Petrol prices are soaring above $2 a litre as families prepare to hit the roads for the spring school holidays. At the bowser in Sydney and Melbourne unleaded prices are creeping towards $2.30 and regional areas are also feeling the pinch. Singleton in NSW's Hunter region and Huonville in Tasmania had the most expensive average prices at 215 cents per litre for the week ending September 17, according to data from the Australian Institute of Petroleum. The average price for unleaded across regional NSW is 204.4 cents, while regional Victoria is lower on 198.2 cents. But Victorian towns such as Bendigo, Wangaratta and Shepparton have topped $2, creeping towards soaring prices in Melbourne where some suburbs are paying up to 229.9 cents according to fuel app Petrol Spy. The petrol pump sting has been blamed on higher oil prices and a weaker Australian dollar. Diesel is also up with a national average of 218.3 cents in the week ending September 17. Since hitting a low of 182.1 cents in July the national average soared in early August before slowing, according to figures from the Australian Institute of Petroleum. It's come at a bad time for families heading on road trips these school holidays with Victorians already in the first week of the break and NSW just days away. IN OTHER NEWS:
