Wagga's Easter long weekend petrol prices among the lowest in NSW

Prices often rise in line with demand over the long weekend and school holidays. Many were expecting a demand double whammy to push the pump prices above the $2/L mark.

However, Easter Sunday saw prices not only below the 12-month average, but below those seen at Easter last year.

The average price for unleaded petrol around the state for Sunday was $1.90 - up from the 12-month average of $1.86, but below the 12-month high of $2.05 seen in June last year.

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All but one Wagga service station offered bowser prices below the state average yesterday. Diesel is also at a 12-month low in the city.

Two Wagga service stations offered Easter Sunday prices below $1.70 a litre.

At $1.692, Pearl Energy on Forsyth Street had the fourth-cheapest unleaded on offer in NSW, and APCO on Hammond Avenue was not far behind at $1.699.

Aged care worker Dianne Locke, who refuelled at Pearl Energy in the morning, says her job affords her the luxury of choosing where to refuel, and fitting it around her work schedule.

"I knew this was the cheapest in town before I came here - it's ten cents cheaper than anywhere else," she said.

"I have a son who's very good with technology, and he put this app on my phone that shows me the price of petrol everywhere, so I know before I go there.

"There's a servo eight doors down from me, but it was worth coming here."

Contrary to the conventional wisdom that petrol prices are always higher in the regions because of distribution costs, Wollongong, Tweed Heads and Sydney all have offerings comfortably over the two dollar mark.

Pearl Energy Wagga manager Thyaghu Babu says many of his customers have commented on the weekend's prices, even referring to customers from out of town who'd come by to fill their tanks.

"Many people are travelling to Wagga from small places like Tumbarumba to buy things on the weekend, and they're really shocked," Mr Babu said.

"They see it as they drive past, and they make a U-turn and come in to refuel."

Mr Babu said Pearl were able to offer a lower advertised price because they didn't offer per-litre discounts for purchasing other things, or shopping with affiliated stores. He said this had caused disagreements with some customers, who thought they were getting a worse deal, despite it being the lowest price in town.

"This used to be an Ampol, and sometimes people get angry because they can't use their card,"

"We don't have any offers or anything, so the fuel price is the price. But people aren't looking for the prices, they're just looking for the discount.

"People have gotten angry ... shouted at me over the counter."

Diesel was also at a 12 month this weekend, with average prices across the state sitting at $1.99 from a high of $2.34 in November.

Wagga's cheapest was available from Wagga Fuel and both United Petroleum locations, at $1.83 and $1.85 respectively.

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