A mere month into what was intended to be a nine-month adventure, a couple from the Gold Coast is now grappling with the unsettling possibility of having to abandon their plans. There is even a looming threat that they might end up stranded far from home.

“We could find ourselves quite literally stuck, and not just a little bit stuck, but truly far away from home,” expressed Mr. Croydon. “Our journey is at the mercy of fuel prices.”

The couple had initially set aside a budget of between $5,000 and $9,000 for fuel to cover their extensive trip. However, the relentless rise in petrol prices has already suggested that their expenses could potentially double.

“We might be looking at costs ranging from $15,000 to $18,000,” Mr. Croydon lamented. “Fuel prices are proving to be an absolute burden.”

He further explained, “The truck I’m driving is a Dodge Ram, and given its fuel consumption, the current prices are proving crippling.”

This situation isn’t unique to the Croydons. Caravan and holiday parks have witnessed a noticeable increase in cancellations recently. Many travelers are not only deterred by the escalating fuel costs but are also worried about the availability of fuel for their return journeys.

Ocean View Holiday Park’s bookings are now quieter than usual.

“Yeah, light on, not got a few bookings but nowhere near like what we usually have,” Jenny Smart said.

The caravan park industry is one of many sectors in contact with the state government regarding the crisis.

“We are reaching out to them on a number of matters that revolve around caravan park sustainability,” Caravan and Residential Parks Victoria chief executive Scott Parker said.

“Some of these places that are being affected have been through a lot in recent times, with – whether it be bushfires or flooding down along the Great Ocean Road.

“These are places that really do need people to go out to those regions.”

More than 8 per cent of service stations across the country are without at least one type of fuel.

In Victoria, 72 stations are without diesel and another 45 are running dry on unleaded petrol.

Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan said the government was “working with fuel retailers to make sure that supply is refilled”.

The state opposition is reiterating calls for government intervention by pausing the fuel excise.

“We’ve called on the premier, we’ve called on the prime minister to cut the fuel excise, to temporarily reduce the fuel excise on every litre of petrol and diesel to provide that immediate cost of living relief that Victorians desperately need,” Opposition Leader Jess Wilson said.

“This is a measure the prime minister can do today that will flow through to regional communities, to metropolitan Melbourne.”

The Australian Restaurant and Cafe Association has encouraged business owners to pass on a temporary fuel crisis surcharge to patrons.

“Restaurants and cafes are already on thin margins, can’t absorb those increased costs so we are calling on them to pass them on to consumers with a short-term levy,” association chief executive Wes Lambert said.

Fresco Bar owner George Stamos is doing his best to absorb rising prices at his Adelaide cafe but says he may have no choice but to pass on a fee to customers.

“I haven’t passed it on as yet, I don’t want to pass it on, but if it gets to a point where they are all doing it, I won’t really have a choice,” Stamos said.

Stamos only just bought the business and worries a price increase will turn away customers.

“I think if it gets to a point where petrol is too expensive then people will be working from home and that will really hurt us,” he said.

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