Worked examples

Same road. Now hitch the van.

Eight real routes planned twice, side by side: the car alone, and the car towing a 3.2-tonne off-road caravan. What the wind costs, what filling everywhere would have cost, and what FuelOracle saved.

Prices and wind forecast captured 4 September 2026 for a departure on 10 September 2026.

Port Augusta, SA to Yulara (Uluru), NT, 1,518 km. 6 fuel stops towing, 3 solo. FuelOracle saves $96.09 against filling up everywhere.

Optimised is the FuelOracle plan. Old-school fills to full at every servo it needs to.
Car onlyDefender 110
$293.42total fuel with the forecast · 129 L bought
Still air, same stops$294.81
Forecast tailwind, 10 Sep · -0.6 L-1.39
Old-school: filling up at every servo$477.16
FuelOracle saves$107.03
3fuel stops
9.3L/100 km, trip average
719km longest run
  • 4 kmIOR Port Augusta - South63 L at 161.3¢$101.62
  • 299 kmPerrys Lyndhurst29 L at 279.9¢$81.17
  • 1,018 kmMarla Travellers Rest37 L at 299.0¢$110.63
Car onlyDefender 110
$477.16total fuel with the forecast · 157 L bought
Optimised: FuelOracle plan$293.42
Old-school pays+107.03
5fills to full
9.3L/100 km, trip average
500km longest run
  • 0 kmFill to full62 L at 254.9¢$158.80
  • 379 kmFill to full37 L at 340.0¢$126.02
  • 583 kmFill to full18 L at 350.0¢$61.71
  • 809 kmFill to full20 L at 349.9¢$70.86
  • 1,018 kmFill to full20 L at 299.0¢$59.77
Car + caravanZone RV Peregrine
$849.14total fuel with the forecast · 303 L bought
Still air, same stops$840.84
Forecast headwind, 10 Sep · +3.0 L+8.30
Old-school: filling up at every servo$1,052.81
FuelOracle saves$96.09
6fuel stops
20.6L/100 km, trip average
321km longest run
  • 4 kmIOR Port Augusta - South63 L at 161.3¢$101.62
  • 299 kmPerrys Lyndhurst66 L at 279.9¢$184.73
  • 584 kmWilliam Creek Hotel20 L at 350.0¢$70.00
  • 808 kmPink Roadhouse43 L at 349.9¢$150.46
  • 1,018 kmMarla Travellers Rest75 L at 299.0¢$224.25
  • 1,197 kmKulgera Roadhouse Hotel36 L at 328.0¢$118.08
Car + caravanZone RV Peregrine
$1,052.81total fuel with the forecast · 339 L bought
Optimised: FuelOracle plan$849.14
Old-school pays+96.09
7fills to full
20.6L/100 km, trip average
321km longest run
  • 0 kmFill to full62 L at 254.9¢$158.80
  • 299 kmFill to full66 L at 279.9¢$185.93
  • 379 kmFill to full18 L at 340.0¢$60.66
  • 583 kmFill to full37 L at 350.0¢$129.74
  • 809 kmFill to full43 L at 349.9¢$149.55
  • 1,018 kmFill to full42 L at 299.0¢$125.08
  • 1,339 kmFill to full71 L at 342.0¢$243.04
The route, leg by legLegs coloured by the 10 September wind forecast at each leg's midpoint. Hover a leg or a row.
Leg 2: 4-299 km, wind +7%, 22.3 L/100 km towingLeg 3: 299-584 km, wind -1%, 19.4 L/100 km towingLeg 4: 584-808 km, wind -4%, 19.0 L/100 km towingLeg 5: 808-1,018 km, wind -6%, 20.1 L/100 km towingLeg 6: 1,018-1,198 km, wind +11%, 22.2 L/100 km towingLeg 7: 1,198-1,518 km, wind +11%, 22.2 L/100 km towingIOR Port Augusta - South: 63 L at 161.3¢ (4 km)Perrys Lyndhurst: 66 L at 279.9¢ (299 km)William Creek Hotel: 20 L at 350.0¢ (584 km)Pink Roadhouse: 43 L at 349.9¢ (808 km)Marla Travellers Rest: 75 L at 299.0¢ (1,018 km)Kulgera Roadhouse Hotel: 36 L at 328.0¢ (1,197 km)Old-school fill: 62 L at 254.9¢ (0 km)Old-school fill: 66 L at 279.9¢ (299 km)Old-school fill: 18 L at 340.0¢ (379 km)Old-school fill: 37 L at 350.0¢ (583 km)Old-school fill: 43 L at 349.9¢ (809 km)Old-school fill: 42 L at 299.0¢ (1,018 km)Old-school fill: 71 L at 342.0¢ (1,339 km)Port AugustaMarreeWilliam CreekOodnadattaMarlaYulara (Uluru)
Wind againstWind behindLight windWaypointFuel stop, both plansFuel stop, caravan onlyOld-school fill, to full
LegSpanWindAltitudeL/100 km towingBurn
10-4 km+7% against+8%22.31 L
24-299 km+7% against+8%22.366 L
3299-584 km-1% light+0%19.455 L
4584-808 km-4% behind+1%19.042 L
5808-1,018 km-6% behind+8%20.142 L
61,018-1,198 km+11% against+3%22.240 L
71,198-1,518 km+11% against+3%22.2to destination

Questions people ask about this run

How much does fuel cost from Port Augusta to Yulara (Uluru) towing a caravan?

About $849.14 for a Defender 110 towing a 3.2-tonne off-road caravan, planned against the official prices and the wind forecast on 4 September 2026: 303 L over 1,518 km at roughly 20.6 L/100 km.

How many fuel stops from Port Augusta to Yulara (Uluru)?

6 towing and 3 solo on this plan, with an 89 L tank starting a quarter full. The longest run between stops towing is 321 km.

Does the wind matter on Oodnadatta Track-Uluru?

On 10 September it cost the caravan run $8.30 (+3.0 L). FuelOracle checks the forecast wind on each leg for the day you leave, so the same road can price differently on a different day.

What would filling up at every servo cost on this run?

$1,052.81 towing. FuelOracle's plan saves $96.09 by choosing where to fill and how much to buy, not by driving further or filling less than it needs.

How the numbers are worked out

Fuel burn is modelled for this rig: the van behind it, the speed it holds, the climbs and the wind on every leg. The model is checked against the rig’s real fill-ups and tuned over time. Old-school is the same driver with no planning: fill to full at every stop, and whenever the next servo is out of reach.

Worked examples only

These plans were generated once, on a fixed date, to show how FuelOracle helps you plan better and save time and money. Prices, opening hours and wind have all changed since, and every price and saving shown is a guide, not a guarantee. Do not use them to plan a real trip: plan your own and FuelOracle will plan it on today's prices and forecast.

Example plans use official state fuel price feeds and Open-Meteo wind forecasts, captured once on 4 September 2026. Coastline from Natural Earth. FuelOracle is an independent app and does not represent a government entity.

Your trip, today's prices

Know your fuel stops before you hit the road.

Put in your rig and your route. FuelOracle plans them against live prices and the forecast for the day you leave.

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