Tuesday 8 November 2011

Packing for Your Move to Australia

Moving to Australia or to any other international destination is a huge undertaking and it is essential to plan well in advance to ensure a smooth, stress free move. The first thing to do if you are planning on moving to a foreign country, be that Australia or anywhere else, is to find an international moving company or a company that handles international relocations.

It is possible to find relocation companies or international movers either through recommendation or by researching the internet. Alternatively you could use Moving Partnership Ltd, international removals specialists, who will do all the “legwork” for you. Moving Partnership compare a range of international removal quotes, command excellent discounts and provide a high quality overseas removals service by partnering with FAIM and/or BAR accredited removers.

Removals to Australia - click here for more information on our international removals service.

While you are in the process of getting quotes it is also important to seriously think about what you will take with you. The more you take, the more it will cost, so think of your international house move as an ideal opportunity to declutter! You’ll probably never be in a more ruthless frame of mind than when you’re thinking, “Do I really need to pay money to have this packed and stored and shipped abroad? Is it really that important to me? Furniture can be replaced as can white goods and for what it costs to ship them, you may as well buy new or used when you get to Australia. Cars, unless they are classics can be replaced too. When you think about it, there’s not much that can’t be, beyond those items of personal or sentimental value like photographs, favourite paintings, ornaments, antiques and data on pcs, disk or important paper files.

A good rule of thumb when packing for and international house move, is don’t pack anything you can replace easily. Toiletries, household cleaning products and foodstuffs are generally speaking, inexpensive and widely available. It would therefore cost you more to pack and transport these items than it would do, to buy new on arrival. You can always ask a friend or relative to send you a box of Weetabix or a jar of Marmite if you find you just can’t cope with the Australian equivalents. Weetbix and My Mate may look similar but don’t taste quite the same.

It is important when packing for a international move or any house move or office relocation, to remain in charge of the situation as much as possible. Make sure you are aware of what is going where. Make sure you keep the boxes are clearly labelled with their contents too so you know what goes where at your new home. Also keep a separate list of everything you have packed, so you can check your belongings at their final destination – and quickly determine if anything is broken or missing.

Carry personal items with you in cases. Do not put things like essential medicines, important children's toys, clothing or anything that you may need for work into storage. It may take several days, weeks or months to reach your destination, depending on the mode of transport being used.

What you can and can't take to Australia

When importing goods into Australia there are three headings under which everything is classified;

No Authorisation - These goods can freely be taken with you into Australia.

Restricted Permission – You will need to have written permission in order to import your goods into Australia.

Absolute Prohibition - You are not allowed to import these goods into Australia under any circumstances.

In general, the shipment of household goods and personal affects rarely has any restriction placed upon it. However the importation of seeds and plants may be prohibited under quarantine regulations. 

The importation of dependency drugs like narcotics, hallucinogens, amphetamines, barbiturates, and tranquillisers must be declared to Customs. Drugs of this nature must not be included with the shipment of your household goods and personal affects.

You must also declare the ownership and possession of any firearms and ammunition imported into Australia, including; air, gas, flame and starting pistols and spear guns. All these are subject to import restrictions and will only be released on approval by the Australian police authorities.

Certain items that are considered dangerous weapons are automatically refused entry. These items include daggers, swordsticks, knuckledusters and switch blades or flick knives. Ignorance is no defence, you must read up on what is allowed into Australia and what is not as apprehension in possession of a banned substance or illegal item could jeopardise your residency.

To find out more about which goods are prohibited or restricted entry into Australia, get in touch with Moving Partnership. We are shipping and moving experts and we will help you navigate the moving process – providing high quality, cost effective removals and expert advice for a stress free move.

Removals to Australia  - click here for more information on our international removals service.