Caltex Avalon

Staff are always so friendly and the prices are often the best in town

If you are lucky enough to catch any of the female crew on night-shift, be prepared for friendly, helpful and entertaining service. The male crew... they're a bit hit 'n' miss when it comes to friendly banter, but regardless of gender all of the crew are spot on with doing their job.

Usually in a price-match war with the Mobil down the road, lately they have moved more in line with the majority of local stations and on some days are quite a bit more expensive. This costs them score points in my book - even their affiliation with the AA SmartFuel programme doesn't stop them being on the high end of fuel prices some days. Not sure if having Jester's Pies in-store helps them or hinders them, as sometimes the pies are as hard as rock, while other times they are spot-on.

Easy access from Avalon Drive, watch out for a couple of local idiots who enter via the exit, and will be quite abusive when you don't back up out of their way. No fault of the station - there's little they can do legally - that's more of a PSA.

This station has always been my go-to fuel stop, because they often have the lowest fuel prices this end of town. The staff can be a bit odd at times, but you get used to them quickly and they are very friendly once they start to recognise you.

Watch out for idiots who think they can drive in through the exit, because there have been a number of near-misses despite the clear signage and staff trying (in vain) to educate motorists.

Open 24 hours, so no idea why this site says they shut at 5pm.

This site also acts as the office for truck and trailer rentals, so if you are planning on moving house, give these guys a call - their rates aren't the greatest, but they almost always have vehicles available on short notice.

Note that the store doors get locked at 9-10pm and you will have to pre-pay for gas if you are not a regular, or the forecourt staff are off-duty.