ORANGE motorists have been counting their blessings at the bowsers in recent days, with the city enjoying the cheapest petrol prices of the year so far.
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And, it gets better, with the NRMA predicting the modest prices will remain in place for at least the next few weeks.
The trend has been in place at almost all Central West centres, with only Lithgow petrol stations seemingly immune from the price drop.
Data from the NRMA showed the average petrol price in Orange had come down from 141.5 cents per litre on December 23 last year to 132.2 cents per litre on Saturday – the second highest decline in the region since the Christmas-new year period.
Prices have come down a little bit since Christmas and we welcome this decline.
- NRMA spokeswoman Rebecca Page
Dubbo motorists were enjoying the biggest reduction in fuel costs, with petrol prices falling from 144.3 cents per litre to 130.4 cents per litre in the same period.
The drop was far more modest in Bathurst, where drivers are being charged an average of 132 cents per litre, down from 137.4 cents per litre at the back end of 2018.
Prices in Orange are almost identical to those in Lithgow, which usually boasts the lowest fuel prices in the region.
NRMA spokeswoman Rebecca Page said the welcome decline was because of geopolitical factors and the oversupply of fuel.
Ms Page said petrol was very expensive in 2018, but the current geopolitical factors are unlikely to push prices to that level again in the near future.
Petrol prices had touched a four-year high in most Central West cities in October last year.
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