Customs search of my shipping container
 

How intrusive will be the Customs search of my shipping container at Sydney? when:-
I am an Australian citizen and planning to return home to Australia in 2019 taking all my household and personal goods in a shipping container to Sydney.
I am a small time Military collector (Army and Navy) and have several Western 1860s style replica revolvers (none of which can fire modern ammunition) complete with tanned leather holsters/belts and a deactivated Italian made de-activated Western style Winchester rifle. The ceremonial swords belonging to three Army and Navy ancestors each sword having a leather bound scabbard. Also the tanned leather Sam Browne belts, straps, sword frogs and pistol holsters.
Finally a large collection of antique leather bound Naval telescopes and a large number of Gurkha Kukris in scabbards bound with goat skin, some with very old ivory handles.
Would any of the items listed above be seized? not forgetting that the Army swords etc have been in my family for decades and had been with me in Australia for all the 46 years before I had to come back to UK in 2015 to take care of serious family matters.

Re: Customs search of my shipping container
 

Being an Australian citizen is irrelevant. Customs guidelines are freely available off the web site. If you have any questions, call them up. You may need a permit to import some of the items you listed.

Re: Customs search of my shipping container
 

Start here https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/busi/...ms-and-weapons
You may have to declare some of them, they would certainly all need to be listed on the Customs documents, its not just a case of chucking it all in and then seeing what Custom find when they look through it!

Re: Customs search of my shipping container
 

Which state you are moving back to will also make a difference. In NSW all of the replica firearms would require a permit to import and own, and it would be a painful process to obtain one. They would also have to be stored in a secure and approved cabinet - they couldn't be displayed. In WA, and VIC, things are less stringent.

I can't comment on the swords.


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