So we know ALDI doesn’t have as many supermarkets as its big rivals, Woolworths and Coles. We know it doesn’t operate at all in Tasmania or the Northern Territory. So where are its most remote stores?
I did some digging. At this writing, ALDI has 588 stores spread across the country thus:
- New South Wales: 202
- Victoria: 165
- Queensland: 113
- Western Australia: 52
- South Australia: 44
- ACT: 12
No surprise there – it’s a ranking by population. And population is also the likely explanation for why ALDI tends to cluster along the coast and doesn’t go very far north or west.
Let’s break that down further by finding the furthest outlying stores north, south, east and west in each state. As we’ll see, many stores manage to claim two of those directional wins at once. (Corrections welcome here if I’ve messed up and missed one – I’ve already made a couple of tweaks.)
ALDI stores in New South Wales
Store furthest north: Byron Bay
Store furthest south: Merimbula
Store furthest east: Byron Bay
Store furthest west: Griffith
Griffith is undoubtedly the most remote NSW store.
ALDI stores in Victoria
Store furthest north: Mildura
Store furthest south: Leongatha
Store furthest east: Lakes Entrance
Store furthest west: Mildura
At the remote end of the Murray border, Mildura definitely takes the distance crown for Victoria, but Lakes Entrance is also fairly remote and is a much smaller town.
ALDI stores in Queensland
Store furthest north: Hervey Bay
Store furthest south: Elanora
Store furthest east: Elanora
Store furthest west: Dalby
ALDI is very much in south-east Queensland, not Queensland as a whole. While there are substantial populations in Cairns, Townsville and Rockhampton (for starters), the distances to get there haven’t lent themselves to super cheap shopping just yet. That said, Townsville is getting an ALDI in 2023 (thanks to my old mate and colleague Dan for that tip). Still, even after that happens, in this set, Dalby will likely take the crown given the size of Townsville’s population.
ALDI stores in Western Australia
Store furthest north: Yanchep
Store furthest south: Albany
Store furthest east: Yanchep
Store furthest west: Albany
It’s Perth or bust for ALDI in WA. Albany is clearly the most remote choice – Bunbury and Australind are the only other stores that don’t count as greater Perth. (And hat tip to my fellow tech journo David Hague for the Australind pointer.)
ALDI stores in South Australia
Store furthest north: Whyalla
Store furthest south: Mt Gambier
Store furthest east: Berri
Store furthest west: Whyalla
Whyalla just pips Port Pirie for the northern crown, and is clearly the most remote store. I’m a little surprised Port Augusta hasn’t got an ALDI.
ALDI stores in ACT
Store furthest north: Amaroo
Store furthest south: Conder
Store furthest east: Majura Park
Store furthest west: Holt
Obviously the ACT isn’t big enough for this to really matter, but what the hey, let’s do it for completeness. I’m not going to single any of these out as actually being remote though.
So where is ALDI’s most remote store in Australia?
I’d say Albany in Western Australia is the clear winner from our list. It’s 320-odd km away from the next-nearest WA regional store (in Bunbury).
For more supermarket goodness, check out why you should never buy vinyl records at ALDI and which store brand supermarket goods come from the same factory.
Pictures: Google Street View (for many of the remote supermarkets, the Street View shows an undeveloped lot, which shows how rarely the cameras get out into smaller towns)
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