Darwin's 239.5 Unleaded Ends at 2:30pm Today as 19 Servos Lock In Rises

Darwin's 239.5 Unleaded Ends at 2:30pm Today as 19 Servos Lock In Rises

Right, so if you're in Darwin and running low, have a squiz at this before lunch. Under the NT 24 hour price lock, every servo in the Northern Territory lodges its next price ahead of time, and the new prices kick in at 2:30pm Darwin time. So you can see a rise before it lands, and there's a fair few lined up for today.

These are the prices servos had lodged with NT MyFuel as of 6th Oct 2026 6:30am AEDT, which is 5am in Darwin.

The 239.5 run finishes this arvo

Six servos have held unleaded at 239.5 since 20 September: Solo at Stuart Park and Casuarina, FuelXpress Winnellie, and three United Petroleum sites on Smith Street in the city, in Parap and at Casuarina. United Winnellie Roadhouse came down from 245.9 to join them on Sunday.

From 2:30pm, that group splits right up:

* Solo Stuart Park and Solo Casuarina go up 10 cents to 249.5

* United Parap and United Winnellie Roadhouse go up 6.4 cents to 245.9

* United Casuarina goes up 5.4 cents to 244.9

* United Smith Street only goes up 2.4 cents to 241.9

* FuelXpress Winnellie only goes up 2 cents to 241.5

Fair dinkum, the two Solo sites go from equal cheapest to the dearest unleaded in Darwin's city and northern suburbs in one afternoon. That's $6 more on a 60 litre tank, so if you're out Stuart Park or Casuarina way anyway, fill up before 2:30pm.

Across 27 servos from the city out to Berrimah and Wishart, 19 have lodged a rise, and the middle price goes from 242.9 to 245.9. The eight that aren't moving include EG Ampol Casuarina on 241.9, plus BP Winnellie, BP Coconut Grove and EG Ampol Nightcliff on 242.9. So the big brands were a few cents dearer than Solo and United this morning, and this arvo they end up among the cheaper options.

Palmerston and Coolalinga

In Palmerston, Shell Reddy Express Palmerston, Shell Reddy Express Fairway Waters, OTR Palmerston and United at Rosebery all go from 245.9 to 248.9. FuelXpress Palmerston stays on 244.49, which makes it the pick of Palmerston from this arvo.

Out at Coolalinga, United and Shell Reddy Express both go up 3 cents to 249.9, while EG Ampol and Caltex Coolalinga stay on 246.9.

Katherine is still cheaper than Darwin

Here's the thing, right. Katherine is about 320 kilometres down the Stuart Highway, and for the past week its cheapest unleaded has beaten anything in Darwin. Liberty Katherine and the three United sites in town (the Pieface, the Depot and Katherine South) are all on 237.9 this morning. That's 1.6 cents under Darwin's best.

Those four peaked between 242.9 and 243.9 around 23 September and have eased 5 to 6 cents since, while Darwin sat still.

From 2:30pm, United Pieface and United Katherine South go up 7 cents to 244.9, but Liberty and United Depot only go up 2 cents to 239.9. That still beats Darwin's cheapest after the change, FuelXpress Winnellie on 241.5, and so does EG Ampol Katherine, which holds on 240.9. If you're heading down the Track today, Katherine's the better place to fill up.

Alice Springs sits 20 cents higher

Down in Alice Springs, the cheapest is Refuel Depot on Ghan Road at 257.8, and it's holding there. That's roughly 20 cents a litre above Katherine's cheapest. BP Truckstop, BP Gap Road, BP Sadadeen, EG Ampol and Ampol Larapinta all hold on 260.9. The three Shell Reddy Express sites go up 3 cents to 263.9, and United Heavitree Gap goes up 4 cents to the same price.

Diesel is quieter

Diesel prices are mostly holding, and Solo keeps diesel on 287.5 at both sites even with its unleaded going up 10. FuelXpress Winnellie stays on 287.5 too, and Liberty Katherine holds on 285.9. United Smith Street goes up 2.4 cents to 289.9, and United Katherine Pieface goes up 4 cents to 289.9.

What I'd do today

If you run on unleaded petrol, I'd fill up before 2:30pm Darwin time (4pm AEDT) at one of the two Solo sites or the United sites still on 239.5. Miss that and the cheapest in Darwin are FuelXpress Winnellie on 241.5, then United Smith Street and EG Ampol Casuarina on 241.9.

These are the prices servos had lodged by 5am Darwin time, so have a quick look at the interactive fuel map before you head out. Put your own numbers into the savings calculator to see what a few cents a litre adds up to over a month.

Look, end of the day, the lock tells you what's coming. At the Solo sites that's $6 back on a tank for getting in before 2:30pm. Can't argue with that.