Tara Fowler, Brieanna Golino and Melanie Kastalein arrived at 6.45am and waited outside for the doors to open, by which time a queue of shoppers had built up around them.

The girls’ interest in Aldi stemmed largely from a particularly good brand of chocolate chip cookie, which became the first purchase from the Mudgee store.

But for many other locals, the supermarket’s arrival signals a more economically significant improvement.

Ann and Bob Armstrong of Rylstone said they had been waiting a long time for Aldi to open in Mudgee.

Until now, they have driven to Aldi in Lithgow to buy their groceries, and the couple believed the drive was definitely made worthwhile by the $50 difference between a trolley of Aldi groceries and an equivalent purchase from another supermarket.

Mid-Western Regional Council general manager Warwick Bennett said council welcomed Aldi’s arrival in Mudgee, as it welcomed all retailers who come to provide a better level of service to the community.

He said many communities of Mudgee’s size around Australia and the world would “scream with excitement” if they could attract just one of the many major retailers eagerly moving into Mudgee.

He said the people of the Mudgee region should take it as a sign of the community’s prosperity.

Aldi keeps its prices low by delivering goods in boxes that double as display cases, and presenting other items on pallets, saving time on shelf-stocking.

In a survey conducted last year by independent consumer organisation Choice, a basket of goods purchased at Aldi was found to be 44 per cent cheaper than a similar basket of goods purchased from a competitor.

Erin Hook also visited Aldi on its first day of operations, and noticed a big difference in price compared to other local supermarkets.

She guessed that it would have to drive down the prices at other local supermarkets, and said she certainly hoped it would.