April 4 (Reuters) - Australians were urged to maintain their travel plans for Easter weekend although hundreds of petrol stations, mostly in rural areas, were without power on Saturday, as the Iran war continued to strain the nation's fuel supply.
"Easter is a very special time of faith and family," Energy Minister Chris Bowen said in televised remarks. "We encourage people to feel free to stick to your plans, go and see your family, go take a break - but get no more fuel than you need."
Australia, which imports about 90% of its fuel, has experienced localised shortages during the escalating Middle East conflict, starting its sixth week on Saturday. As a result, some have cancelled travel plans for the long holiday weekend, typically one of Australia's busiest travel times.
The nation has 39 days' worth of petrol, 29 days of diesel and 30 days of jet fuel, Bowen said.
"The total number of service stations without diesel in Australia, which is where the main pressure has been, is 312 out of the around 8,000 service stations," Bowen said, adding that most of the impacted stations were in country areas, as it took longer to replenish those fuel stocks.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, in a rare address to the nation, this week warned the economic shocks of the war in the Middle East would be felt for months and encouraged citizens to take public transport.
(Reporting by Sam McKeith in Sydney; Editing by William Mallard)
