out in spots like Sale and Shepparton, and these prices won't hang about forever. Have a squiz at the best time to fill up guide if you're not sure when your local cycle peaks and dips, because timing is half the game.

If you're over in NSW, Queensland or SA, the news isn't flash, but it isn't the end of the world either. Find the cheap servos near you, give the highway truck stops a miss where you can, and keep half an eye on price trends over the next week. The wholesale spike usually washes through in 7 to 10 days, so we should see the eastern states ease back by early June.

End of the day, a bit of planning means more cash stays in your pocket for the important stuff. Can't argue with that.