Seven Darwin Servos Hold Unleaded at 235.5 While Palmerston's Cheapest Sits 11 Cents Higher

Seven Darwin Servos Hold Unleaded at 235.5 While Palmerston's Cheapest Sits 11 Cents Higher

Unleaded prices lodged with the Northern Territory's official fuel price scheme for Thursday 5th Nov 2026 split greater Darwin in two. Seven servos in Darwin's suburbs are selling unleaded at 235.5, while none of the 20 servos from Wishart through Palmerston and out to Coolalinga is below 246.5.

The figures were read at 12:30pm AEDT (11am in Darwin), and at all 45 servos the pump price matched the lodged price.

Where the 235.5 sites are

The seven sit in two clusters. The first runs along the Stuart Highway from Winnellie into the city and takes in Fuelxpress Winnellie on Coonawarra Road, the United Winnellie Roadhouse at Hook Road, Solo Stuart Park, United Parap and United Smith Street in the CBD.

The second is around Trower Road in Casuarina, where Solo Casuarina and United Casuarina on Vanderlin Drive are 400 metres apart. S24 Casuarina Cityway and EG Ampol Casuarina, both within 600 metres of Solo, are on 238.9.

Both Solo sites cut from 239.5 to 235.5 on Tuesday 20th Oct. Fuelxpress Winnellie and United's Smith Street, Parap and Casuarina sites followed the next morning, and the Winnellie Roadhouse joined on 25th Oct. All seven have held 235.5 every day since.

When we looked at United's Darwin sites on 12th Oct, they were lodging up to 251.9 and selling at 239.5. All four have lodged 235.5 each day since 30th Oct, so the published price and the pump price now match.

Palmerston's prices sit within 2.4 cents

Palmerston's 14 servos, counting the Stuart Highway strip at Holtze and Pinelands and the two sites at Wishart, range from 246.5 to 248.9. Add the six in Coolalinga, Howard Springs and Virginia, and 15 of the 20 are on exactly 247.9.

The lowest is Fuelxpress Palmerston on 246.5, a price it has lodged since 24th Oct. It was on 244.5 in early October and lifted to 247.5 on 12th Oct. Over the same period Fuelxpress Winnellie went from 239.5 to 235.5, so the gap between the two sites has grown from 5.0 cents to 11.0.

Every shared brand is cheaper on the Darwin side

Eight brands run servos on both sides, and every one lists unleaded lower at its lowest priced Darwin site than at its lowest priced Palmerston site. United Petroleum has the widest gap, 12.4 cents, with 235.5 in Parap against 247.9 at Rosebery and Holtze. Fuelxpress is next at 11.0 cents, on 235.5 against 246.5. For Shell Reddy Express, EG Ampol and S24 it's 238.9 against 247.9, or 9.0 cents, and for BP and OTR it's 239.9 against 247.9, or 8.0. Ampol Foodary is closest: 245.9 at Eaton against 248.9 at Yarrawonga, or 3.0 cents.

The gaps have widened over four weeks. On 8th Oct, United Parap and United Rosebery were 9.4 cents apart, against 12.4 today. Shell Reddy Express Darwin City and Shell Reddy Express Palmerston have gone from 4.0 cents apart to 9.0, and OTR Fannie Bay and OTR Palmerston from 4.0 to 8.0.

The price data can't show how each retailer sets its prices, but Darwin's lowest prices are where several servos trade close together, and Solo, which has two of the seven 235.5 sites, has no Palmerston site.

About 300 kilometres down the Stuart Highway, Katherine has three servos at 236.5, including both United sites, and a median of 238.9. That's 9.0 cents under the most common Palmerston price.

Diesel follows the same line

All seven 235.5 sites list regular diesel prices at 279.5. United Rosebery is on 289.9, 10.4 cents more than United Parap, and Fuelxpress Palmerston is on 284.5, 5.0 cents above its Winnellie site.

What it means at the bowser

On a 50 litre fill, 235.5 instead of 247.9 saves $6.20, which won't pay for a special trip. Palmerston to Parap is about 20 kilometres each way, and the 3.5 litres or so a typical car uses on the round trip cost more than the saving. If your drive into the city already uses the Stuart Highway, the Winnellie Roadhouse, Solo Stuart Park and United Parap are all on it.

Under the Territory's rules a lodged price takes effect at 6am and can't rise for 24 hours, though servos can cut at any time. MyFuel NT publishes Friday's prices at 2:30pm Darwin time today, so if your local servo has lodged a rise, fill up this evening.

Check the interactive fuel map or our unleaded petrol prices page before you head out, and run your own numbers through the savings calculator.

For Palmerston motorists, the Darwin price is worth having when the highway into the city is already on the route. If it isn't, the 2.4 cent spread at home means the nearest servo costs at most $1.20 more on a 50 litre fill.