Gatton Unleaded Climbs 26 Cents in a Fortnight as Lockyer Valley Servos Match to the Cent
The unleaded numbers pulled at 8:15am AEST on 23rd Sep 2026 have Mobil in Gatton at 225.5 cents a litre. On Monday 7th Sep the same pump read 199.5. That is 26 cents in just over two weeks, or about $13 more to fill a 50 litre tank. The size of the rise interests me less than how neatly it happened.
The same ladder, rung for rung
Digging into the daily price history for the Lockyer Valley turns up four servos, flying three different banners, that went up in exactly the same steps. Mobil Gatton, Mobil Plainland, Sunstate Petroleum in Gatton (a Liberty site) and Bara Fuels at Forest Hill all posted 209.5 from Monday 14th Sep, then 213.5, 217.5, 221.5 and 223.5, before settling on 225.5 on Monday 21st. Each step landed within a day of the others. Laidley North Service Station finished on the same 225.5, and Freedom Fuels in Laidley sits a cent above at 226.5.
Nothing in the data suggests anything improper. Matching a rival's board is legal, and in a small regional market it is often how independents survive. It does leave motorists with a fair question, though. When every sign along the highway shows the same number, how hard is anyone competing?
The 225.5 wall runs up the range
The figure is not unique to the valley. In Toowoomba, nine servos are sitting on exactly 225.5 this morning, among them the Pearl Energy sites in Newtown and Harristown and several Pacific, Metro and independent outlets. Freedom Fuels at Withcott matches too. Pearl Energy Newtown was at 198.5 on 7th Sep, so its 27 cent climb is within a cent of Gatton's.
Count them up and at least 15 servos along the Warrego Highway corridor, from Toowoomba down to Plainland, share one unleaded price.
Where the big brands sit
Where prices do differ is between the independents and the majors. Shell Reddy Express Gatton has gone from 207.9 on 8th Sep to 241.9, a climb of 34 cents, and now sits 16.4 cents above the Mobil a short drive away. BP Gatton is at 232.9, up 22 cents over the same stretch, and Liberty Gatton has lodged 229.7 with the official Queensland feed.
Other fuels show the same split. E10 prices at both Mobil sites are 223.5, against 239.9 at the Shell site. On diesel, the five matched independents all sit at 275.5 while Shell Gatton asks 292.9. That is 17.4 cents a litre, or close to $14 on an 80 litre ute tank. The lowest readings in the valley come from community reports, which put Grantham Fuels at 219.9 for unleaded and 259.9 for diesel.
That diesel gap sits on top of a statewide rise. Queensland's diesel average has moved from 269.3 on 16th Sep to 288.3 this morning, so the valley is riding a broad lift rather than a purely local one.
A regional town cheaper than Brisbane
Regional motorists generally expect to pay more than drivers in the capital. Right now the Lockyer Valley independents are cheaper.
Across 44 servos within 5 kilometres of the Brisbane CBD, unleaded averages 238.5, about 13 cents above Gatton's matched price. Ipswich averages 237.8 across 37 servos. Brisbane has risen at least as steeply as the valley. Shell Reddy Express in Milton has gone from 212.9 on 7th Sep to 248.9, a 36 cent lift, and one East Brisbane servo has moved from 206.9 to 229.9.
Brisbane's boards are currently split into two camps roughly 15 cents apart, which usually points to a price cycle partway through its restoration. The valley's steady two to four cent daily steps look less like a cycle and more like a slow ratchet, and that deserves closer scrutiny over the coming weeks.
What motorists should do
The first board you pass is rarely the only option. In Gatton this morning, choosing Mobil or Sunstate over the Shell saves about $8 on a 50 litre fill of unleaded. Anyone commuting from the valley into Brisbane is better off filling up before leaving town than on arrival.
Check live unleaded petrol prices before heading out, and the price trends page will show whether this climb is still running across Queensland.
I will be watching whether the corridor holds at 225.5 or takes another step up this week. Armed with this information, Lockyer Valley motorists can check what their own servo is charging before they pull in.
