Thursday 8 March 2012

Moving to Australia - Get to Know Your States and Territories

Are you moving to Australia? If so, Moving Partnership (MPL) provide  competitively priced international shipping and removals to Australia from the UK, Europe and most overseas destinations. We also provide removals from Australia back the other way. Whatever your requirements, our partnerships with removal companies worldwide enable us to provide the best possible prices for moving to Australia, without compromising on quality.  We compare a range of quotes for removals to Australia, free of charge and will then recommend the most suitable removals company for the job, to suit your individual requirements.

Our removals to Australia services include full container load shipping, which is the quickest and most direct way to ship the majority of your belongings to Australia. Or we can offer a groupage (part load service) for smaller moves, and air freight for small, urgent items.

We partner with the most reputable and best removal companies to ensure that your removals to Australia, whether domestic or commercial, is carried out to the highest possible standards. Most of the companies we partner with are either British Association of Removers (BAR) registered or FAIM accredited to ensure that your move to Australia service goes smoothly from start to finish. 

Our moving to Australia service covers all areas of the Commonwealth of Australia, the six states -  New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia - and the various territories including the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory.

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

Moving to Australia: States and Territories

If you are considering moving to Australia and have not yet decided where in Australia you want to move to, this guide is for you!  Read on for a brief overview of the five states and territories on mainland Australia and the sixth state of Tasmania which is made up of islands. 

New South Wales

New South Wales is the most populated state of Australia with more than 7 million inhabitants and 34 percent of Australian’s living here. It situated in the east of Australia and is bordered by Victoria, South Australia and Queensland and to the east is the Tasmanian Sea. Jervis Bay Territory and The Australian Capital Territory, which contains Australia’s capital Canberra, are Federal enclaves of New South Wales.

More 60 percent of the population of New South Wales live in the state’s capital, Sydney, which has the deepest natural harbour in the world. Sydney is a tourist hot-spot where major draws include Sydney Opera House - one of the most recognisable buildings of the 20th century - and Sydney Harbour Bridge, which is affectionately called the coat hanger because of its design. Many international companies have their headquarters in Sydney’s Central Business District which also attracts IT and financial services industries.

Tourism employs nearly 5 per cent of the workforce in New South Wales and visitors are attracted to Sydney and the coastal towns of Port Macquaire, Coffs Harbour, Nowra and Lismore. The Snowy Mountains region draws people for skiing during the winter months.

The state’s biggest export is coal and coal related products which accounts for nearly 20 per cent of exports from New South Wales. In addition. agriculture is  an important part of the economy, with the main livestock being cattle sheep and pigs. New South Wales is also an important wine producing region.  The Hunter Valley vineyards are located here, some of the oldest and most well known in all of Australia, which produce distinctive styles of Semillon, Chardonnay and Shiraz wine.

Queensland

Queensland is the northeast state of Australia. With a population of 4.5 million, it is bordered by the Northern Territory, New South Wales and South Australia, and the Pacific Ocean and the Coral Sea to the east. Its capital is Brisbane which is named after the river it is on and after the governor of New South Wales from 1821 - 1825, who was called Sir Thomas Brisbane.

Brisbane has a thriving economy, which includes many IT and financial services industries within the Central Business District. Also there are a large number of Australian and international companies who have set up base here including Asia Pacific Aerospace Headquarters.

The state has hot and humid summers and fairly dry and warm winters with top temperatures averaging between 22 - 30C throughout the year and boasting 300 sunshine days a year. It has stunning landscapes including the lush green Daintree rainforest, the golden beaches on the Sunshine Coast and the crystal clear waters of the Great Barrier Reef.

South Australia

South Australia is in the southern central part of the country and has some of the driest areas in the whole of the continent. It has a population of 1.5 million and shares borders with all the Australian states as well as the Northern Territory. Its capital is Adelaide which is home to three quarters of its citizens.

Health care, social assistance, the retail trade and manufacturing makes up the bulk of the economy in South Australia. Major industries include automobile and parts, meat, wine, wool, fish, metal, petroleum products and defence technology.  The Olympic Dam, which is located here, contains 40 per cent of the world’s uranium reserves.

The Property Council of Australia ranked Adelaide as the most livable city in Australia and it is known for its beaches, festivals, wine, food, sporting events and culture. It has a Mediterranean climate and top temperatures vary between 15 C in winter and 26 - 29C in summer.

Tasmania 

Tasmania boasts the cleanest air in the world. It consists of the island of Tasmania and 334 islands. It is a very unspoilt state with nearly 40 per cent of Tasmania made up of stunning national parks, nature reserves and World Heritage sites.

Half a million people live in the state with half residing in the greater Hobart precinct. The state’s capital, Hobart, is a busy port and cruise ship destination. Its main industries are ship building, light industry manufacturing, production of beers and tourism. Countryside areas outside the city are known for their production of wine. Hobart has a vibrant nightlife with many restaurants and cafes and bars. Another tourist draw is the weekly market in Salamanca Place which has 300 stalls and attracts around 25,000 visitors every Saturday.

Tasmania has four separate seasons with the coldest being winter between June and August which experiences snowfall in the higher regions. Winter sees highs of 12 C on the coastal areas and 3 C in the central region. The summer temperatures in the greater Hobart area see average highs of around 21 C.

Victoria

Victoria is the smallest state in Australia and is located in the south east of the country. It is the most densely populated state with 5.5 million living here and three quarters of these live in the state capital Melbourne.
It benefits from the second largest economy after New South Wales and the highest income producing sectors are finance, insurance and property services. 15 per cent of people in Victoria are employed in the manufacturing industry, making equipment, food, drinks and chemicals. It also has a large agricultural sector and is the centre of dairy farming in Australia.

Victoria is home to national parks such as the stunning Port Campbell National Park and interesting spa towns such as Hepburn Springs and Daylesford, which attract many tourists during the peak summer months.

Western Australia

Western Australia is by far the country’s largest state and is about the size of western Europe. It has a population of 2.3 million and most people (85 per cent) who live here occupy the state’s south western corner. 

The capital is Perth which in 2011 was dubbed the eighth most livable city in the world, according to The Economist. Perth is regarded as the country’s sunniest capital with 3,000 sunshine hours a year. It offers a relaxed outdoors lifestyle, some of the country’s best beaches, a lively and vibrant night life and busy markets. Perth also has the highest number of cafes in the world per head of population.

Western Australia has an economy that thrives on agriculture, tourism and mining. A wide range of mineral and petroleum products are extracted and processed here including crude oil, liquid natural gas, gold, ammonia and iron oil. The state is also a major exporter of wheat, sheep, wool and cattle. In fact, some of its cattle stations are the size of England.

Northern Territory

This is the least populated of Australia’s states and territories with just over a quarter of a million people living here. It also has a very youthful population - the youngest in Australia, with the largest proportion of under fifteens living here compared to the rest of the continent.

Tourism is a major industry in the Northern Territory with many people coming to see its beautiful and diverse landscapes including breathtaking waterfalls, springs, rock falls, and fascinating wildlife. The sacred Aboriginal site, Ayres Rock - the world’s largest monolith - and Kakadu National Park are both located here.

Darwin is the main city in the Northern Territory. It is a modern, multicultural city built overlooking the harbour on the Timor Sea and because of its location it serves as the gateway to Asia.

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