MacKay Petrol Drops 16 Cents to 195.4 While Chinchilla Diesel Adds 16
Right, so Queensland has gone and split itself down the middle this week, and depending on what you drive and where you live, you're either laughing or you're copping it sweet.
Unleaded in MacKay has come down 16.5 cents to sit at 195.4 cents a litre across six servos, checked at 2:01pm AEST on 31st Jul 2026. Last time we looked it was 211.9. That's the sort of move you actually feel at the pump, not one that only shows up on a chart somewhere.
Fair dinkum, 16.5 cents on a 60 litre fill is just under ten bucks back in your pocket. Call it two coffees and a sausage roll, or most of a six pack if that's more your style. On the numbers in front of me today, MacKay has the cheapest unleaded average of any town in the country, and it's not particularly close.
Premium 98 up there has come off 17.3 cents to 221.6, so it's the whole board moving and not just the cheap stuff. Usually that means one servo blinked and the rest had to follow within a day.
Brisbane's southside is softening too
Down in Brisbane, the premium side of the board is heading the same way. Rocklea 98 has eased 11.8 cents to 211.1, Moorooka is down 11.7 to 215.2, and Coopers Plains has come off 8.7 to 213.2.
Most of us aren't putting 98 in the work ute, so on its own that's not much of a headline. But here's the thing, right. When premium comes off across three neighbouring suburbs at once, that's the cycle heading toward its low point, and standard unleaded petrol prices usually aren't far behind. If you're through the southside anyway over the next few days, have a squiz before you commit to a full tank.
The diesel story is going the other way
Diesel in Chinchilla has added 16.3 cents to 240.3 across five servos, and Cloncurry has gone up 15.5 to 243.2. Caboolture premium diesel is up 8.8 cents to 236.7. Run a ute or tow a van through the west at the moment and you're paying for the privilege while the coast gets a break.
Statewide it's not as grim as those two towns make it sound. Queensland diesel prices average 237.8 across 1,033 servos, which is second cheapest in the country behind NSW on 237.7, and under Victoria on 238.3, South Australia on 238.4 and Western Australia on 239.2. The Territory is off in its own world at 276.6.
Where the diesel is still doing the right thing
Kingaroy is averaging 224.1 with only 2.4 cents between its four servos. No point burning fuel driving around town comparing when the whole place sits within a couple of cents. Just pull in wherever suits.
Hervey Bay sits on 225.0 with a cheapest of 219.9, and Maryborough averages 226.6 with a low of 218.9. Both towns have a 7 to 13 cent gap between best and worst, which on a ute tank is a decent chunk of your smoko money. Beaudesert is on 226.9, and Labrador on the Gold Coast has a cheapest of 221.9 against a local average of 226.9.
Meanwhile, one servo somewhere in the state is asking 349.9 for diesel. I read that twice to make sure. Somebody out there is taking the mick, and you'd be mad not to check before you pull in anywhere unfamiliar.
What I reckon
If you're in MacKay running petrol, fill up now and don't overthink it. Prices that far under the state average don't hang about once the cycle turns back up.
Brisbane drivers, keep watching this week. Premium coming off across the southside is usually the early sign that unleaded has a bit more to give, and the best time to fill up guide will tell you where the cycle sits in your area.
Out west on diesel, plan the run around the towns holding steady rather than the ones that added 16 cents overnight. Not always possible when you're chasing a job, I know. Still worth a look at the map before you set off.
Look, end of the day, five minutes checking the map beats copping a 16 cent hit you never had to wear. Can't argue with that.
