A mate who'd booked his family Easter holiday long before the Middle East war upended everything is going ahead, despite the extra fuel costs. He says when he rang to confirm the booking, the coastal holiday park manager was delighted. And grateful. Many others had cancelled.

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The silver lining, I told my friend, was that he'd have the park and nearby beach largely to himself and the customary Easter traffic jams will be unlikely.

He works in Sydney, his family lives out west. Their regular get-togethers have been pared back now the round-trip costs $200 in fuel. While in the city, he gets to work and back by public transport. This week, the light rail he uses has been packed like he's never seen it before. But the normally busy restaurants around his workplace have been empty.

It's like watching the economy grind to a halt, he said, a note of alarm in his voice.

A neighbour who drives trucks at a local quarry says his hours have been cut back as business has slowed right down. He and his wife drive diesel powered vehicles and are spending much more just to get to work and back. Like most of regional Australia, public transport is not a viable alternative.

Research by insurance company Youi illustrates how people are adapting to this new world disorder. Its nationwide survey of 800 people showed that 49 per cent were driving less, 26 per cent were combing trips, 22 per cent were using public transport more frequently and 20 per cent were reducing spending in other areas to deal with surging fuel costs, with most spending between $50 and $60 more at the bowser each week.

Another friend in Hobart says everyone he knows is talking about the fuel crunch and Trump's Middle East war. This widespread anxiety is also reflected in the Youi survey, with 34 per cent of respondents reporting high or very high anxiety. The demographic most affected are young people, with 52 per cent reporting high anxiety. Families with young children come next, with 45 per cent feeling anxious. Only 8 per cent of baby boomers felt the same level of worry.

Had I been surveyed, I would have been among those with deeply furrowed brows. Not because I drive to work - I work from home. And not because I spend a great deal on fuel either. I drive a plug-in hybrid, which means I can press a button and go completely electric on those short trips.

No, my anxiety is the suspicion that governments - this one and those that came before - only now seem to have formulated plans to deal with fuel shortages.

One would have thought the exact scenario playing out now would have been thoroughly war gamed thoroughly long before the crisis broke, especially after the supply chain shocks of the COVID pandemic. That governments would have heeded that old proverb "Hope for the best, plan for the worst".

After all, we had strong indications the worst was coming when the US began building up its military forces in and around the Gulf in January, the biggest deployment of hardware since the 2003 Iraq invasion.

Even without that clue, we've always known the Strait of Hormuz is a prisoner of geography overlooked by Iran and bound to be closed in the event of war. We've also known that 20 per cent of the world's oil and much of its fertiliser and other petrochemical products flows through the waterway.

There's no blame implied in just a vague hope that we'll learn from this crisis and that present and future governments will always have one eye on the worst case scenario and a plan to deal of it.

HAVE YOUR SAY: Are the state and federal governments doing enough to deal with the fuel crisis? Have you changed your driving patterns as fuel prices have surged? How anxious are you about the crisis? Email us: echidna@theechidna.com.au

SHARE THE LOVE: If you enjoy The Echidna, forward it to a friend so they can sign up, too.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

- Australia has ruled out sending troops to the Middle East amid Donald Trump's remarks for nations to "get their own" oil from the Strait of Hormuz.

- Australia's leading Jewish community groups have condemned Israel's new death penalty mandate for Palestinians convicted of fatal attacks as falling "well short" of equal justice.

- Unfair trading practices such as subscription traps and drip pricing will be banned under reforms designed to bolster protections for consumers.

THEY SAID IT: "In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable." - Dwight D. Eisenhower

YOU SAID IT: It was too good to be true - and to be expected on April 1. Donald Trump is still the US president.

"For a moment there when reading your Trump piece, I was breathlessly hoping that Echidna has some breaking news that the rest of the media didn't know about (we live in hope)," writes Ian. "Despite being a smug elitist who believes I am immune to crackpot theories, I suspect I have fallen for April Fools stories in the past, probably because I am usually unaware of the actual date, and am a truster of mainstream news outlets. One was that sealed bags of salad leaves contain specific gases depending on the type of lettuce, to maintain their freshness. After a while I realised it must have been an April Fool's joke, even though I was unaware of it having been April first. Or, hang on, maybe it is true?"

Stephen writes: "What a cruel April Fools Day piece. To have one's hopes raised so mightily then dashed completely to the ground. Oh that it were true."

"New consumer regulations making it mandatory for shampoo and conditioner containers to be labelled clearly with a minimum font size that didn't require reading glasses to tell the difference between the soapy and oily stuff. What joyful news!" writes David. The best April Fools joke was our local Warrnambool AM Radio Station announced a Russian submarine in Lady Bay causing many locals (including me) to line the shore looking for it."

Jon writes: "I started reading today's post with absolute glee, until I remembered what day it was. Oh well, we can only hope!"

"The Science Show on ABC Radio National aired an item years ago discussing all the as yet unknown species in dust, and made an excellent case for people to keep one room dusty until such organisms could be examined," writes Alison. "It was, of course, April Fools Day."

Monica writes: "I guessed it was too good to be true, but part of me rejoiced for a brief moment, just hoping it might be true. Thank you, you made my day! The one I fell for, decades ago, not long after the Sydney Opera House was officially opened aws that it was sinking due a miscalculation made its supports too weak. Still grinning."

"That was mean, Echidna," writes Wendy. "I had my hopes up for a nanosecond. Well played."

Bron writes: "Holy crap, I haven't started the day with this level of excitement and glee for quite some time. You got me, you bastard."

"Damn you, Echidna, you reminded me of a time my Year 8 school teacher instructed me to ask the school maintenance manager for a left-handed screwdriver," writes Daniel. "A moment that I will never forget, especially as I confidently strode off to retrieve it and only to be laughed at by my classmates on my return. Thankfully, I have thick skin, and now, with three university degrees, have confidence in my abilities."

Helen writes: "Dick Smith's towing an "iceberg" into Sydney Harbour in 1978 is the standout April Fools joke for me. It had plenty of media attention and was believed by many people. A hard act to beat."

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