Mandurah Unleaded Lifted 26 Cents in a Day While No Bunbury Servo Rose More Than 6

Mandurah Unleaded Lifted 26 Cents in a Day While No Bunbury Servo Rose More Than 6

A fortnight of daily price records lodged with WA FuelWatch shows two coastal cities about 90 kilometres apart on very different patterns. In Mandurah, unleaded moves in a sharp weekly cycle. In Bunbury, it barely moves at all. As at 11:00am AWST on Sunday 4th Oct 2026 the two sit within a cent of each other, but that says more about where the cycle is this week than about the two cities converging.

Wednesday in Mandurah

Across 23 servos from Lakelands and Meadow Springs in the north to Dawesville in the south, the median unleaded price was 223.9 cents a litre on Tuesday 29th Sep. On Wednesday 30th Sep it was 249.9, a lift of 26 cents in one day. Seventeen of the 23 servos rose by 15 cents or more.

Ampol Erskine and 7 Eleven Greenfields South made the largest moves, both from 219.9 to 249.9, a 30 cent lift. EG Ampol Mandurah Forum went from 223.9 to 249.9, and Caltex Mandurah from 229.9 to 251.9.

The same thing happened the Wednesday before. On 23rd Sep, 17 of the same 23 servos also lifted by 15 cents or more, taking the median from 225.9 to 247.9. Ampol Lakelands added 28 cents that day.

Bunbury holds steady

On the same Wednesday, the median across 29 servos in greater Bunbury, from Australind and Eaton to Dalyellup, was 231.9, exactly where it had been on Tuesday. No servo lifted by more than 6 cents. The largest rise was at 7 Eleven Bunbury East, from 227.9 to 233.9, and eight servos cut their price.

Over the full fortnight from 20th Sep, the typical Bunbury servo's unleaded price varied by 5 cents between its lowest and highest day. In Mandurah the typical variation was 24 cents.

Same brand, a day apart

On Tuesday 29th Sep, EG Ampol Bunbury was at 231.9, 8 cents dearer than EG Ampol Mandurah Forum. A day later it was still at 231.9, which made it 18 cents cheaper. Today the Bunbury site is at 234.9 and the Mandurah site is at 233.9.

Whether Bunbury looked cheaper or dearer than Mandurah came down entirely to the day of the week a motorist checked.

Mandurah follows Perth

The Mandurah lift matched the Perth metro pattern almost exactly. Ampol Foodary Nedlands went from 219.9 to 249.9 on the same Wednesday, the same 30 cent move as Ampol Erskine, and BP Connect Currambine rose from 225.9 to 245.9. Mandurah appears to run on Perth's weekly cycle, where Tuesday has been the low point and Wednesday the reset in each of the last two weeks.

Since Wednesday, Mandurah has eased in steps. The median was 241.9 on Thursday, 235.9 on Friday and 233.9 on Saturday and again today. The cheapest of the 23 this morning is Vibe Mandurah at 231.7, followed by the 7 Eleven sites at Mandurah and Greenfields at 231.9.

A regional Saturday lift

Bunbury did move on Saturday 3rd Oct, though only by a few cents. Ten BP, Ampol and EG Ampol sites in greater Bunbury lifted unleaded by 3 to 4 cents, including BP Parklands, from 233.9 to 237.9, and Ampol Bunbury, from 229.9 to 232.9. BP and Ampol branded sites in Busselton, Geraldton, Albany, Kalgoorlie and Northam made the same 3 to 4 cent move that day. In Mandurah, most Ampol, EG Ampol and 7 Eleven sites eased by 2 cents instead.

Where the savings are today

Bunbury's widest gap today is between brands rather than days. Vibe Bunbury South is at 227.3 and Liberty Dalyellup at 227.5, while three BP sites sit at 237.9. On a 60 litre fill, that 10.6 cent difference is worth $6.36. The cheapest diesel prices in the area today are 269.7 in East Bunbury and 271.7 in central Bunbury.

In Mandurah, timing matters more. The 26 cent Wednesday lift is worth $15.60 on a 60 litre fill. WA servos lodge the next day's price with FuelWatch in advance and must hold it for the whole day, so tomorrow's prices are published each afternoon. If the last two weeks are a guide, Tuesday 6th Oct is the day to fill up in Mandurah, and Monday afternoon's listings will show whether the pattern holds. The best time to fill up guide covers how the Perth cycle typically runs, and live unleaded petrol prices across Western Australia update after each FuelWatch release.

For motorists between the two cities, the day of the week sets the price in Mandurah, while in Bunbury the choice of servo matters far more.