🟠 Fuel me once...

Also: How much per week to buy one of the cheaper housing options in Melbourne's east?

Author

Matthew Sims
March 20, 2026

⏱️ The 121st edition of our newsletter is a seven-minute read.

Hi there 👋 

Matthew Sims here, your reporter at the Eastern Melburnian.

⛽️ Driving around eastern Melbourne in search of a place to fill up is becoming something of a futile trip. Every servo — even the independent ones — seem to be edging their price up each day.

💰 While most drivers are taking a hit at the bowser, I wanted to speak to people on the other end of the spectrum — electric car owners and dealers.

Evolve Motors operations and sourcing manager Kevin Abelnica told me earlier this week the level of demand over the past two weeks was unprecedented, and that they’re struggling to find enough cars to restock their lot.

If you see any particularly cheap or expensive fuel prices on your daily commute, please take a snap and send it my way via [email protected]. Ditto if you’ve recently made the leap to an EV.

Today we’re covering:

  • How fuel price spikes are driving people towards considering going electric, according to a local dealer, and;

  • How a new photographic exhibition in Box Hill is the first step in creating conversations around the battles faced by younger people.

“It becomes part of their life, but it's not who they are – they don't want it to define them.”

Young-Onset Parkinson’s Disease researcher Lewis Johnstone hopes a new exhibition of photographs taken by people with the disease can shed more light on the hidden impacts.

WHAT’S ON THIS WEEK 🎟️

📰 THIS WEEK’S HEADLINES

At Oakleigh’s Evolve Motors, operations and sourcing manager Kevin Abelnica says the level of interest in electric vehicles has doubled since petrol price hikes caused by the war in the Middle East.

“We've never seen anything like what's happening right now,” Abelnica told the Eastern Melburnian. “The demand is real and it's not slowing down.”

Abelnica said the auto dealer was struggling to source enough cars to keep up with the demand.

Twenty percent of the world’s oil has to pass from the Persian Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz into the Arabian Sea before being shipped east into Asia and to other destinations.

As of March 16, Australia holds about 37 days of petrol and 30 days of diesel in its reserves, according to Federal Infrastructure and Transport Minister Catherine King.

The limited supply and increasing demand has seen fuel prices rise, with the average price of unleaded petrol currently at about $2.30 per litre and at about $2.70 per litre for diesel across Melbourne’s east.

According to the Australian Automobile Association, eastern suburbs with the highest level of registrations for EVs include Glen Waverley (third in Victoria, sixth nationally) and Doncaster (13th in Victoria, 47th nationally).

Home solar charging is typically the cheapest option, costing almost nothing during sunny periods, whereas public fast chargers can cost between 40c–80c/kWh – or about $48 to fill from empty.

Australian Security Leaders Climate Group founding executive member Admiral Chris Barrie said expanding the country’s renewable energy production and electrifying transport is the only long-term solution to mitigating climate impacts.

Wendy* from Melbourne’s eastern suburbs is raising children while living with perimenopause and Parkinson’s disease. She is 50 years old.

She said her day-to-day routine is akin to playing a game of Whac-A-Mole.

“You get one thing under control and then another thing pops up and if you don't keep whacking them, you lose,” Wendy said.

Wendy is one of the participants in a new photographic exhibition now open at the Box Hill Community Arts Centre, which aims to shine more light on Young-Onset Parkinson’s Disease (YOPD) and its hidden physical and mental health effects.

Photos on display include Wendy’s discoloured toe after she fell over, a pill organiser from eastern Melbourne resident Christine and Geelong’s George with a photo of his haul during a fishing trip.

Parkinson's disease is a neurological condition that affects movement and mood and worsens over time. The majority of people with the disease are diagnosed around age 65.

However, about two in every 10 people diagnosed with the disease in Australia have seen symptoms develop before they turned 50, with some in their 20s.

Monash University PhD student Lewis Johnstone said he asked people with the disease to take photos of their everyday life. He said his study quickly evolved from an “eclectic” collection of photos into a way for people to share things they were once ashamed to reveal.

“Often people with a chronic illness or a disability are viewed as heroes or tragic figures and people kind of pity them,” Johnstone told the Eastern Melburnian. “It becomes part of their life, but it's not who they are – they don't want it to define them.”

Fellow east Melbourne resident Eric* was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease at 37. He described the fatigue caused by working, raising his son and feeding himself as “brutal”.

“It's probably the most disabling factor,” Eric said.

Johnstone hopes to develop the project into an online community where people from across the country could upload their own photos and stories.

Living With Young-Onset Parkinson’s is at the Box Hill Community Arts Centre on weekdays from 9am to 5pm until Monday March 30.

* Names changed for privacy.

DID YOU SEE? 👀

How much will an entry level apartment cost you?

Wanting to jump on the property ladder but your savings are modest?

The Eastern Melburnian took a look at one of the entry level options available - a one-bedroom apartment in Ringwood.

Instagram Post

Thanks for catching up with us this week at the Eastern Melburnian. We hope you enjoyed this issue.

Cheers,

Matthew