Dai87 Posted October 6, 2018 Share Posted October 6, 2018 Hi All, Apologies if this has been covered already. Are there any items that people have got to Australia and wish they had brought with them? Or items people are planning to take that they think are a good idea? We have realised we should take an extension lead with a number of British sockets on for our appliances. Starting to think about packing and shipping next month so any pearls of wisdom would be great. Thanks in advance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JetBlast Posted October 6, 2018 Share Posted October 6, 2018 You kind of touched on this but it is a little different. When I did by WHV I look a gang socket like the below and changed to plug to an Aussie one (got that from J Cars). It was super handy for my bits and bobs. It was good for items that had transformer plugs as they stuck out the wall quite a bit when combined with a normal adaptor. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted October 6, 2018 Share Posted October 6, 2018 (edited) A general observation - take as much of your existing belongings as you can. I know the shipping sounds expensive, but replacing everything can be worse. It's not just the cost of replacement, it's the effort and time. You've got a lot on your plate when arriving in Australia, and it's another big stress to kit out an entire house from scratch. If your furniture isn't worth bringing, then at least invest in a Movecube or two, and bring all the small stuff. Because we don't normally have to buy those things all at once, we don't realise how much they add up to. It's a worthwhile exercise to get online and do a test shop. If you're happy with cheap stuff, you can try kmart.com.au. If you want quality things that will last, try myer.com.au and petersofkensington.com.au. Remember you'll need towels, bedding, pots, pans, crockery, cutlery, Tupperware, cleaning stuff (mop, broom, dustpan...), bathroom stuff, and then there's all the small electrical goods like vacuum cleaner, hairdryer, toaster, kettle....you'll be amazed how many hundreds of pounds you have sitting in your cupboards! What complicates it further is that you're in a strange country where you don't know where any of the shops are. If you're not in a major city, then you'll have a long trek to even get to shops which sell furniture and household items. If you're undecided about your furniture, do a test shop online, preferably with a company that exists where you're going (for instance, there's no point checking IKEA if you're in country NSW, because they won't deliver). Edited October 6, 2018 by Marisawright 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tootsie Posted October 6, 2018 Share Posted October 6, 2018 16 hours ago, Dai87 said: Are there any items that people have got to Australia and wish they had brought with them? No. I can think of absolutely nothing. I held a car boot sale before I left and sold everything. Then everything I needed, I purchased here really cheaply. Started afresh 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drumbeat Posted October 7, 2018 Share Posted October 7, 2018 It was a long time ago but I wouldn't have discarded so many clothes. I find the choice here very limited and shoes are expensive compared to the UK. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dai87 Posted October 7, 2018 Author Share Posted October 7, 2018 I like the idea of a test shop. We have been thinking of a move cube as we haven't bought expensive furniture having been planning to emigrate for a number of years. 6 hours ago, Marisawright said: A general observation - take as much of your existing belongings as you can. I know the shipping sounds expensive, but replacing everything can be worse. It's not just the cost of replacement, it's the effort and time. You've got a lot on your plate when arriving in Australia, and it's another big stress to kit out an entire house from scratch. If your furniture isn't worth bringing, then at least invest in a Movecube or two, and bring all the small stuff. Because we don't normally have to buy those things all at once, we don't realise how much they add up to. It's a worthwhile exercise to get online and do a test shop. If you're happy with cheap stuff, you can try kmart.com.au. If you want quality things that will last, try myer.com.au and petersofkensington.com.au. Remember you'll need towels, bedding, pots, pans, crockery, cutlery, Tupperware, cleaning stuff (mop, broom, dustpan...), bathroom stuff, and then there's all the small electrical goods like vacuum cleaner, hairdryer, toaster, kettle....you'll be amazed how many hundreds of pounds you have sitting in your cupboards! What complicates it further is that you're in a strange country where you don't know where any of the shops are. If you're not in a major city, then you'll have a long trek to even get to shops which sell furniture and household items. If you're undecided about your furniture, do a test shop online, preferably with a company that exists where you're going (for instance, there's no point checking IKEA if you're in country NSW, because they won't deliver). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted October 7, 2018 Share Posted October 7, 2018 The small Movecube won’t fit big furniture, it’s good for sending all the odds and ends Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dai87 Posted October 7, 2018 Author Share Posted October 7, 2018 We are looking to get a large cube and much of the big stuff that we want to take can flat pack. An afternoon of measuring needs to take place before booking anything though lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judy Posted October 7, 2018 Share Posted October 7, 2018 33 minutes ago, Marisawright said: The small Movecube won’t fit big furniture, it’s good for sending all the odds and ends We are only planning to send odds and ends but were thinking of using a removal company. Is it a pain to have to buy all the packing materials and arrange paperwork for Australian customs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted October 7, 2018 Share Posted October 7, 2018 (edited) 46 minutes ago, Judy said: We are only planning to send odds and ends but were thinking of using a removal company. Is it a pain to have to buy all the packing materials and arrange paperwork for Australian customs? The Movecube is supplied by a removals company called SevenSeas. Usually, you would pack it yourself, but they do offer a service where they will pack it for you (for an extra cost of course). I don't know of any other companies who offer anything comparable. https://www.sevenseasworldwide.com/en-au/moving/movecube/international If you don't use a Movecube, then you can either send individual boxes (SevenSeas can do that too), or you can use a shared container service. A shared container is where the removalists come and pick up your boxes/furniture and put them in a huge shipping container along with other people's stuff. The snag with that is that it can take a long time, because they won't ship the container until it's packed full so you might be waiting for two or three other families to fill it up. Also there's more chance of things going missing because everyone's belongings are in the same container (although they do make an effort to segregate them). Whichever one of those three you use, the removalist company takes care of all the customs paperwork. Edited October 7, 2018 by Marisawright 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dai87 Posted October 7, 2018 Author Share Posted October 7, 2018 Marissa, thanks for the great idea about the virtual shop. It has been a really useful exercise. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melbpom Posted October 7, 2018 Share Posted October 7, 2018 Don't forget that when you are shedding stuff you will be donating or giving things away. You will get very little money for the small stuff. When you arrive you will be paying full price for everything unless you have the time and are lucky enough to find things in op shops and on gumtree. I wish I'd bought more oven ware, casserole dishes, scales, things like that. The other thing I'd say is decide what period you are going to be without your things. I.e. do you ship your stuff at the very last minute from the UK, or do you send it well in advance? I sent mine a month or so before I left and they arrived about a month after I arrived, so I had to have temporary stuff at both ends of the move. Hope that makes sense. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted October 7, 2018 Share Posted October 7, 2018 23 minutes ago, Melbpom said: The other thing I'd say is decide what period you are going to be without your things. I.e. do you ship your stuff at the very last minute from the UK, or do you send it well in advance? I sent mine a month or so before I left and they arrived about a month after I arrived, so I had to have temporary stuff at both ends of the move. Hope that makes sense. Bear in mind that it's sensible to book a holiday flat or Airbnb for the first four weeks after they arrive, so you're not going to need anything for that period. I think it makes sense to send stuff well in advance, because it's usually easier to "camp" in your UK home, especially if you can borrow bits and pieces from family, than manage without stuff when you move into your new Australian home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Min Posted October 10, 2018 Share Posted October 10, 2018 What's the verdict on taking washing machine & tumble dryer. Mine are only a year old.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rammygirl Posted October 10, 2018 Share Posted October 10, 2018 Take. Make sure you empty ALL water out and clean soap trays though. Also secure the drum of washer with the transport bolts it came with. I don’t use my dryer anywhere near as much as I did in uk but it still comes in handy in winter here in SA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unzippy Posted October 11, 2018 Share Posted October 11, 2018 On 07/10/2018 at 10:05, Marisawright said: A general observation - take as much of your existing belongings as you can. I know the shipping sounds expensive, but replacing everything can be worse. It's not just the cost of replacement, it's the effort and time. Just to add to Marisa's wise words - as well as the effort and time of replacing, there is also the effort and time of getting rid of the stuff UK side. Waiting for people not to turn up when they said they would, dealing with idiots and their low ball bids etc. Take it, it will also help you settle in if you are surrounded by "your stuff" in my opinion. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrsr1976 Posted October 14, 2018 Share Posted October 14, 2018 We have had two quotes for a 20ft container to ourselves which will fit 2 bed frames, lots of chest of drawers, all crockery, clothes, 1 adult bike (hard to spec new one) 3 sofas, 4 bedside tables, ikea kids storage units plus drawers, bookshelf, dining table, chair, a doll's house, rocking horse, all the children's books and toys, washer and drier, ironing board...bedding, towels, saucepans, toiletries, weights equipment, tools, Sonos speakers, 2 50" tvs, saxophone, keyboard etc you get the idea! [emoji106] 2 days packing and loading (done by them) shipping to Perth and unpacking to each room. One was £3900, other £4500.We need to ship asap so that the stuff gets there for Jan as we have an airbnb for a month when we arrive in Dec. Otherwise it wouldn't be worth it as we'd have to buy all stuff there.... Both agents came to out house and assessed, they were really helpful and Saif which items would be allowed ect eg no raffia or seagrass rug.The house sure is going to be empty when the stuff has gone! Very pleased.with both agents,. Just got to compare what we get for the money to make sure they offer the same! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dai87 Posted October 14, 2018 Author Share Posted October 14, 2018 27 minutes ago, mrsr1976 said: We have had two quotes for a 20ft container to ourselves which will fit 2 bed frames, lots of chest of drawers, all crockery, clothes, 1 adult bike (hard to spec new one) 3 sofas, 4 bedside tables, ikea kids storage units plus drawers, bookshelf, dining table, chair, a doll's house, rocking horse, all the children's books and toys, washer and drier, ironing board...bedding, towels, saucepans, toiletries, weights equipment, tools, Sonos speakers, 2 50" tvs, saxophone, keyboard etc you get the idea! 2 days packing and loading (done by them) shipping to Perth and unpacking to each room. One was £3900, other £4500. We need to ship asap so that the stuff gets there for Jan as we have an airbnb for a month when we arrive in Dec. Otherwise it wouldn't be worth it as we'd have to buy all stuff there.... Both agents came to out house and assessed, they were really helpful and Saif which items would be allowed ect eg no raffia or seagrass rug. The house sure is going to be empty when the stuff has gone! Very pleased.with both agents,. Just got to compare what we get for the money to make sure they offer the same! Wow that's a decent amount of furniture to move. We don't have any where near as much and like for like replacements are coming out at a similar price to shipping for us. We are now just looking at ways to get all of the souvenirs and gifts that mean something over there safely. Practice packing is happening soon lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angiemol Posted October 14, 2018 Share Posted October 14, 2018 Hi. I am planning to move to Melbourne and booked a medium move cube . Just wondering few things if anyone could help . I am planning to send 2 king mattress and a king bed . Few boxes of clothing , kitchen ware not white goods . I am just wondering whether it would fit in a medium cube . Seven seas gave the measurement but I just can't figure out .. thanks in advance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amber Snowball Posted October 14, 2018 Share Posted October 14, 2018 1 hour ago, Angiemol said: Hi. I am planning to move to Melbourne and booked a medium move cube . Just wondering few things if anyone could help . I am planning to send 2 king mattress and a king bed . Few boxes of clothing , kitchen ware not white goods . I am just wondering whether it would fit in a medium cube . Seven seas gave the measurement but I just can't figure out .. thanks in advance I marked the dimensions out on my lounge floor using masking tape and then packed the stuff into the space to make sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JetBlast Posted October 14, 2018 Share Posted October 14, 2018 I marked the dimensions out on my lounge floor using masking tape and then packed the stuff into the space to make sure. [emoji3]Don't forget the height! [emoji4] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amber Snowball Posted October 14, 2018 Share Posted October 14, 2018 8 minutes ago, JetBlast said: Don't forget the height! Indeed. Didn’t masking tape the walls! But found that the height was about where the light was, so packed up to there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
can1983 Posted October 14, 2018 Share Posted October 14, 2018 wish we'd taken crates of nappies UK Pampers 128 size 5 for GBP18 Aus Huggies 128 size 5 for $60 complete rip off Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melbpom Posted October 20, 2018 Share Posted October 20, 2018 On 14/10/2018 at 17:31, mrsr1976 said: We have had two quotes for a 20ft container to ourselves which will fit 2 bed frames, lots of chest of drawers, all crockery, clothes, 1 adult bike (hard to spec new one) 3 sofas, 4 bedside tables, ikea kids storage units plus drawers, bookshelf, dining table, chair, a doll's house, rocking horse, all the children's books and toys, washer and drier, ironing board...bedding, towels, saucepans, toiletries, weights equipment, tools, Sonos speakers, 2 50" tvs, saxophone, keyboard etc you get the idea! 2 days packing and loading (done by them) shipping to Perth and unpacking to each room. One was £3900, other £4500. We need to ship asap so that the stuff gets there for Jan as we have an airbnb for a month when we arrive in Dec. Otherwise it wouldn't be worth it as we'd have to buy all stuff there.... Both agents came to out house and assessed, they were really helpful and Saif which items would be allowed ect eg no raffia or seagrass rug. The house sure is going to be empty when the stuff has gone! Very pleased.with both agents,. Just got to compare what we get for the money to make sure they offer the same! Not sure your 50inch TVs will work. Maybe check before shipping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrsr1976 Posted October 20, 2018 Share Posted October 20, 2018 We don't watch terrestrial TV, it should work with Netflix, shouldn't it?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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