Double whammy for Aussie caravan community

An ongoing fuel crisis is likely to have a significant impact on the caravan industry, with some travellers already deciding to cancel trips, or if already on the road, staying longer in the same location to preserve fuel and reduce the impact of added costs.

The owner of Tassie Getaway Parks, Peter Robinson, told the ABC that he's already had several cancellations in recent days at the three BIG4 holiday parks he runs.

"I've had two in the last two days, one for the cost of fuel ... and the other was fuel sensitivity, whether they will get fuel," Robinson said.

Full-time travellers Kirsty and James told 9News that an upcoming 37-hour, 3750km trip towing their caravan from Melbourne to Darwin, that they can't cancel due to work commitments, will now cost them an extra $800 or more in fuel.

"We have a long-range tank, 164 litres, so before the prices went up it was around $300 give or take," Kirsty said.

"This was based on the average we were getting of around $1.89/l, but now using the Petrol Spy app 98 is $2.53 in Sunbury, so approximately $412 to fill up, which we anticipate will be even more once we are more remote."

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Energy Minister Chris Bowen has issued a strong warning to motorists amid growing fuel shortages, calling on Australians to stop panic buying as global oil prices surge.

The pressure comes as escalating conflict in the Middle East heightens fears around disruption to key shipping routes used to transport oil and refined fuel into Australia, pushing petrol and diesel prices sharply higher.

“As I’ve said, what we want is Australians to buy as much fuel as they need, not more, not less,” Bowen told ABC news.

“Panic buying does not help the situation, panic buying very much causes the situation.”

Predictions of fuel prices soaring beyond the $2 per litre mark have proven accurate, with many motorists across Australia’s largest cities now paying well above that figure.

Some analysts are predicting fuel prices will surge above $3 per litre, especially for diesel, with forecasts of high fuel prices for the rest of the year.

This, together with a recent interest rate rise, is expected to put the squeeze not only on Aussie consumers, but those right across the globe.

Pricing data from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission reveals daily average retail petrol prices across the five largest cities hit 219.7 cents per litre on March 11 – an increase of 48.8 cents per litre since February 20.

In a bid to prevent extreme price hikes, Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan announced new laws forcing petrol stations in Victoria to lock in fuel prices for 24 hours ahead of time, preventing them from raising prices above that daily cap.

Meanwhile, the Federal Minister for Industry, Tim Ayres, attempted to reassure Australians by stating the country currently holds around 36 days of petrol supply and 32 days of diesel in reserve.

“We are well prepared for these global events, as unwelcome as they are,” Ayres said.

Despite those assurances, long queues have formed at service stations nationwide as motorists rush to fill vehicles and jerry cans – even as prices remain at record highs.

On March 17, the Albanese government released 20 per cent of Australia’s fuel reserves in an effort to ease supply pressures.

Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles said the move was designed to “put more fuel supply” into the Australian market.

However, regional areas continue to be hit hardest, with many petrol stations running dry as restocking struggles to keep up with what industry sources describe as a “permanent high” in demand caused by ongoing panic buying.