What to wear - Australia

[Wavypurple]

Would be grateful for some insight here.

I’m moving to Australia in about six months time. I need to start thinking about what to bring and what to sell/donate.

What sort of clothing should I pack? Do I need a big coat? 😂 most of what I own is jumpers or black so not really ideal.

Moving to the Gold Coast if that helps at all.

I live on the Gold Coast, it's warm here most of the time, even winters aren't "cold". You won't need many jumpers, jackets etc. We live mostly in shorts and tshirts. You definitely don't need a big coat, more lightweight stuff is good.

Depends on how cold you get. Lived in the Middle East all of my life. Moved to Cyprus as a half way house to the U.K. Never been so bloody cold. Currently wearing 4 layers. Take the clothes you like.

I don't think I've ever worn a coat on the Gold Coast. Just lots of floaty dresses, lightweight tops and paperbag shorts.

I live in Brisbane , not far from The Goldie ( as everyone calls it). I'd say that if you are immigrating in about September , it's spring here , so just take some light clothes which you'd normally wear in the summer . You'll never wear a coat, big or otherwise, or any jumpers or tights so get rid of all that sort of thing. You'll live in cotton / linen, shorts / tee shirts. Don't take much, just enough to get you through the first few weeks, then go shopping. The Gold Coast is "shopping central" so you'll have plenty of options. Enjoy !

I went pre covid and saw little else than gym kit and athletic stuff even in the smarter places up the coast .
My cousin who lives there was remarking how he had very rarely seen a man in a suit.
We were there for his wedding and even the groomsmen were just in shirts and chinos. The wedding guests were very casual and women in the type of dress I'd wear to a pub garden in the UK.

Dont chuck your warm clothes. Put a nice selection aside and leave them with friends or family.

When we visit the UK it costs a fortune to kit the children out as nothing we own is suitable.

The warmest thing I own is a lightweight puffa jacket for the evenings. Generally it doesn't go below 18 in the day (usually hovers around the low 20s) in the dead of winter. It can get cool at night - we had a few overnights at 8/9 degrees last winter.

The Gold Coast is only one warm corner of Australia. If you are planning to travel to Melbourne or Tasmania from April to October you will need warmer clothes.

Living in Melbourne and having spent a lot of years in UK/Europe, I'm used to seeing people in pretty basic black/neutrals. Gold Coast always stands out as different.

Resort wear is a big thing - I don't think I've ever seen so many people in white cropped pants anywhere else. Mostly with bright/patterned floaty tops. Lots of (tanned)skin showing. And flipflops, or thongs as you'll be calling them soon enough!

Keep your warm clothes at home for visits. My sister meets me at the airport with my coat and boots every time I come home. You won’t need them on the GC.
A pp is correct that other places do get cold but if you’re sure you’re settling on the goldie then I wouldn’t bring heavy coats/ jumpers etc. You can just get something cheap and cheerful if visiting Tassie etc.
Australia is much more casual than the U.K. I haven’t worn heels or a ‘dressy’ dress in 4 years, though I don’t live in the city (and am relieved to get out of the heels)

You'll also find the climate more humid than you're used to. Last time I went to Brisbane (from Melbourne) my sunglasses fogged up, sweat poured off me and I regretted wearing a cotton-jersey dress; light, floaty silk or viscose would have served me better.

Mind you, because of climate change, even Melbs is quite roasty these days. I haven't worn my overcoat in more than a decade.

As PP said, resort wear is popular. Some very loud, bright prints and floaty tops/sundresses.
Also leisure wear, cropped leggings.
It's bloody humid even when not particularly hot.
When I'm there I only take cotton or linen as billowy coloured stuff isn't my thing...and the white cropped trousers also mentioned above are ubiquitous.
See also sparkly sandals/thongs. While I'm in my Melbourne birkenstocks :)
I think I wore a jeans and linen jacket a couple of nights when I was last there mid winter ie July.
And formal wear, especially for men, doesn’t seem to exist.
It's a bit of a shock as a Pom to turn up to dos and the blokes are just in a cleaner/newer version of what they usually wear :)
I would go with the old capsule plan. Plenty of smart casual (do people still say that??) lightweight basics that you can mix and match
Although if you have favourite coat/boots still bring them in case come down to Melbourne or Tassie (do!) It's nice to have something familiar that you love.
Best of luck. I've been here 16 years and am planning on returning to Europe in the near future. But Australia on the whole, has been good to me.
Get used to being religious about 50+ sunscreen btw. You'll thank me.

Just bring what you would normally wear in summer there - should suit Spring conditions you will arrive in. Then you won’t need much moving forward - shorts and singlet style tops, thin dresses that are cool etc as you are REALLY going to feel the heat in summer. Winter is not cold on the Gold Coast. Maybe bring one coat/warm jacket in case you go to Sydney in winter or down to Melbourne or Tassie.

Make sure you keep a winter wardrobe for travel purposes. When you don't need those types of things for more than a week or two a year you really don't want to have to re buy and when you live somewhere warm you'd be surprised how cold a UK summer can feel for the most part.

Yes I'd say don't throw away a nice coat if you like it, you may need it for trips to U.K. etc!

I live near the Gold Coast. You’ll never ever wear any of your heavy duty English coats, it just doesn’t get cold enough. Even in winters you’ll probably find you would wear in the GC what you might wear in spring /Autumn in UK. I do actually own a scarf and gloves and wore them in winter in China a few years ago but never at home. Useful potentially for the southern states in winter though, in Melbourne you can get four seasons in one day.

Also shoes, don’t bother bringing lots of closed footwear as unless you have a job where you need to wear covered shoes all the time as you’ll tend to wear sandals, thongs, lighter footwear most of the year. I wear thongs a lot even in winter and yes I mean the ones that go on your feet.

OP I live in the Sunshine State, I would as others recommend keeping some of your very warm/cosy stuff at home for when you visit. (heavy knits, gloves, big heavy coat) But be ruthless, only keep classic or practical things, because they will date in the time between trips home even if you travel back yearly. Also consider bringing some if you want to go to snow during our winter or if you want to visit NZ or TAS. (I wore a winter wool coat and scarf in Tas during their summer) When I lived in the UK, I would say that my wardrobe was 70% winter/autumn and 30% summer/spring. So your wardrobe will be the reverse of that here. I do not wear resort wear as a standard nor do I wear flip flops, but some people do. It isn’t hot all year round, its humid for a period of the year but you do get used to it and learn how to dress for it. What do you do for work? I still wear jackets, tailoring and high heels (or ankle boots in winter) to work – remember everywhere has aircon so it might be hot outside but work, shops and restaurants etc will be chilled! You will still wear jeans, fine knits and some long sleeves, today I have on an oversized white shirt, mustard pencil skirt and classic pointed pumps (it's 29 Deg). Also, houses can be cold especially if you live in an older house so bring long PJ’s, leggings, hoodies etc. You will love it OP, the weather is beautiful and in the same way you dress for the cold and wet in the UK, you learn to dress for the heat!

Relatives of mine live on Gold Coast and they def wear jeans and jumpers and socks in winter. You do acclimatise to the warmer weather and while 18c seems warm to a Someone living in the UK after 35c summers it feels cooler.

I'd recommend taking waterproofs too, they seem to wear them a lot.

They also spend a lot of time outside so you'll need to take or buy a decent sun hat.

It does seem noticeably less formal though, even for a proper office job the wife wears much more casual clothes than she might wear in the same role here.

The GC is a holiday destination here in Oz. Hence the resort wear. I definitely feel the cold in winter though when I travel up there. It is definitely not sandals and shorts year round for me. I would take your favourite jumpers, jeans and one coat (the coat will likely just be for travel however). If you arrive in spring, it will likely be like warm British summer weather.

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I live in Brisbane. You don’t need winter coats but you do need some jumpers / hoodies for INSIDE your house in winter. Especially if working from home. Houses are not designed to be cosy so you will be much colder than in uk with central heating on! Outside I wear jeans & tshirts in winter - think Scotland in summer 🙂 inland it can get cold in the mornings too in winter so you do need a layer you can ditch as the day heats up.

If you are only planning on staying on the Gold coast, then I agree that cool and casual is all you need. If you plan to go to the Snowy Mountains skiing, or Melbourne or Tassy, then keep some warmer clothes. I lived in Sydney for a period, and never needed gloves, beanie, earmuffs, scarves etc. A lighter, short jacket would be sufficient. Maybe a very light, fashion scarf for winter at most and a blazer type jacket.

I've found many of the lighter, summery clothes and blouses bought in the UK, tend to be made of synthetic fabrics- nylon, polyester etc. I recommend buying linen, cotton or a cotton mix of 80/20 where possible- otherwise you'll sweat.

We are holidaying in Australia in Spring so this information was very useful. Staying with friends so getting some advise from them. Thank you Mumsnetters for this info. We are going to the Sunshine Coast as it's called.

As already suggested, leave a few of your fave coats with family back in the UK, for when you visit. Saves buying them again.

As for the Gold Coast, I live in Brisbane, and it's quite hot during most of the year. It will take you one full year to get used to the weather, but your first year here, you will probably be running around in not much, ie sandals, shorts/skirt and a top. If you have any lightweight fabric long sleeve tops/shirts, do bring them, as wearing that over your regular top will save you from sunburn. Keep your pants/trousers, as if you end up working in an office - the air con will keep things cold, usually sits around 22 degrees celcius. If you have a blue collar job, the uniform (the shirt is at least provided, pants depends on the company) is usually a short sleeve shirt and long pants. Polyester is hot, but the sweat dries quickly from it. Plus keep your nice going out clothes. As for winter, it's not as cold as it used to be. Brisbane gets super windy around August, not to sure about the Gold Coast, but you will NEED a scarf and a decent jacket as the wind is cold. The coldest here would be a long sleeve top and a jacket. However nothing looks cooler than a loooooong coat. But light weight fabric. My old military jacket made of wool is far too warm these days. BUT if you ever plan on going to the snow while living here, then DO bring one set of snow gear with you as it will save you buying them again. If you don't have snow gear, then you will need to bookmark the Aldi website, as at least once a year they have a snow gear sale. Their stuff is awesome. As for black clothes - the colour doesn't matter. Whatever you wear will have you cooking in the sun. I am a kind-of goth and wear black most of the time. Also black doesn't reflect the sun back into my face. You do get used to it. Oh, as for sun protection, once you are here, buy a "rasher top" for swimming if you'll be going to Wet-n-Wild all day. And an indian cotton / linen top just to wear over your skin to keep the sun off it. You'll be able to pick up one cheap at "Harbourtown" (outlet centre and regular produce) at the north end of the Coast.