Wollongong Unleaded Splits 11.4 Cents Across 200 Metres of Crown Street

Wollongong Unleaded Splits 11.4 Cents Across 200 Metres of Crown Street

The NSW FuelCheck figures pulled at 8:00am AEDT on 5th Oct 2026 put unleaded petrol prices at 54 servos within 15 kilometres of central Wollongong anywhere between 226.5 and 259.9 cents a litre. Location explains some of that spread, but the pricing decisions of individual sites explain a good deal more. One stretch of Crown Street deserves closer scrutiny.

One street, two prices

Three servos on Crown Street list unleaded at exactly 231.5: Metro Wollongong at number 394, Enhance West Wollongong at 438 and Speedway Wollongong at 505. All three have held that price since 24th Sep.

EG Ampol Wollongong West is at 425 Crown Street, roughly 200 metres from the Metro, and it is asking 242.9. That is 11.4 cents a litre more, or $5.70 on a 50 litre tank, for the same fuel on the same road.

The gap has widened. On 14th Sep the three independents were at 211.9 and the EG Ampol was at 217.9, a 6 cent difference. Since then the independents have risen 19.6 cents and the EG Ampol 25.0 cents. The EG Ampol has stayed between 241.9 and 244.9 every day since 18th Sep, while its neighbours peaked at 234.5 and then eased back.

Who has passed on the easing

Across the region, 18 of the 54 servos are now 5 cents or more below their highest price since mid September. Another 28 are still within 2 cents of it.

It is not a simple split between majors and independents. Shell Reddy Express on Corrimal Street has come down from 246.9 to 239.9, and the 7 Eleven and OTR in Corrimal are both 9 cents below their 248.9 high.

The servos that have not come down are harder to explain. BP Austinmer has listed 249.9 since 18th Sep, and BP Woonona 244.9 since 21st Sep. Ampol Thirroul went the other way, lifting a further 6 cents to 253.9 by 29th Sep, well after the rest of the region had peaked. The highest price in the sample is at the BP branded Tom Thumb Service Station on Ellen Street. It has sat at 259.9 since 21st Sep, 20 cents above the Shell Reddy Express about 600 metres away.

Opposite moves on the same weekend

Neighbouring servos in Fairy Meadow have drifted well apart. By Saturday 3rd Oct, Metro Fairy Meadow on the Princes Highway had cut 5 cents to 239.9. Over the same days, EG Ampol Fairy Meadow, about 750 metres up the highway, and BP Fairy Meadow at the Northgate Centre both lifted 2 cents to 248.9. That leaves a 9 cent gap within one suburb. Metro and Enhance sites in Balgownie, Bellambi and East Corrimal made the same 5 cent cut over the weekend.

Dapto split the same way overnight. EG Ampol Dapto and 7 Eleven Dapto were both at 247.9 yesterday. This morning 7 Eleven is at 239.9, while the EG Ampol is still at 247.9.

Port Kembla holds the floor

Port Kembla is still the cheapest pocket in the region. Enhance 24 Hour on Old Port Road lists 226.5, and Enhance, Pearl Energy and South Petrol are all at 227.5 within 300 metres of each other around Church Street. BP Port Kembla, roughly 100 metres from the Enhance, is at 232.5. Servos in Windang and Barrack Heights also list 227.5.

Since 14th Sep, Enhance and Pearl Energy on Church Street have risen 15.6 cents. BP Woonona, BP Austinmer and Ampol Thirroul rose 20 to 29 cents over the same period. Ampol Thirroul now charges 27.4 cents more than Enhance 24 Hour in Port Kembla, which works out to $13.70 on a 50 litre tank.

E10 prices follow the same pattern. At 42 of the 44 servos listing both fuels, E10 is exactly 2 cents under unleaded, so every gap above carries across.

What motorists should do

In Wollongong, neither the suburb nor the brand on the sign is a reliable guide to price. EG Ampol Bulli lists 232.9, 16 cents under EG Ampol Fairy Meadow. In the northern suburbs, Shell Reddy Express Bulli is at 231.9, between 13 and 22 cents under the BP and Ampol sites in Woonona, Austinmer and Thirroul. On Crown Street, choosing a servo 200 metres away saves more than 11 cents a litre.

Use the savings calculator to see what these gaps mean for your tank, and check price trends across NSW before filling up over the Labour Day public holiday.

I will be watching whether EG Ampol Wollongong West follows its Crown Street neighbours down this week. Armed with this information, Wollongong motorists can avoid paying 11.4 cents a litre more for the same fuel 200 metres down the road.