The NRMA tipped the average price for regular unleaded could hit $1.68 a litre in the next few weeks – but some Illawarra servos have already gone well past that figure.
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Prices are likely to be even higher come Christmas time.
Late last month, the average price for regular unleaded peaked at around $1.62 before falling 12 cents by late last week.
The upward end of the price cycle started on Saturday, with the NRMA tipping the average price for regular unleaded to hit $1.68 a litre.
The NRMA’s Rebecca Page said that price could come sooner rather than later.
“We’re already on our way up, prices have already started rising,” Ms Page said.
“So it could be in the next few weeks. Wollongong is following behind Sydney so within a month we could be seeing prices as high as that.
“In Wollongong right now the average is 152 cents, looking around the state that’s actually not too bad.”
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Some service stations are already well above that average – and have broken through the $1.70 ceiling.
According to the government’s Fuel Check site, the most expensive regular unleaded in the Illawarra at noon on Tuesday was at Shell at Helensburgh and the Caltex Woolworths at Dapto.
Both servos were charging $171.9 a litre.
The cheapest unleaded in the area was 30 cents lower at $141.9, with at least four stations along Shellharbour Road – including Enhance Fuel at Barrack Heights and a 7-Eleven at Shellharbour letting motorists fill up at that price.
Prices in the Illawarra run on a cycle with recent cycles gradually climbing in price.
Ms Page said that could continue into the Christmas holidays, where we could be paying even higher prices.
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“That’s certainly the way the trend has been going so we’re not hopeful we’re going to be getting any reverses,” she said.
“As far as we can forecast it is going to keep rising before Christmas so unfortunately we have to do what we can in shopping around, in looking for cheaper prices and driving past those expensive price boards.
“If we’re expecting in the next month to hit around 168 [cents] and we continue to follow those trends it’s not looking too good for Christmas.”
Ms Page said the best thing motorists could do was look for “local solutions”. This included using the NRMA or NSW Government’s fuel app to check prices before they fill up.
“There’s no relief in sight and they are going to keep rising, so do fill up now, but do a little bit of research,” she said.
“Jump onto the app before you get in the car because you could be saving more than 10 cents a litre in Wollongong itself.”