Darwin Servos Cut Unleaded in Matching 2 Cent Steps While Wholesale Falls 22.8 Cents
Wholesale petrol in Darwin has fallen 22.8 cents a litre in eight days. Over the same period, the median unleaded price across the 45 servos in greater Darwin has fallen 4.0 cents. The prices lodged with the Northern Territory's official fuel price scheme show how those 4 cents arrived: in two identical 2 cent steps, taken by most of the city's servos on the same two mornings.
These figures use the unleaded prices lodged for Wednesday 11th Nov 2026, as read at 6:30am AEDT (5am in Darwin), and terminal gate prices published by the Australian Institute of Petroleum.
The wholesale fall
Darwin's terminal gate price for unleaded, which is the wholesale price at the fuel terminal including excise and GST, was 232.3 cents on Monday 2nd Nov. It eased on every weekday after that and reached 209.6 on Tuesday 10th Nov. Over the same eight days, the greater Darwin median went from 246.5 to 242.5.
That has left a much wider gap between wholesale and the bowser. On 2nd Nov the median sat 14.2 cents above the terminal gate price, and across the second half of October the gap ranged between 12.7 and 19.4 cents. By Tuesday it was 32.9 cents, more than double where it started the month.
Two mornings, one step size
On Saturday 7th Nov, 28 of the 45 servos lodged a cut of exactly 2.0 cents. On Tuesday 10th Nov, 40 of the 45 lodged another cut of exactly 2.0 cents. Only two went further on Tuesday: BP Darwin Truckstop at Wishart cut 4 cents and Fuelxpress Palmerston cut 3.
The matching steps ran across competing brands. Shell Reddy Express Darwin City, EG Ampol Casuarina and S24 Casuarina Cityway moved together from 238.9 to 236.9 to 234.9. In Palmerston, Shell Reddy Express, EG Ampol Holtze, OTR and United's sites at Rosebery and Holtze all went from 247.9 to 245.9 to 243.9. The Caltex, Shell and United servos in Coolalinga lodged the same three prices.
The cheapest servos moved the least. Fuelxpress Winnellie, United Smith Street, United Parap, United Casuarina, the United Winnellie Roadhouse and Solo Casuarina had been on 235.5 since the end of October. They skipped Saturday's step and cut 2 cents on Tuesday, so all six are now on 233.5. Solo Stuart Park made the same Tuesday cut, then lodged a 2 cent rise back to 235.5 for today.
The servos out of step
BP Holtze has lodged 248.5 every day since 27th Oct and took neither step. It is now the dearest unleaded in greater Darwin, 15.0 cents above the cheapest. BP Eleven Mile at Pinelands cut a single cent on 9th Nov and is still on 246.9.
Ausfuel Virginia has cut on its own schedule. It was on 257.9 at the start of the month, dropped to 247.9 by 5th Nov and has lodged 243.9 for today, the only cut lodged in greater Darwin for this morning.
Alice Springs and Katherine
Alice Springs followed the Tuesday step. All 12 of its listings cut, 10 of them by exactly 2 cents, and its median has gone from 264.9 on 6th Nov to 260.9. Katherine mostly sat it out, with only 2 of its 10 listings cutting on Tuesday.
The gap has widened twice
Some lag is normal, because retailers are still selling fuel bought at earlier wholesale prices, and the gap shrinks as well as grows. In mid October it got as low as 1.8 cents. This is the second time in a month, though, that a large wholesale fall has reached the bowser as a small cut. Wholesale fell 21.1 cents between 12th and 26th Oct, and the median fell 4.3.
The data can't tell us why dozens of servos from different brands chose the same step size on the same morning, and matching prices are not evidence of wrongdoing on their own. Under the Territory's scheme, prices are published before they apply, so every retailer can see where its competitors will be. That is meant to help motorists, but it is fair to ask whether it also makes it easy for retailers to move together in small matching steps while wholesale keeps falling.
What it means at the bowser
If the Darwin median went back to late October's gap of 12.7 to 19.4 cents over Tuesday's terminal gate price, it would sit between about 222 and 229 cents. On a 50 litre fill, paying 233.5 instead of 248.5 saves $7.50. 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.
Check the interactive fuel map or our unleaded petrol prices page before you fill up. I will be watching the price trends to see whether Darwin's bowser prices start to catch up with wholesale.
Armed with this information, Darwin motorists can save 15.0 cents a litre by filling up at one of the six servos on 233.5 instead of BP Holtze.