Residents take the power back

The interest grew from a Facebook post by Tim Button on the Daylesford-Agora site and follows local protests some years ago. 

His initial post pointed out the disparity between fuel prices in Daylesford and nearby country towns.

"I was just tired of being taking advantage of and wondered if anyone was feeling the same," Mr Button said.

This led to a significant response from local residents, with nearly one hundred people complaining of the same treatment and posting photos of cheaper prices elsewhere.

"There are no discount cycles in any of the operators here in town unlike other areas and the prices never change," Mr Button said. 

"When the price of crude went down and prices dropped everywhere else, Daylesford remained the same."

Currently, unleaded petrol is priced at 145.9 cents per litre in Daylesford. 

The price of fuel in Ballarat is 147.8, Bendigo sits at 141.5 and Ararat at 149.3. The highest regional fuel price is 156.8 at Benalla, and the lowest is 139.5 at Bairnsdale. 

RACV fuel spokesperson Michael Case said the price discrepancies in regional towns could mostly be explained by competition in the area. 

"Usually when there is limited petrol stations in an area, the prices are higher and can also remain steady," he said. 

"We do urge residents to keep a lookout for cheap fuel prices though, because it's amazing how much you can save by buying smart."

Other residents are also driving a push to restore the old micro-hydro facility at Lake Daylesford and feed electricity back into the grid, and also explore a community-owned petrol station for Daylesford.

"It's the sort of idea that Hepburn residents really get," forum convenor and Hepburn Shire councillor Sebastian Klein said. 

"There is also a real interest in energy efficiency - people want to pay less for essential services, but also use less."

The open forum will be held on Saturday, October 4 at 1pm in the Old Courtroom in the Daylesford Neighbourhood Centre. It is open to anyone.