So we're looking at making the move early next year and are looking into the logistics of everything.

We're ok with how we're going to get ourselves there just need to sort out getting our stuff there.

Can anyone recommend a good removals company and any hint on rough cost of a container would be great.

Cheers
Rick and Charlotte

We're using Anglo pacific, £4k ish for a 20ft container. Used letton Percival to insure the shipment as cheaper and recommended on here. Search on here and you'll find plenty of other companies mentioned both good and bad.

If you can, it's always worth sending your stuff in the container a good month, possibly two, before you leave. It's easier to borrow furniture, kitchen stuff etc from friends, neighbours and family there than it is here for obvious reasons. If money is tight you won't want to be renting/buying furniture to use before your stuff turns up. You'd be able to find a rental and get your stuff delivered immediately.

John Mason are excellent. Can't help on costs, we moved 7 years ago but it was around 2.5k back then for a reefer (refridgerated 20 footer). Def insure direct with Letton, you save the percentage the shipper piles on top for their commission and it's the same cover.

From my experience, I would recommend GB Liners. They were very helpful throughout the whole process and well experienced with international moves. We shipped just over 500 cu. ft and negotiated it for £3k inc. insurance. They sent 3 guys in to wrap up all of our stuff and it took about 8hrs from top to bottom. They use Kent International over in Melbourne and it was here within 3 months with no questions or issues from customs and no breakages. Our house was a 2 bed terrace for me, my wife and our 12mth old. It's hard to say how much it would cost: Your best to just get 3 companies in, read through the information packs and choose the best one/best quote and negotiate that one down.

Recommendation: take everything you can. Saving £100 on taking a spare bed is soon outweighed when you need to buy one over here.

We shipped our stuff about 15 days before we left and I just stayed on at a mates house for a few days living out out of my suitcase and two boxes. You'll find you need to take boxes with you so that you have some essentials there that won't fit into your 20kg travelling, such as key paperwork, clothes like big coats if your coming over in the Aus winter (and you live in VIC!), kids toys etc etc... and I found after a lot of research that the best way to get boxes there in a couple of days is just use DHL. Don't use DHL directly, but I used parcelmonkey.co.uk with the boxes from IKEA (strong!). Cost for a 22kg box was about £130.

Hope this helps

We used pickfords, 3.5k. They added on quarantine inspection and other costs at the end though. So make sure whoever you get quotes from include all costs. I know Crown Relocations do.

Be wary if any company says they cover ALL AQIS costs! Until AQIS inspect a shipment they don'tknow themselves what the charge will be - it depends how much they want to treat and/or destroy and they charge per item.