Fuel information for your motorhome trip
Plan your route with confidence. The current situation, the tools to check it yourself, and how we’re planning around it.
If you’re thinking about a motorhome trip right now, you’ve almost certainly seen the news about Australia’s fuel supply. We’ve put this page together to give you the same picture we have — what’s actually happening, the official government information, the live tools to check your route, and what we’re doing to make sure the trips we offer are planned around current conditions rather than ignoring them.
The short version: Australia’s fuel supply is being actively managed. There are some localised disruptions in regional areas. There are excellent live tools to check fuel availability anywhere in the country. And our short-leg itineraries are deliberately built on well-fuelled major corridors. None of that is hidden. All of it is worth understanding before you book.
Current status
Australia is at Level 2 of the National Fuel Security Plan
This is the second of four levels and it’s labelled “Keep Australia moving.” The National Plan was endorsed by National Cabinet and is being actively managed by the federal government in response to the conflict in the Middle East.
What the Australian Government is doing
The Australian Government has taken a series of measures to secure the country’s fuel supply. The most current and authoritative source on this is the government’s own page — linked below — but in summary:
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Around 400 million litres of additional diesel has been secured for the Australian market, with shipments arriving from international partners.
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A temporary 20% reduction to the Minimum Stockholding Obligation has released up to 762 million litres of additional diesel and petrol, targeted to support regional areas.
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A Fuel Security Taskforce Coordinator has been appointed to ensure quick response to supply challenges.
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Fuel excise has been more than halved for three months from 1 April 2026 — saving around 32 cents per litre at the bowser.
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The Australian Government is working with industry to coordinate supply and unlock distribution bottlenecks, including via ACCC authorisation.
In the government’s own words: supply is being actively managed, more stock is on the way, and there are localised disruptions particularly in regional areas that industry and governments are working to resolve. We think this is worth quoting directly because it’s neither dismissive nor alarmist — it’s the truthful picture.
Three tools to check your route yourself
Before any trip — but particularly right now — the right move is to check your specific route rather than rely on general statements. These three official and crowdsourced tools cover it between them. We recommend using all three.
1 Government information
Securing Australia’s fuel supply — energy.gov.au
The official Australian Government page outlining what’s being done to secure fuel supply. Updated regularly. This is the source we draw on, and the source we recommend you read directly rather than take our word for it.
2 Live fuel availability map
Petrol Pulse — fuel shortage tracker
A live map of fuel availability across the country. The map shows stations currently experiencing supply issues. Plan your route to avoid the stations flagged on the map, and search by postcode to confirm availability near your stops before you leave. This is the single most useful tool for trip planning right now.
3 Recommended app
FuelMap Australia — Google Play
A crowdsourced database covering every petrol station in Australia — fuel availability, current pricing, and live updates from other drivers. Worth downloading before you start the trip and checking each morning. Available on Google Play; iOS users have similar alternatives, and the official ACCC fuel apps for your state or territory are a good substitute.
How we’re planning trips around current conditions
We’re not pretending the situation doesn’t exist, and we’re not running our usual itineraries unchanged. The trips we’re recommending right now — including the ones featured in our Aussie Winter Wander Sale — have been deliberately shaped around current conditions.
Short legs
Our recommended itineraries cap daily drives at around two hours. Shorter legs mean fewer fuel decisions, more time to plan ahead, and a smaller total fuel footprint over the course of the trip. They also leave more capacity in your tank as a buffer if a station along your route is one of the ones currently flagged on the live map.
Major corridors
Each of our 13 branch itineraries stays on highways and routes with the densest fuel coverage in the country — the Pacific Highway, the M1, the Hume, the Captain Cook Highway, the Stuart Highway south of Darwin, the South Western Highway in WA. We’ve deliberately avoided routes that rely on remote single-station legs. The honest reason: these are the routes least exposed to the regional supply pinches the government has acknowledged.
Branch advice
Our branch teams know their regions. When you collect a vehicle, ask the team for the current fuel picture on the specific route you’re planning — they’ll have more up-to-date local information than any national page can offer, including which specific stations have been reliable in recent weeks.
Helping the supply go further
The federal government is currently running a national campaign — “Every Little Bit Helps” — asking Australians to voluntarily reduce fuel use where they can, so supply reaches essential services like emergency response, freight, farming and remote communities. We think this is worth mentioning directly rather than ignoring.
Touring by motorhome is a leisure activity, and we’re not going to pretend otherwise. But a few choices on a trip can make it a more efficient one:
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Stick to the route. Plan ahead and avoid unnecessary detours.
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Travel at sensible speeds. Highway efficiency drops sharply above 100 km/h.
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Combine errands and supply runs into single trips out from your overnight base.
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Use shore power where you can. Plug in at caravan parks rather than running the vehicle’s engine for charging.
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Keep tyres properly inflated. Under-inflation increases consumption noticeably.
None of this is unusual advice for a road trip. It just matters a little more right now.
About this page
We review this page monthly and update it whenever the linked sources change status, the National Fuel Security Plan stage changes, or our internal route advice updates. The three external sources above are not run by Let’s Go Motorhomes — they’re independent and authoritative, which is the point. Use them to verify your specific route, not as a guarantee from us about general availability.
If you’ve got questions about a specific itinerary or branch, the team at any of our 13 branches will give you a current local picture. Phone numbers are on each branch’s booking page.
Ready to plan your trip?
Our short-leg itineraries are designed for current conditions: well-fuelled corridors, manageable daily drives, and trips that make sense to take right now. Every May, June and July booking is currently 25% off as part of the Aussie Winter Wander Sale.