Here’s where to fuel up in Townsville, and when you can expect prices to spike

As North Queenslanders braces for a price hike in fuel, search our interactive comparison to find the cheapest bowser in Townsville.

North Queenslanders are bracing for a price hike in fuel after the federal government decided not to extend the existing fuel excise on Wednesday.

Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers conceded that discontinuing the excise was not ideal, but insisted it would be necessary in order to repair the country’s finances.

“We are under no illusions that this will be difficult for people – it’s a difficult decision for us to take as well – but we put a premium on responsible budget management,” Dr Chalmers said.

“We know that many people would prefer that to be otherwise but we just can’t afford to continue that relief indefinitely.”

The pain at the bowser is expected to come back soon, but Townsville so far has held off the rising prices seen in southeast Queensland.

As of Thursday, September 29, the RACQ’s Fair Fuel price finder advised unleaded motorists looking to save some money to “buy now” in Townsville, showing the fair fuel price for Unleaded as 160.1

UNLEADED PRICES:

DIESEL PRICES:

Motorists looking to fill a diesel engine, however, were advised to “wait”, with the current fair fuel price set at 190.3, but most outlets going significantly higher.

While prices have yet to experience a jump associated with the fuel excise in Townsville, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has told ABC Radio National that servos that try to exploit the situation will end up being put under the spotlight.

“If we see a rise that is other than we expect, we will certainly report it so that motorists know.

“If we see an extreme rise, we will not only refer to the location, we will refer to the actual chain or service station that is doing so-so that motorists basically know to avoid them.”

She also said that regional areas could expect price increases to take more than two weeks.

Originally published as Here’s where to fuel up in Townsville, and when you can expect prices to spike