“Word is getting out - I think we are the cheapest and we are making money on that,” Glenn Gillon told the Guardian.

Closer to the coast and the Pacific Highway, the petrol price tussle continues.

Leanne from Nambucca Auto Port ($1.29/litre) cites freight costs as the determining factor for pricing.

“If the petrol price drops, we drop our prices,” Leanne said.

“We simply can't buy the petrol for the prices they can in Sydney.

“We adjust as best we can ... we try to do the right thing.”

In Macksville both the BP ($1.33 per litre) and United ($1.33 per litre) service stations are owned by Webb's Petroleum.

Steve Webb said he would prefer not to comment when approached by the Guardian.

The NRMA however maintains that in most areas regional motorists are being overcharged.

On Friday the NRMA vice-president, Wendy Machin, told the Guardian that while she accepts it costs more to get the petrol out to regional areas, the cost should not be more than four cents a litre.

“We have looked at this and at four cents/litre for freight, the differential of 17 to 20 cents between city and country prices just does not make sense,” Ms Machin said.

“Certainly there are times when petrol stations still have volumes of older stock at higher prices but the price of oil has halved since July.”

She used the example of petrol prices in Parkes and Forbes in western NSW last week.

“The average price for unleaded petrol in Forbes was $1.17/litre but in Parkes it was $1.30 ... how can that be? 

“That really blows the freight excuse - it just doesn’t stack up.”

She said the current climate was a bonanza for oil companies.

“There are a lot of motorists on the roads just now and while the petrol prices tumble, they are still hitting them with higher prices”.

“It is not illegal but it is immoral.”

As at Monday, other prices around the shire were: Macksville Caltex $1.30; Nambucca Caltex $1.27.

The average price around Australia is $1.16.