Luma

How has everyone gone about this?
Do the shippers give you advice?
How clean do they have to be?

Thanks

DunRoaminTheUK

The advice we were given last week is that if customs find any mud on shoes or tyres then they will fumigate the entire container and charge you for the pleasure.

What was worrying is that if you are shipping a partial-container (i.e. sharing) then if the other party ship muddy items then you will share the cost of decontamination. If you are using a good shipping company then they will ensure that this does not happen.

daisydaydream

When my husband went over Xmas 2005 he had his golf shoes in his bag and the customs officials went bar-my at him because they had mud on them, they jet washed them and said " if it happens again you wont be allowed entry into the country and we will fine you $900 for the pleasure. So my advice is make sure they are sparkling.

webgum

The only thing that got kept back of my stuff by immigration was my riding boots . I had cleaned them - and they hadn't been near mud or horses etc for more than 4 years.

I'd spend bloody forever cleaning my walking boots, they still looked crap when I finished, and I debated whether to put them in or not. Not a peep about them.

I guess it's pot luck, and although I can't remember, maybe the packers wrote 'riding boots' on the box, though I doubt it.

Get that elbow greased!

rammygirl

yup clean all soil and gunge off. DO NOT powerwash bikes though it really is not good for them it forces lubricant out of the hubs etc - just get some 'muk off' from a bike shop and hose and brush off all dirt.

mr mover

READ This .......................
http://www.affa.gov.au/content/outpu...00060B0AA00014 .............. mm

Luma

Thanks everyone for the good tips.

annqldau

We got lots of shoes through no bother but chucked the hiking ones as would never get clean.

We had heard that many horror stories about bikes etc. where they charged for clean or destruction we gave those away and bought new here as they were getting on anyway.

Pickfords advised us to get rid of bbq and all garden stuff which was a right ball ache as costs more over here so wigh hindsight would try and bring it if you can get squeaky clean as grass cutter was double the price here and same for strimmer.

Only thing in our container customs hicked on was old snake skin in with photo of child holding it... held container for 1 week for that while they asked what we wanted to do with it... said chuck it and then it turned up with container anyway. Think they just make it up on the day.

stubbyholder

Hi-Doing the same thing - if you do a forum search on "Virkon" you'll find some useful posts regarding cleaning
S

Luma

Thanks for that - extremely interesting reading!

kch

Wondering about petrol lawn mower, is it worth bringing? Are they expensive over there?

galloping gaijin

We washed and scrubbed all bikes, shoes, terracotta planters, etc, and when AQIS got the inventory list of the boxes, these items where all highlighted (including xmas deccies) and had been opened by customs - but no problems as they had all been given a good scrub with water/bicarb soda -- ironically my golf clubs and shoes where airfreighted with some other essentials, and their packaging wasn't even opened.

bill drinkwater

Cleaned everything then they did us on our xmas decorations

goppie

What kind of decorations,I have just packed the glass and synthetic ones, did you have cones etc

colinmorgan

I jet washed the bikes. The removal guys must have then wheeled them into the van. I had the option to clean or destroy on one bike, chose clean and the bike still came back with mud on it. Got the impression I was conned!!!!