---
title: "Sydney to Melbourne"
description: "Sydney, NSW to Melbourne, VIC, 881 km. Every stop with litres and price, the forecast wind, and the car beside the caravan."
url: "https://fueloracle.com.au/examples/sydney-melbourne"
updated: "2026-09-04"
---

# Sydney to Melbourne: fuel stops, prices and cost, car and caravan

**Sydney, NSW to Melbourne, VIC, 881 km.** 3 fuel stops towing, 1 solo. FuelOracle saves $53.70 against filling up everywhere.

Sydney, NSW to Melbourne, VIC, 881 km. Towing the caravan, the Defender 110 burns about 22.4 L/100 km on this road and stops 3 times: Metro Milperra at 30 km, Shell Reddy  Express Gundagai Tuckerbox at 370 km and Pearl Energy Albury at 551 km, buying 159 L for $383.39. Solo it burns about 10.9 L/100 km and stops once, at Metro St Andrews at 52 km, for $142.32. The 10 September forecast adds $35.24 of headwind to the caravan run. A driver who simply fills to full at every servo pays $470.03 for the same run; FuelOracle saves $53.70.

## Car only (Optimised)

Defender 110. $142.32. total fuel with the forecast · 63 L bought

- Still air, same stops: $141.84
- Forecast wind, 10 Sep · +0.2 L: +0.48
- Old-school: filling up at every servo: $288.51
- FuelOracle saves: $30.69

- 1 fuel stop
- 10.9 L/100 km, trip average
- 830 km longest run

| km | Stop | Detail | Amount |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 52 km | Metro St Andrews | 63 L at 225.9¢ | $142.32 |

## Car only (Old-school)

Defender 110. $288.51. total fuel with the forecast · 113 L bought

- Optimised: FuelOracle plan: $142.32
- Old-school pays: +30.69

- 3 fills to full
- 10.9 L/100 km, trip average
- 358 km longest run

| km | Stop | Detail | Amount |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 0 km | Fill to full | 62 L at 254.9¢ | $158.80 |
| 196 km | Fill to full | 21 L at 245.9¢ | $52.49 |
| 554 km | Fill to full | 30 L at 255.9¢ | $77.21 |

## Car + caravan (Optimised)

Zone RV Peregrine. $383.39. total fuel with the forecast · 159 L bought

- Still air, same stops: $348.15
- Forecast headwind, 10 Sep · +14.6 L: +35.24
- Old-school: filling up at every servo: $470.03
- FuelOracle saves: $53.70

- 3 fuel stops
- 22.4 L/100 km, trip average
- 340 km longest run

| km | Stop | Detail | Amount |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 30 km | Metro Milperra | 71 L at 237.9¢ | $168.91 |
| 370 km | Shell Reddy Express Gundagai Tuckerbox | 25 L at 256.9¢ | $64.22 |
| 551 km | Pearl Energy Albury | 63 L at 238.5¢ | $150.25 |

## Car + caravan (Old-school)

Zone RV Peregrine. $470.03. total fuel with the forecast · 185 L bought

- Optimised: FuelOracle plan: $383.39
- Old-school pays: +53.70

- 3 fills to full
- 22.4 L/100 km, trip average
- 358 km longest run

| km | Stop | Detail | Amount |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 0 km | Fill to full | 62 L at 254.9¢ | $158.80 |
| 196 km | Fill to full | 55 L at 245.9¢ | $136.44 |
| 554 km | Fill to full | 68 L at 255.9¢ | $174.79 |

## Legs

| Leg | Span | Wind | Altitude | L/100 km towing | Burn |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | 0-30 km | +29% against | +17% | 28.4 | 8 L |
| 2 | 30-370 km | +17% against | +4% | 23.7 | 80 L |
| 3 | 370-551 km | +5% against | -7% | 19.1 | 35 L |
| 4 | 551-881 km | +5% against | -7% | 19.1 | to destination |

## Questions people ask about this run

### How much does fuel cost from Sydney to Melbourne towing a caravan?

About $383.39 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: 159 L over 881 km at roughly 22.4 L/100 km.

### How many fuel stops from Sydney to Melbourne?

3 towing and 1 solo on this plan, with an 89 L tank starting a quarter full. The longest run between stops towing is 340 km.

### Does the wind matter on Sydney-Melbourne?

On 10 September it cost the caravan run $35.24 (+14.6 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?

$470.03 towing. FuelOracle's plan saves $53.70 by choosing where to fill and how much to buy, not by driving further or filling less than it needs.

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.

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](https://fueloracle.app/register?utm_source=fueloracle.com.au&utm_medium=examples&utm_campaign=notice) 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.

Fuel price data for New South Wales, the ACT and Tasmania is sourced from FuelCheck, provided by the NSW Government (NSW Fair Trading) and licensed under Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike.

© State of Victoria accessed via the Victorian Government Service Victoria Platform

FuelOracle is an independent app. It does not represent a government entity, and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or authorised by any government entity or any of the agencies whose data it displays. Prices are indicative only and may differ from the price at the bowser.

## See how a plan like these is built

Two short videos: planning a trip from the first stop to the total cost, and the outback version with jerry cans.

- [Plan a road trip with fuel stops](https://fueloracle.com.au/tutorials#plan-a-trip) (2:54): A trip in four steps, then the plan: every fuel stop, the price, how much to put in and what the trip will cost.
- [Outback trips, jerry cans and unlisted fuel](https://fueloracle.com.au/tutorials#outback-trips) (2:02): Marree to Birdsville with the van: unsealed roads, a stretch too long for the tank, jerry cans and roadhouses that aren't in any price feed.

[All six tutorials](https://fueloracle.com.au/tutorials)

## 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.

[Plan a trip free](https://fueloracle.app/register)
