Comprehensive packing list for Oz ?

[Mosman]

Hi there,

I am just in the process of ebaying anything not nailed down and am wondering if anyone else has made the move with children and what they wish they'd taken over and what they should have left ?
I have a nearly 2 year old so am thing of getting rid of cots, prams, etc.
The older ones are 8, 10 and 12 so not so many toys these days but I'd planned to get them ipads for the journey and thought maybe their bikes, scooters etc should come.
I would be so grateful for any assistance, I'm doing this on my own really so it's quite stressful.
Thank you

Op -does your name suggest your new location?

i didnt ship anything over whatsoever! had suitcases and that was it, bought everything brand new when we got there, made life a hell of a lot easier i can tell ya lol

Indee it does lol
My concern is the price if buying everything new. I have 10 years worth of good quality stuff I couldn't readily replace

Well you have chosen a gorgeous gorgeous (posh) area to live. Have you visited?

I'm on my way once the house is sold. We're taking almost everything including bikes, scooters etc. I think its a bit mixed for those who take loads and those that prefer to buy new there. It would cost much more to replace all our stuff that the cost of the container, and I love our bed and sofa's
In fact I am stockpiling clother for my dc for the next 2 years, but then we will be on a budget until dh gets a job.

Oh same here with the clothes, I seem to remember that I couldn't find stuff I liked over there at all but Next, M&S etc deliver to Australia now.

I would bring what you can, if you can afford the space to pack it. Bikes & outside toys will need to be cleaned well to remove dirt soil etc to prevent them being held up at customs.

Our boxes of shoes were quarantined, as was dd's trike (we didn't know how strict they were when we moved here) but quarantine didn't take too long. No wicker/bamboo. Garden tools if being shipped, also need to be cleaned.

Electrical appliances are v expensive here, but I have also found out that unless you are a certified electrician you cannot plugs on appliances. Adapters are pretty cheap tho.

Contrary to what Kelly said, I found having to buy again (what we didn't bring i.e washing machine, etc) very stressful. We didn't know what brands were reliable, what a good price was. We were able to buy outright, but some people we know struggled to buy stuff as they had no credit history (so were refused credit) & used all their cash to pay for their son who got sick not long after moving here.

If it is not readily replaceable, consider bring it. Also, when my bed/sofa etc arrived I felt more at home with my own stuff around me!

I got the impression electrical stuff is pricey and clothes too.
Then there's the car I am seriously considering filling the boot then shipping it over.

i would not bring anything that is an outside toy or product as yes it will be "cleaned " by customs and that will cost more than the average bike! It cost use $100 to burn 3 pine cones.. just a note. Im not sure if electrical stuff is more expensive here, we bought it all new, new start , new stuff.. then it all has warrenty., correct plugs etc. saves a whole lot of effort and cost buying adaptor plugs or paying an electrician to come and change plugs, let alone if you pay to ship stuff and it breaks on the way and then warrenty is not valid.

That's a good point thank you

You can change plugs, (plugs available cheap at bunnings which is the oz b&q) it's a ball-ache if you have a lot of stuff, and it may affect warranty/insurance. What can be useful is to get a few powerboards with four plug sockets and change the plugs on those.

If i had had any stuff i would of taken it for sure lol

Me and EX went travelling oz for a year at 20 and come home pregnant with our dd (aptly named sydney lol) and when we got back it made sense to live at my parents house as they live in dubai, so we had no rent to pay, no bills and obv it was were i grew up so was fully furnished (parents all new in dubai) so we really didnt have anything to take apart from ourselves and clothes lol

I am in uk at the moment (loooonng story) but i sold everything when i left oz and some lucky * got my much loved sofa which cost me a fortune, my brand new washing machine, my brand new bed, my dds bunk beds, microwave, table and chairs, bedside units, hoover and alllot of wine, phones everything all for $1000, i could have cried but i has to leave oz quickly so had no option!

I am planning to move back early next year and havnt even unpacked the small amount of stuff i did ship back and this time i am going to ship some stuff over as it does cost more buying in oz, but hopefully i will live in one of the properties my parents or brother owns over there.

i cant tell you how much i miss oz, its been 1 year now since i left and i miss it more everyday and cant wait to return 'home'

Any outside toys, shoes etc will only be siezed by customs if you have not cleaned them properly yourself.

Customs did not keep/destroy any of our outside stuff, they simply quarantined it for a while at no cost to us

Christmas decs can be stopped. Anything with berries or twigs or pine cones are a no go.

Bring winter clothes! It does feel cold in winter, mainly because many of the houses are made to lose heat, not retain it. This is the only place I've ever had to put layers on when I get home, rather than take them off during the winter months.

Bikes etc will need to be spotless to get through customs, but it's worth bringing them as many things really are more expensive to buy over here.

Good luck with the move.

That was not what I wanted to hear peppapig lol

I remember it being bloody cold when I landed in August last time.

No, it was a bit of a shock to me how cold I would feel. At least it's just 2-3 months and you're guaranteed some warmth in summer each year!

PeppaPig beat me to it. Bring warm clothes, duvets etc. I stupidly gave away all my jackets thinking I wouldn't need them! We arrived in July on the coldest night in five years, our temporary accommodation was a townhouse which was all white tiled floors and high ceilings and NO heating. Not funny.

When we moved we got $2.5 to the £ so buying all new stuff was fun. We brought very little (apart from the entire contents of our 8yos room as he didn't want to come). The exchange rate has obviously dived so most people arriving now regret it if they don't bring everything they can including electrical goods - plugs can be changed. Silly little thing - if you have girls I would buy shoes in the next few sizes up (and especially boots) if you can. Even if you are willing to pay a fortune (shoes are really expensive here) they are horrible. I now buy Boden ballet flats in as many colours as are in stock when their sale is on - it's £12 flat postage rate regardless of how much you order. I would also stuff every crevice of the container with books, also extortionate here.

Now that's the information I'm looking for thank you so much, my girls love their shoes and boots so that's good to know.
I thought it was cold, my mother lived there for a couple of years in the seventies and keeps telling me she wore a bikini every day I knew that was bollocks lol
What about toys are they expensive ?

Another Sydneysider here....yes some toys more expensive eg jigsaws/boardgames and the ELC prices but the likes of Myer, David Jones & Target often have 20% off branded toys.

We get books & dvds delivered free from Amazon UK if spending £25 & do all clothes shopping online from UK sites ( typically £14 delivery fee & superfast delivery from Debenhams).

We regretted shipping our washing machine & fridge freezer...the washer died in transit & it was too costly to pay someone to look at it & they doubted they'd be able to get parts. The fridge freezer didn't fit into the allocated space in our first townhouse ( not a particularly big ff either).

We moved over last Winter, wish we'd brought bedding & blankets etc in our air freight - we were scandalised at the cost here!! Agree with stocking up on clothes, shoes etc

I was really looking forward to going to Manchester to buy a doona, I'll bring mine though lol

Oh and buy everybody swimsuits!! So many lovely beach & surf shops around where I am but typical cost of $150 -$250 for a swimsuit for myself and $70 for DS (4). I will be stocking up on my visit to UK next week!!

Can you not buy them in target ?

The last thing I want to be is a whinging pom coming over and then moaning about everything available to buy in the shops over there, but I might buy lots of Boden because it'll be nice not to be surrounded by it as I am here which puts me off.

Does John Lewis deliver too ?

Amazon stopped their free delivery now. JL do deliver but not everything. I can't remember the delivery charge.

We brought all our outdoor toys. No worries.