THE NRMA has called for the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to investigate petrol prices in the Hunter over the Australia Day long weekend.
The motoring body says Hunter motorists paid eight to nine cents more per litre of petrol than their Sydney counterparts over the holiday weekend.
NRMA economist Wal Setkiewicz said Newcastle had become the second most expensive region in NSW that weekend, with dearer fuel only at Bega.
The NRMA was preparing information to make a complaint to the pricing watchdog.
Hunter-based NRMA director Kyle Loades said the motoring body would push for the ACCC to investigate the long weekend discrepancy.
"Hunter people are sick and tired of paying more than they should at the bowser," he said.
"The NRMA indicative research has shown there was this difference. And there is no justifiable reason in our opinion that this should be the case."
NRMA research showed the price in Newcastle on the long weekend was about $1.35 a litre on average.
Mr Setkiewicz said Newcastle prices were usually three to four cents more per litre on average than Sydney and transport costs would account for two of those cents.
He said prices had returned to normal on Wednesday, January 27.
"And we did not see the same happen again the next weekend," he said.
ACCC fuel commissioner Joe Dimasi said the authority would welcome any information the NRMA had.
But he said previous research had shown the perceived rise in public holiday petrol prices was more mythology than fact.
"It's something we have looked at very closely," he said.
"We looked at every public holiday long weekend for the last five years and the price jumps were no higher or lower than any other weekend."
Australasian Convenience and Petroleum Marketers Association general manager Nic Moulis said the idea that prices went up for long weekends was flawed.
"People say that it goes up on holiday periods but it may be just that people focus on filling up their cars at that time and it's a perception rather than a reality," he said.
Mr Dimasi said the ACCC monitored more 150 service stations in greater Newcastle.
He said the ACCC also monitored the Hunter Region as a whole, but was unable to include every town.
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