How much will petrol cost Brisbane to Cairns?
Rough highway distance is about 1,700 km one way. Example: 10 L/100km diesel/petrol at $1.85/L → ~170 L → about A$315 one way (planning figure only). Heavier campervans and coastal detours push it up. Always replace the price with live local $/L.
The working is the same formula every time: (10 ÷ 100) × 1,700 = 170 litres; 170 × 1.85 ≈ 315. If you take the coastal tourist route or a loaded hire van, both kilometres and litres rise — run the real numbers in the Trip Fuel Cost Calculator.
How much does Cairns to Melbourne cost in fuel?
About 2,900–3,000 km one way. At 7 L/100km and $2.00/L → ~210 L → about A$420. At 10 L/100km the same trip is closer to A$600. Fuel alone is usually less than accommodation — still budget a buffer for inland/remote prices.
Mid-range cars on the highway can sit near the 7 L figure; a thirsty SUV or a van sits nearer 10. Inland bowsers are often dearer than the $2.00/L used here, so treat A$420–A$600 as a planning band, not a quote.
How do I budget fuel for a multi-week AU campervan trip?
- Sum planned km (or break into legs).
- Use the campervan’s real L/100km (hire fleets are often thirsty).
- Use a conservative $/L (remote WA/NT can be far above metro).
- Multiply, then add 15–25% contingency.
Run each leg in the Trip Fuel Cost Calculator. A hire van that burns more than a hatch is a different budget — do not reuse someone else’s total.
What about a full Highway 1 / around-Australia loop?
Minimum driving distance is often cited around 15,000 km. At 5.5 L/100km and a high remote average like $3.15/L, fuel alone can exceed A$2,500 — and many travellers see higher burn or price. Triple-check economy and season; this is a multi-month budget item, not a weekend figure.
(5.5 ÷ 100) × 15,000 = 825 litres; 825 × 3.15 ≈ 2,600. A less efficient vehicle, more kilometres, or a dearer remote average all move that number up. Cost the loop as a series of legs, not one heroic total.
What’s the formula (metric)?
Litres = (L/100km ÷ 100) × km
Cost = litres × price per litre
Return trips: double one-way km (or use the calculator’s return mode). That is the whole model. Everything else — hills, load, air-con, speed — shows up as a worse L/100km, which is why a conservative economy figure beats a brochure rating.
Notes / limits
Planning estimates only — not live pump prices. Terrain, load, AC, and speed change burn. No affiliate links. No booking CTAs.
Sources (questions)
Public Reddit planning threads (AskAnAustralian, AustraliaTravel) — paraphrased answers; we do not scrape private data.