Castlemaine Unleaded Sits at 252.9 While Taradale Sells It 19 Cents Cheaper

Castlemaine Unleaded Sits at 252.9 While Taradale Sells It 19 Cents Cheaper

Right, so if you fill up in Castlemaine, every servo in town is asking 252.9 or more for a litre of unleaded, and they've barely moved in a fortnight. Over the same stretch Bendigo has eased 5 cents, and a Metro down the road in Taradale is selling it for 233.9.

These are the prices lodged with Victoria's official fuel price scheme as at 2:10pm AEDT on Wednesday 28th Oct 2026.

Castlemaine hasn't budged since mid October

Here's the thing, right. BP Castlemaine on Barker Street and BP Harcourt up the road both lodged 252.9 on the evening of 13 October, in the same second, and neither has changed since. Ampol Castlemaine on Johnstone Street was on 249.9 on 14 October and is now on 252.9 as well. The Shell branded Top End Servo further along Barker Street has moved between 252.9 and 255.9 this past week and was on 255.9 last night.

Chewton, 3 km east, isn't much help either. Chewton Service Station went from 239.0 to 249.0 on 15 October and has stayed there.

None of the three servos in town on our map has blinked first, so on the Castlemaine side of the hill you're paying between 249 and 256 cents a litre wherever you pull in.

Bendigo eased while Castlemaine held

Up the highway, the middle price across 23 servos in Bendigo and its suburbs went from 245.9 on 14 October to 240.9 last night. Castlemaine sat 7 cents above Bendigo a fortnight ago, and it's 12 cents above now.

The cheapest in Bendigo are the independents. Liberty Epsom on the Midland Highway and Mobil White Hills on Napier Street are both on 233.3 for unleaded. If your car takes E10, both have it at 229.3, the cheapest litre of anything we can see in the district.

The majors in Bendigo are well under Castlemaine too. BP sites in Epsom, Golden Square, Kangaroo Flat and East Bendigo are on 237.9 to 241.9, which is 11 to 15 cents under the same BP sign in Castlemaine.

The pick is in Taradale

Metro Petroleum Taradale on High Street is 14 km from Castlemaine, and it has cut its unleaded in steps: 245.2 on 14 October, then 241.9, then 239.9, then 233.9 by 23 October. It was still on 233.9 last night, a full 19 cents a litre under BP and Ampol Castlemaine, and its E10 is 231.9.

It beats Kyneton as well, where EG Ampol and Kuppers Fuel Stop are both on 249.9. Taradale is barely off the Calder, so if you're heading south toward Kyneton or Melbourne anyway, you'd be mad not to take the turn.

Fair dinkum, on a 50 litre tank that 19 cent gap is $9.50. That's a couple of coffees every time you fill up.

Where I'd fill up

If you're heading south, fill at Taradale for 233.9 and give the town servos a miss. Working or shopping in Bendigo? Liberty Epsom or Mobil White Hills at 233.3 will save you 19.6 cents a litre over Castlemaine. And if you're going north and can't wait that long, Ampol Foodary Ravenswood on the Calder Highway was on 242.9 last night, still 10 cents under town.

Don't drive to Bendigo just for fuel, though. It's about 35 km each way, and a 70 km round trip burns around 5 or 6 litres in a typical car. That's roughly $13 to $15 of petrol to save less than $10, so it's only worth it if you're going anyway.

Keep an eye on whether Castlemaine follows Bendigo down, because a fortnight is a long time to sit still while the town up the road eases. Victorian servos lodge their prices with the state scheme each evening, so check the interactive fuel map or our unleaded petrol prices page before you head out, and the E10 prices page if you're on E10.

Look, end of the day, that's $9.50 back on a 50 litre tank for filling at Taradale instead of BP or Ampol Castlemaine. Can't argue with that.