Hello

i am just getting ready to get our stuff shipped. (Next month to Melbourne)

I have 2 little ones and one hubby, so we will bring everything in the 20ft container.

My dryer is about to die, so my question is, should i buy a new one and bring it, or can i use the wind and sun to dry our washing? I will bring washing machine and dish washer, but no fridge or freezer, or should I chuck them in too?

i am going to have extra space in the container, so do i buy things to sell, or anticipate the girls future needs and bring more stuff for them?

Any similar experience very welcome.

Thanks all

Most people have driers only time I use mine is in winter as things take longer to dry.

Depends how old appliances are I guess. People have large fridges and freezers in Aus as we keep more things in the fridge.

I am in UK at the present time and the models are different here. I work on 50 pence to the dollar and am finding most prices similar however as the pound is down may be more expensive for you

thanks for that.

For most of the year in Melbourne (7/8 months), it is warm enough to dry outside. Also, lots of people (me included) seem to use laundrettes for their drying. They've almost died out in England but are still quite common here.

In utter and total agreement with Peter here.
I have never needed a dryer in Melbourne. Too expensive to run and the sun and wind do the job well as long as you have some outdoors space to hang the stuff. We're a family of 4 with 2 boys under 4 who seem to think it is acceptable to jump in mud and wipe their nose on their sleeve so I need to do a fair bit of laundry.
I have used laundrettes for big things like sheets and duvet covers or emergencies (running out of underwear ) in the winter. I have always lived within 1 km of a laundrette.

For the fridge, see this thread about ratings.

no dryer it is then, thanks all.

Don't worry elice_in_oz, i have 2 girls under 4 and they sound just like your boys, messy n mucky. Is there anything you miss from the UK that is very expensive out there for the kids? Should i stock up on "cheap" clothes in the sales for them?

That launderette it is then!

I will look at the fridge link now.

Thanks again

I miss the BBC most of all! Australian TV is pretty pathetic, hardly ever watch it and the radio is not much better.
Other than that, I've found that most things are readily available here though we still fork out $5 for a box of 40 PG Tips bags just cos we like it better than most other teas!

I am French (lived in the UK for 5 years before coming here) and I do miss French cheeses (there are really good ones here though) and French cuisine.

From the UK, I do miss M&S occasionally and Next (for me). That's about it.

A lot of people on here seem to think that kids' clothes are not as good quality here and expensive. We moved before kids so can't really comment on that, but from our visits back, I didn't see much difference. I have found some good cheap clothes for the boys that surprisingly seem to last, from Kmart of all places. The range of clothes for children is pretty lame though, all the same in most shops. Then again, I also found that to be the case last time we were in Britain, but I guess I was comparing to what you find in France, which is way cuter!

No much experience in girls' clothes though, so can't help much! I guess if you have the space and the money, go crazy in the sales, but remember that with the seasons reversed, you will have to guesstimate the sizes for the clothes you'll be buying... I've found that a bit tricky as I never know when the boys will be going through a growth spurt and whether what I bought will fit them at the right time of year...

Books are expensive here (adults and children) but toys can be bought quite cheaply in the sales.

Where in Melbourne are you moving to?

Good luck with the packing!

If you have a child in disposable nappies, and you have some space in your container, then bring some along..... Also it will be worth buying a new fridge/freezer before leaving, because the exchange rate is so terrible at the moment, making everything you buy with your UK money very expensive. All the new ones are good for here, so long as you buy something of good quality.
If you want to compare the prices then have a look here, IMO this is the cheapest you'll find them in Aus
http://www.appliancesonline.com.au/s...FQMXewod6FTXnw
We fitted our 4 bed house in a 20' container, if you can fit your tumbler in then do, when it gives out you can decide if you really need one in Melbourne. I use my tumble dryer in the winter, but not at all in the summer.

wow what a lot of great info.
Not sure where we are moving to yet!!! I think we will start in a hotel appartment near husbands job for a month, then rent for a bit till we are happy/ready to buy. It iwll be somewhere north east to south east as husband will be working in Richmond to start with then office will be moving to the east or south we have been told.

We are thinknig of putting girls in a Steiner school, so that will narrow our options down.

I know what you mean about French clothes, the Okaidi stuff is lovely.

So i need to stock up and reading books for me and the girls. They have so many for now but i will get older ones for them and pretty dresses... If they are cheaper in the sale and i can guess the sizes and seasons...

So much to think about, but i love the challenge...

Possibly see you in Melb,

Thanks again

right i am off to costco in a bit to get nappies and possibly a fridge and i need to get a vaccum cleaner, might treat myself to a Dyson!!!!

Thank goodness my vacuum cleaner died so i can just about justify a new one!

Thanks everyone.

There is Okaidi in Melbourne. And Jacadi. Okaidi is in Docklands and I really need to go again. Their stuff wasn't too expensive all things considered. Jacadi is way too dear though

We're in the north eastern suburbs, in Montmorency, near Eltham. I have also lived in St Kilda, Camberwell and Hawthorn (next to Richmond) so if you need any info on those, PM me

There's also Costco here! In Docklands too. Haven't been there myself but might make the trip next time I go to Okaidi!

wow so everything is available every where, good.
I usually get the girls clothes in Asda or Tesco as they only last one season then get thrown away, my little girls are not clean tidy little girls.

Thanks i will PM you once i get my head round the shopping.

Thanks again everyone

I love supermarket clothes for kids from UK.

However I have found that the myriad of kids' markets around Melbourne (Baby and Kids' Markets in the East, Munchkins in the west, Reuse it Baby in Hobson's Bay- we get our own) are fab for buying second hand kids clothes. I also find books there are a bargain for littlies.
Or the bookdepository.com is much cheaper than local shops. (a friend has found it better for her daughter's uni course than any local alternative)

i think i need to copy paste this whole conversation onto my "vip info" list....

Thanks everyone

Hi International_Family and others,

We are also planning for a shipment. I've the following questions in mind

1.Is there any customs duty or tax on the other end for the items we ship in?
2.How many days usually it takes, for example from KSA to Melbourne or London to Sydney? based on your experience
3.How about clearing the shipment from Melbourne customs? and transporting to our rented house.
4.Isn't it better to buy there instead of shipping items like fridge, washing machine, dryer, furniture etc?
5.Approximate costs for cubic meter and issues related to taxable items.
6.Damage and insurance claim etc

I'm sorry for many questions, but please share your experience.
Best regards
simfaisal