‘Real wack’: New fuel cycle hits South East Qld ahead of school holidays

South East Queensland motorists have been blindsided by multiple servos’ decisions to increase petrol prices by close to 50c a litre, as bigger increases are still on the way.

South East Queensland motorists are being urged to fill up now and ahead of the school holidays with a new price cycle hitting petrol pumps overnight.

With Queensland school holidays starting this Friday, and the fuel excise to be fully restored at the end of the month, the new cycle has hit at the worst possible time for families already battling with the rising cost of living.

At least eight retailers have already adopted the new price of $1.95, despite the citywide average hovering at $1.57 per litre for Unleaded 91.

There are still plenty of cheaper deals in Brisbane to assist motorists that are already feeling the impact of the rising cost of living.

Some of the cheapest fuel in Brisbane can be found in the city’s southern suburbs, with Mega Fuels at Rocklea posting a price of $1.47. Rocklea also has one of the most expensive fuel prices in the South East, however with the price hitting $1.95/L at Coles Express, just hundreds of metres away from the cheaper listing.

Compare the Market’s Chris Ford said this price surge will hurt motorists leading into the school holidays especially as the national wholesale average has hit $1.51/L.

“This is a real whack for Queensland families heading into the school holidays, especially with the costs skyrocketing right across the household budget,” he said.

“This is a really significant margin on the terminal gate price for retailers and there’s no good reason that the price difference is so big, especially as our oil benchmarks have tracked down in the last three months.

“Unfortunately, with the fuel excise to be restored at the end of the month, there will only be more bad news on the horizon with just over 20 cents to be slugged on top of these prices very soon.”

Mr Ford said it is “crucially important” for motorists to sniff out cheaper prices while they still can.

“There are differences of 48 cents a litre for Unleaded 91 in Brisbane at the moment, and the two stations are just a couple of hundred metres apart,” he said.

Most expensive – Unleaded 91

195.9 7-Eleven Yeronga

195.9 7-Eleven Acacia Ridge

195.9 7-Eleven Marsden

195.9 Ampol Caboolture

195.9 Coles Express Rocklea

195.9 Coles Express Acacia Ridge

195.9 Ampol Acacia Ridge

195.9 Coles Express Marsden Park

Cheapest – Unleaded 91

147.9 Mega Fuels Rocklea

148.9 JIO Underwood

149.5 Metro Kuraby

149.5 Metco Coopers Plains

149.5 Liberty Eight Mile Plains