Question about petrol prices in NSW and Victoria

wreeder

RGS Railfan
Hi,
I'm planning a trip to Sydney and Melbourne in September and my question is do petrol prices vary much with the seasons? Would they be higher or lower than now?

Thanks,
William
 
Apparently according to the latest News the Government is going to raise the fuel levy shortly so that will see the price of fuel go up and yes it is dependent on the season as well, Plus it is cheaper in the large city's or large towns. Driving from Sydney to Melbourne you should only need to fuel once or twice depending on how much sightseeing you do in between each state, Hope that helps a bit and i hope you enjoy your stay out here in our wonderful country and stay safe out there on the road.
Cheers Mick.
 
Hi William,

If you want to keep an eye on it you can use this link; http://www.aip.com.au/pricing/retail.htm
You will find the price higher than the US and don't forget the prices are per litre not gallon.
And stay on the right side of the road which is left. :hehe::hehe:

Cheers,

Bill.
 
Looks like Bill beat me to it by the time I worked this out. Anyway, since I've done it, I got these graphs from the Australian Institute of Petroleum website http://www.aip.com.au/pricing/retail.htm . These are national average retail prices from March - May 2015 in Australian cents per litre (conversions to $US/gallon below);


Unleaded gasoline/petrol
:

national_average_12w.png



Diesel:

national_average_12w.png




Recent exchange rates of the Australian to US dollar are shown below. Currently 1 AUD = 0.76 US dollars;

chart



And finally 1 litre = 0.26 US gallons.

Unleaded Gasoline at 138 c/L = 138 x 0.76 / 0.26 = 403 US cents/gallon = $US 4.03/gallon.


.
 
Last edited:
If you going to drive between Melbourne and Sydney then all you will see is four lane concrete slab freeway except for tollways at either end. There are much more interesting routes but petrol (as we call it) will be dearer in small country towns and you will use more fuel anyway.

Traffic in Sydney is awful and I suspect Melbourne isn't much better. September is good time to come as it will be spring.
 
Thanks, everyone for the info. It helps a lot with the planning.

We are flying into Sydney and staying in the Darlinghurst area for 4 days. During that time we will be using public transit. Then we plan on renting a car and driving down the coast to the Batesman Bay area for the night. Next morning we stop for a short sight seeing visit in Canberra and go on to Rutherglen for the night. The next day we head over to Echuca for a river cruise and then down to Melbourne for 4 days before flying out. We are staying in the St Kilda area in Melbourne and plan road trips to Healesville, Phillip Island and the Great Ocean Road over to the Port Fairy area and back.

Does that sound doable to you?

Thanks again,

William

P.S. I've been practicing driving on the left.:D
 
Last edited:
Certainly doable William sounds like a great trip so i hope you enjoy it Rutherglen is my hometown kind of as we live just out of town so i really hope you enjoy the area heaps of nice winery's around here to.
Cheers Mick.
 
Sounds like you have been here before. :) If you are going to Phillip Island and then direct to Port Fairy then there is a short ferry trip across the bottom end of Port Phillip bay via Sorrento. It beats driving all the way back up to Melbourne and down the over side of the bay.
 
Hi Mick and pcas1986,

No, neither my friend nor I have been to Australia except in the virtual sense via Google maps. We have had the desire to visit for many years.

We attempted to win a trip through the Australia.com contest last year but we didn't win. So I suggested we go anyway. Much planning and reading of guide books has been done since last Summer.

I have some questions that you might be able to answer if you don't mind. Our stop in Canberra will be on a Tuesday morning and we are planning museum visits. Do you have a recommendation for a place to eat lunch?

Also, the trip to Phillip Island is at the end of the day trip to Healesville and the wine country and is mainly to see the Penguins. My friend is a marine biologist and has worked with marine mammals for the past 20 years. She is also the wine expert so trips to the wineries are also on the schedule. My question is can you take the ferry after dark and is it quicker to take the ferry and drive back to St. Kilda or go back the way we came?

I'm a bit of a history buff so I was thrilled to see the Victorian buildings in Rutherglen via Streetview. Looks like a wonderful town and we are looking forward to our stay there. I understand there is a wine buffet. Do you know of it?

Thanks again for taking the time to answer. It is true what the guide books say, the Australian people are very friendly and glad to help visitors.:D

William and Lanni
 
Last edited:
I'll let Mick answer for northern Victoria as I am unfamiliar with the area although it is on my bucket list.

How long are you planning in staying in Canberra? If you are staying in or around the city centre, which is called Civic, there are dozens if not hundreds of eateries. Nearly all are casual dining.

Places to visit:
The Australian War Memorial is a must if you have time. This may seem a strange place to recommend but it is a fascinating place and ranks as the most popular tourist destination in Australia.
Take a walk around Lake Burley Griffin from the Commonwealth Av Bridge to Kings Ave bridge which is a very pleasant 5.5km stroll on a sunny day. My wife and I walk that most Saturdays and finish with a coffee near Reconcilation Place. On the southern side you will be near the High Court, National Gallery, Portrait Gallery and several others. The old Parliament House is also nearby and worth a visit. The new Parliament House is up the road under a hill - literally.

You are welcome to give me a call when in town but I will be away for much of September, either up in Queensland for a wedding or on route to Italy for a holiday.

I was surprised when you said you were going to Phillip Island. It's most famous for its penguins and motorcycling racing with the Australian MotoGP in October. I haven't been there for over 30 years but recall it as a long drive from the Naval Base when I was stationed (Hastings).

The Sorrento ferry only runs until 6pm. See http://www.searoad.com.au/timetables-fares/timetable/ You might be best to return to St Kilda and do the trip to Geelong and Port Fairy another day. It's been a long time since I did any driving in Melbourne's suburbs and there are lots more freeways since then.

Avoid driving in Melbourne's city centre. There are trams and there used to be some very weird traffic rules regarding trams.

If you are going to be in Sydney for a few days, take the slow ferry out to Manly which is a suburb close to the harbour entrance on the northern side. It's a slow trip but you get to see lots of the harbour which I reckon is the most beautiful harbour in the world. There is also a hydrofoil service that runs a lot quicker. A wander around the Rocks area is also good value. The Rocks area is in and around the southern end of the Harbour Bridge and has some of the oldest buildings in Australia.

Cheers
Paul
 
Hi Mick and pcas1986,

No, neither my friend nor I have been to Australia except in the virtual sense via Google maps. We have had the desire to visit for many years.

We attempted to win a trip through the Australia.com contest last year but we didn't win. So I suggested we go anyway. Much planning and reading of guide books has been done since last Summer.

I have some questions that you might be able to answer if you don't mind. Our stop in Canberra will be on a Tuesday morning and we are planning museum visits. Do you have a recommendation for a place to eat lunch?

Also, the trip to Phillip Island is at the end of the day trip to Healesville and the wine country and is mainly to see the Penguins. My friend is a marine biologist and has worked with marine mammals for the past 20 years. She is also the wine expert so trips to the wineries are also on the schedule. My question is can you take the ferry after dark and is it quicker to take the ferry and drive back to St. Kilda or go back the way we came?

I'm a bit of a history buff so I was thrilled to see the Victorian buildings in Rutherglen via Streetview. Looks like a wonderful town and we are looking forward to our stay there. I understand there is a wine buffet. Do you know of it?

Thanks again for taking the time to answer. It is true what the guide books say, the Australian people are very friendly and glad to help visitors.:D

William and Lanni

Mick will definitely know more about Rutherglen, being a relative local to the area. :)

Healesville to Phillip Island is quite a trip! That would take a few hours to travel from memory. If you do go down, there's a challenge to hold your breath the entire way across the bridge to the island :p I'd suggest double checking travel times in google earth; and add a little. It's easy to get distracted, and held up, pretty much anywhere! As a note, last ferry seems to be somewhere between 5:30 and 5:50pm, except on Friday when you have an 8:15pm ferry. To visit the penguin parade itself, you'd be looking at between 5 and 7pm depending on time of year. You'd definitely miss the ferry back.

If you're visiting Healesville on a Sunday, you might be lucky and have the heritage railway operating (even just to drop in and have a look :) ). Albeit a 1950s railcar (they don't yet have operational steam :) ). If you want steam, there's always Puffing Billy (a little further south in Belgrave). You'll likely pass through the area heading to Phillip Island anyway. I'd suggest seeing if you can go via the bridge just east of Belgrave if you want to get a photo (they run every day) :)

Personally, if you want to stop along the way, the Great Ocean Road is a 2 day trip. It could be done in a day, but you'd be pretty rushed IMO. We only made it 2/3 of the way before it got late (but that included a detour to Cape Otway lighthouse). There's some fantastic stops along the road, as well as some great towns. Port Fairy is definitely a nice town to visit :)

Regards
Zec
 
Thanks Paul and Zec,

We'll be in Canberra for 4 or 5 hours. The National Gallery is on the list so the walk might be perfect. Any idea of drive time for Canberra to Rutherglen? That will determine how long we are in Canberra. The Manly ferry sounds perfect. We want to do a harbor ferry cruise so that one sounds really good. Lanni is running in the 5k race across the Harbor bridge on Sunday morning so the ferry would be good for Saturday afternoon. We are also taking the train to the Blue Mountains Park on another day.

The plan is do the GOR on Thursday or Friday and make a day of it. We would drive the road going west and then cut back inland to get back to Melbourne. I don't know how far we will get but there will be stops for animal pictures. We are also getting transit passes in Melbourne too so most travel around town will be on the trams and buses.

I see ya point about the drive from Healesville to Phillip Island. Is the scenery nice on the way? I was looking on Google maps and I see we could drive or take the train down to Mornington and then over to Stony Point and take the ferry to Phillip Island to see the Penguins. It looks doable on Friday evening. I think it may take more research.

I know it is illegal in NSW and Victoria to hug a Koala for a picture. Is there a black market where they might be available still?;)

Thanks again,
William
 
William the drive from the ACT down to Rutherglen should take around 5-6 hours although a stop in Holbrook to see the Submarine in the park might be worth a visit if your a naval buff, Plenty of little towns along the way if ya hungry or require fuel but it is mostly dual lane freeway now and a lot of the towns have been by-passed so keep a eye on your fuel.

Rutherglen has quite a few winery's but I am not sure on this buffet thing but you can sample wine and rod from just about most of them and you have to stop at The Black Dog Bakery for a coffee and pie it is in the main st, Closer to your arrival I can send you my number and if ya stuck for directions the give me a call and I'll help where i can as I'm away driving during the week I am only home on weekends but will be glad to help a visitor enjoy our amazing country.
Not sure about the Koala hugging idea Zec may be able to help out with parks in Victoria where you could get close to one that is used to humans and doesn't mind a cuddle.
Cheers Mick.
 
Thanks Mick,

The buffet was something we saw on the Internet. I'll have to see if I can find it again.

I'll put the Black Dog Bakery on the list of must do places to see. It looks like we will be passing through on Tuesday and Wednesday so I guess we'll miss you. I might still try to remember to get your number just in case. Thanks for the offer.

A question for anyone. Is it Ok for tourists to use Australian slang? Or is that considered bad form? Interestingly, many of your phrases are still used here in the southern states.

William
 
wreeder;1404636... A question for anyone. Is it Ok for tourists to use Australian slang? Or is that considered bad form? Interestingly said:
Much of Aussie slang has fallen into disuse with modern media and overseas influences. Some of the rather dreadful Australian movies of the 70's were full of words like "Cobba" and "Bonza". We've moved on but some still are in use. Calling someone "mate" is acceptable and really useful if you have forgotten their name. :) Guys tend to use it but girls less so unless they are from the bush (country). Were there any words or phases in particular that you might use?
 
Thanks Paul,

You've been very kind putting up with my questions, I guess we'll play it by ear.

Cheers,

William
 
Just a quick note, we just got back yesterday. Both Lanni and I had a great time and many of the suggestions offered by y'all helped a great deal. Australia is a great place to visit and we met many wonderful people.

thanks again,
William
 
I wouldn't say the slang is lost or is phasing out, I was born in the 80's and out of that list use....

G'day
No worries
Cheers
Barbie
Arvo
Maccas
She'll be right (I use that for my R/C car after it's taken damage)

I don't actually say (Septic tank), I say yankee or yankee's, lol.

Hi William,

did you end up using the slang talk you wanted and which was your favourite place? did you check out any of our Railway like the Overland, Country Link (XPT), Cityrail, V/Line, Pacific National, Queenland National Railway (QRN), Specialized Container Tranport (SCT)? sadly the Overland will be retired after December this year.

EDIT:

bugger! is another one I use.

Cheers.
 
Last edited:
Back
Top