Moving to Australia
Explore Australia’s spacious landscapes, endless natural beauty and laid-back culture. Known as the sun burnt land with its population concentrated heavily on the eastern seaboard, Australia is a fantastic destination, so whether you want to feel the sand between your toes on a Gold Coast beach or taking a surf in Bondi, snorkelling on the great barrier reef or getting close to kangaroos and koala’s in the outback, then Australia is the place for you.
Moving house, especially to Australia, can seem to be an intimidating procedure, but here at Burke Bros, we have over 40 years of relocation experience in furniture removals to Australia, so you can be confident in our services. We can provide you, with advice on what you cannot take and what is best left behind. We are best placed to answer you with what does an international removal consist of, what are the specifics? What is the transit time frame, i.e. how long will it take for my belongings to arrive Australia? How much does a furniture removal cost door to door, and will there be any additional costs once it arrives in Australia? How will you relocate my belongings? Will I require a specific size of container, and are you able to advise me on this?
Removal Services to Australia
At Burke Bros, as leading provider of relocation and removal services in the United Kingdom, we have built a long standing reputation, as being the go to company, not just for relocation service to Australia, but to anywhere in the world, we can do it all.
Are you are looking for an international removal company, that can provide you with the very best moving package, then look no further, we pride ourselves, that our service is second to none.
Whether you have one suitcase to move or you are necessitating relocating a full house lot, we here at Burke Bros, the global relocation company, are a specialist furniture removal company that can cater to all your requirements.
Whether you just looking for wide-ranging information, or you have a specific requirements in relocating your furniture to Australia, then, Burke Bros, we are ready to serve.
Burke Bros Global Relocation Company is committed to providing you with the most up to date removal services that you will need, when relocating down under.
The Removals Process
Do some research into international removal companies to carry out your move to Australia. It is important to find a company who are genuinely experienced in moving household effects (and vehicles) to Australia. As with companies in other industries, one of the best ways to find a reputable mover is either by personal recommendation/ word of mouth- if you have friends or relatives who have moved to Australia or indeed internationally. The digital equivalent of this is of course consulting online reviews. Such sites as Sirelo are a useful point of reference as the reviews are qualified and only posted by actual customers.
Check that the company is a member of the British Association of Removers and of FIDI (the largest global alliance of independent quality international removal companies) to ensure that the company has been independently audited and that your move is protected.
Furthermore, being a member of FIDI indicates that you using an international moving company of a professional standard and a company who works with a professional network of international agents globally. This is important as it means that your move will be dealt with in the same appropriate and diligent manner in Australia, as it is in the UK.
You may think that you need to opt for a member company that is local to you, rather than a company who is further afield. With an international move, it’s more important to go for a company that is experienced in removals to Australia and reputable rather than based geographically close to you.
Once you have selected a few companies that you think are suitable, you’ll need to arrange for them to give you a quotation for the move. This would normally involve an estimator either visiting you at home for an in-house survey or, if you prefer, the estimator should be able to arrange the survey to be carried out at a distance via a video survey. This still allows the surveyor to see the volume of goods that need to be moved, access to the property etc. Whichever method you choose, remember to make careful use of the meetings with the surveyor as they will be able to impart a lot of advice and guidance on the whole process of moving to Australia.
Packing to Move to Australia
Packing correctly is an important part of ensuring that your goods reach Australia in the same condition that they leave your home in the UK. The removal company performing the move for you should use trained export packers. They will be professionally trained in preparing furniture and household items for a long-distance move. Export strength packing cartons should be used, as well as special linen cartons and book cartons. If you have specialist items, for example valuable artwork, that needs extra care, your remover should be able to arrange tailor made crates.
Your chosen international mover will usually send in the export wrappers to pack your home up and wrap your possessions ready for shipment and will take any items that have been allocated for storage. Once the shipping container has arrived, the export wrapped furniture and packed boxes will be loaded into the container. The crew should check the inventory and then lock and seal the container, before it goes on its way to the port.
There are different size shipping containers- your goods can either be shipped in a 20ft or 40ft container depending on how many items you need to take with you. The surveyor will determine this when they calculate the volume of goods during the pre-move survey and this will be featured in your quotation. If you aren’t planning to take your entire household of possessions to Australia, you may be advised that a ‘groupage service’ (or part load) would be appropriate. This option is more cost-effective than sending a sole use container to Australia as you only pay for the section of the container that your goods take up, the rest of the container is shared with other customers’ loads also on their way to Australia. A groupage service will involve the removal company consolidating other loads to Australia, so this will increase the time frame that your goods will take to arrive in the country.
Australian Quarantine, Customs and Excise
Australia has strictly enforced quarantine clearance procedures in place. It will be really important to consult the services of a professional international mover to ensure that this vital element of the move goes smoothly. Unfortunately, if the correct preparations are not made in the UK, it can cause significant problems and expense once the shipment reaches Australia. Customs clearance and quarantine should take approximately 10-14 working days in Australia before the effects can be delivered to your new residence.
Be advised that quarantine wiII insist on inspecting every consignment that is cleared through our Australian agent’s depot. It’s important to follow the advice of your international moving company as quarantine can order fumigation, steam cleaning or other cleaning treatments if items aren’t clean enough. Additional charges will be applied.
Insuring Your Effects
Always ensure that your moving company offers marine insurance. Even with the greatest care taken, there is unfortunately no guarantee and it is always best to be protected against the worst happening to the shipment. It really is advisable to take out adequate cover for the entire move. A comprehensive ‘door to door’ cover is most advisable. Speak to your mover about this and ensure that everything is sufficiently covered.
Further Information and Resources
Whilst we hope that this blog has given you some useful advice on all of the pertinent points of removals to Australia, our team are on hand to have a chat with you, should you need any more information. They can be contacted on 01902 714555 or via sales@burkebros.co.uk. Alternatively, if you would like a member of our team to call or email you back, please complete our ‘contact form’ and we’ll be in touch. There is also a dedicated webpage detailing the removals to Australia services with Burke Bros Moving Group and our blog page is regularly updated with hints and tips on all aspects of moving, whether this is across the road, across the country or across the globe. If you would like to book a free no obligation pre-move survey with one of our experienced international moving surveyors, our team will be able to do this for you.
