What to take? What to leave?
 

Hi to all,
I really need some advice from all you expats who have experience!
I hope I don't sound completely stupid, :o but what do I need to bring to Oz and what do I sell here before I come?
My predicament is as follows: When I arrive in Oz I will just have a suitcase of clothes, (as well as Hubby and two children!). I am hoping to stay in accommodation especially rented out for new immigrants (for approx 3-4 weeks). In the meantime, my "stuff" from UK will be on it's way over. When I get a rented house, approx a month or so from arriving, I hope (is this realistic?) I won't have my "stuff" to go in it. What does one do in the meantime? Beg, borrow, steal? Or do I just not bother bringing anything and buy it all when I get here?
I'm not talking about big things like book cases and tables etc, cause I can live without them until they arrive, but what about the basics like bed linen, towels, crockery and cutlery etc???
Am I just worrying unecessarily, or are my fears realistic guys?
This emmigration thing is such an emotional rollercoaster. Hope you can help.
Thanks in anticipation.
Robbo2. :confused:

Re: What to take? What to leave?
 

Hi Robbo,

Not done this yet, so probably not the reply you wanted. We are a long way off going yet but have given this some thought along with what to take.

Plan to buy some new essentials when we arrive as things like my quilts are needing replacing. Will carry towels with us. I believe there are companies you can hire things from when you arrive.

Its a real emotional rollercoaster isnt it so many ifs and buts shall we shan't we???

Good luck, hope someone comes along with how they managed

Chris

Re: What to take? What to leave?
 

But you understand! That helps immmensley!
Thanks for that Chris. Good Luck with your plans.

Re: What to take? What to leave?
 

It's not like we're there yet, but we finally got all our visa stuff sorted yesterday. We're planning to leave late may and take nothing but our few bags with us.

We know this is going to be a costly way of doing it, but the way we see it; it is a chance to get a clean start. A little scared as well since we have two children: 2.5+ years and 7 months, but we'll manage.

Will probably be scared shitless when we land in Melbourne though, but it is one of those few occasions in life you really see what you are made of. Either you buckle under or just cope with it. ;)

Cheers,
Jørgen

Re: What to take? What to leave?
 

Where you heading, we originally looked at South Australia they have a 'meet and greet'scheme, differing reports on these but they provide you at some cost with basic accomodation furnished with the essentials, might be worth investigating if where you are going offer any thing similar.

Chris

Re: What to take? What to leave?
 

Are u shipping your stuff out on a particular date? ie when leaving the UK? if so how long do the shipping company expect it to take to get thru customs etc? are u saying your 1st 3-4 weeks is in furnished accommodation and then u are going into unfurnished?? -- if this is the case and u are shipping then why not spend the xtra dosh in the first (furnished?) accom for longer, as this might be cheaper than buying new or renting other furniture??

sorry if I am confused by your thread, or mine is confusing but am drinking a rather lovely south australian white (what else!!) :D :D
sheila

Re: What to take? What to leave?
 

In my experience you should bring everything you have except:
- junk; and
- stuff which obviously won't work in Australia (TV normally falls into this category)
- stuff which is impractical to take (eg cookers or something that may fall foul of quarantine).

If you need something to tide you over in the period before your shipment arrives, buy something cheap and when your goods do come you can decide whether to keep it as a spare or give it away.

Buying high quality items is expensive in Australia, and it's a recipe for stress when you won't know exactly where to get things. Also, familiar items (when they arrive) will be a source of comfort.

Jeremy

Re: What to take? What to leave?
 

We have been saying this for the past few weeks what do we take!! What do we leave!!

We went through every room in the house and said well wardroveas are fitted and we need new beds so thats the bedrooms sorted... by the time we finished I think we got down to the leather 3 & 2 seaters a unit thats from IKEA the kids toys, the puter, oh and us with suitcases of clothes.Obviously there wil be a few boxes of personal stuff like photos etc...

Anyway if you're stuck Brisbane have a very good IKEA so Im told and they sell everything all under 1 roof.

Good Luck anyway with whatever you decide to take with you.

Ang

Re: What to take? What to leave?
 

Take everything that you can and clean it!! customs checked our dyson our shoes, bikes and xmas decs.

I have read some advice on here that i wish id read before we moved. Ship your stuff four weeks before your due to leave, its easier to borrow off friends and rellies while in England, at least you have some:D

Our suppose 4 weeks took nearer 9 due to xmas :mad:

Friends of ours packed a case of linen, and essentials.

Re: What to take? What to leave?
 

Our TV works fine overhere through an aussie video.

Re: What to take? What to leave?
 

Head for the nearest Dollar Store!!!!! Spent a lot when we first arrived here, but it goes a heck of a long way!

Re: What to take? What to leave?
 

What to bring...what to leave....

A difficult question as it will depend on the quality of stuff you have, it's age, how attached to it you are etc etc. Often having those familiar items around you whilst you are settling in can help.

Again another factor is your removal plans, if you're going to pay for a sole use container fill it to the brim as it doesn't cost you any more. If you're only sending a part shipment then obviously you want to bring less rather than more.

I would say leave the fridge as they don't travel well and Aussie Kitchens generally have space for a larger one than in the UK. If your washing machine is newish and or decent then consider bringing it, all the fittings here are the same so all it needs is a new plug on the electric string. Same with a tumble dryer, if it's decent and not too old. I worked on the premise that looking around in the UK you won't get much for second hand furniture/whitegoods etc and I had already budgeted for a sole use 20' container, as it happened everything fitted in barring 2 boxes which came shortly after on a part shipment.

I have heard of quarantine having problems with vacuum cleaners, I spoke the AQUIS when I was over here on reccie trip and they recommended dismantling it and scrubbing it with disinfectant, if they can smell it when they arrive should avoid problems. Fridges, if older with CFC's are not allowed for import (was another thread recently). Garden tools - mower is pretty much a nono as you'll never get it clean to Quarantine standards. I left all my garden tools as the people buying my house bought them off me for a decent amount.

I also sold my UK TV as everywhere I looked it said that wouldn't work here but reading here it would appear that it would have worked fine (not too upset as it was only a cheapy Bush one from Tescos anyway and got nearly what I paid for it from a guy I worked with)

Regarding what to do when you arrive here, I was in the same boat as Hevs, due to xmas, my stuff left my UK house on Oct 12th, I arrived in Melbourne on Nov 14th and my stuff was finally delivered on Dec 30th.

There are hire companies out there who will supply rental furniture but they are expensive and will usually only rent for 1 month minimum. Also have heard they don't exactly supply the greatest quality stuff.

You have several options depending on how furnished you want the place to be. Go to Kmart and get air matress(es), towels and bedding there are cheap too, I just got the bare minimum to tide me over. I went to Ikea, bought their kitchen starter pack for about $100 (might have been a little bit more but not much) contains everything you need to cook for a few weeks. Also got a cheapo cutlery set and some plates/mugs glasses.

Obviously wanted a decent Aussie Barby so got one which gave me more cooking options and needed outdoor furniture so bought that as well.

As the place I'm renting in is bigger than the my place in the UK and there was a second 'family' living area I ended up buying a sofa bed when the delivery date for my stuff was pushed back over xmas, and after the cats came out of quarantine and punctured the air matress twice I got fed up of waking up on the floor lol, I got a nice full double bed metal frame sofa bed for $500 delivered the next day.

Really I'd say your decision on what to take or bring depends on your removal plans, container/part load, and how much you want to spend here to tide you over. Doesn't really help much I know.

I suppose the best thing regarding deciding what you buy here to tide you over is wait till you're here, and have a delivery date for your stuff. Once you have that and find a rental property you can gauge how long you need to manage before your stuff arrives. Getting a rental property here can be pretty quick but you need to be fairly pro active. Most agents have a property list which comes out either daily or weekly, however the best way is to check www.realestate.com.au every day and get round and view as soon as possible. Here in Melbourne at least places in good areas will go fairly quickly. Assuming you find somewhere you like that is vacan it is as simple as putting in an application and once this is accepted by the agent/landlord you can be in in a matter of days.

Some more info is at:

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=293354

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=291000

Just try a search of the forum and I'm sure you'll turn up plenty more info.

Good Luck with the move, hope it all goes well. And don't worry you'll be so busy settling in and getting everything sorted out you won't even notice the time before your stuff gets here.

Re: What to take? What to leave?
 

One of the best things we did was to send all our stuff over before we went, by the time we arrived the container showed up a few days later, and we where there to do the paperwork that needed doing, signing customs forms etc as your container cannot be processed until that has been done, and we managed to get it all done within 2 weeks of arriving, rented a house and got the furniture delivered a few days later.
So if at all possible try and send out your container before you leave, its easier begging off relatives in the UK than over here, plus a couple of weeks in a bed and breakfast wouldn't kill.
We found this to be the easiest thing but people have different ideas.
Jenny

Re: What to take? What to leave?
 

we took 8 boxes of stuff and crammed as much as we could into them, bedding, hoover, personal belgings.....

best thing i brought was my quilt, and i wish i had of brought both of them and not just one, as they are crap over here and expensive! (And my PC)

worst thing i brought was tonns of bedding (sheets, quilt covers) as it all doesnt fit the beds here!

I wish that i had brought more towels as we have hardly got any and they are quite expensive here too!

In hindsight I wish I had brought everything now (execpt electrial items, as we cannot get the plugs changed and its a pain having to use convertors all of the time). If anyone know where they sell plugs in Melly please let me know as i desperatley need to change the plugs on my stuff!

So my advice would be unless you wanna live in an Ikea show room like me, bring EVERYTHING except electrial items and as someone has already mentioned ship them over before you leave Uk.

I thought that selling all my stuff and buying new would be great fun, but its a pain in the ass walking around the shops all day looking for stuff that you have just sold for a pittence, when you could be out exploring your new home country. Plus all of the shops were far apart from each other here and the furniture is all old fashioned and expensive for what it is, we had to buy all cheep ikea stuff as it was costing a FORTUNE to replace everything that we needed, and some stuff we still havent got yet, for example a bedroom digital alarm clock, and we really need one of those asap! But we can only buy a few bits each payday as it all mounts up!

good luck

laura
xxx

Re: What to take? What to leave?
 

ermmm, bunnings, mitre 10, IGA, etc etc?? At IGA they are $2.50, much to Bunnings horror where they're $5 and i got my 15% price match:D You'll need about 100!!My thoughs exactly:)[/QUOTE]

Re: What to take? What to leave?
 

Second hand shops for the basics and/or places like Kmart for cheap crockery and bed linnen/towles etc. We also bought cheap furniture from charity shops and then gave them to the removalists when our stuff arrived [they were happy and so were we ;) ]

Basically secondhand, charity and cheap shops.... or borrowing from mates :D

The time will soon fly and your stuff will arrive before you know it. Then it's the dreaded unpacking and finding your stuff doesn't suit sunny Aus or you don't have enough space to put it all :D

[anybody else noticed this or is it me? is it because there are no fire places or inside windowsills and kitchens generally smaller here so not enough space? ]

Anyways...good luck with the move ;)

Re: What to take? What to leave?
 

In addition to all the places like Bunnings etc for plugs take a look in your local Coles or Safeway, they have an electrical section and my local Coles was nearly a $1 cheaper for them than Bunnings. They are in a Green/Yellow 'blister' pack hanging up usually, think the brand is 'HPM' for everyday stuff get the 10AMP ones (none of the plugs here are fused so its just the maximum rating for safe use)

Regarding bedding sizes all my UK bedding has fitted Aussie quilts,beds etc fine. Where did you get your bedding in the UK, if it was Ikea they have 'European' sizes and their matresses and duvets are different sizes to standard UK ones. Double bedding here is the same size as the UK but I found the bed I bought in the UK as a King Size takes Aussie Queen Size bedding. Ikea here actually do the standard Aussie sizes so their bedding and matresses wil fit any Aussie bed not like in the UK.

Re: What to take? What to leave?
 

Doh!! was only saying yesterday we havn't got anywhere to stand things like a vase of flowers phot frames etc, WINDOW SILLS!! thats whats missing:D And my fire place, had a wee accident with a candle when i lit the coonara :o

Re: What to take? What to leave?
 

Yes but the doctor said there shouldn't be any permananent damage :D

Re: What to take? What to leave?
 

Ahh so you noticed too hevs.....it's a pain innit cos we've nowhere to put our nic-naks :rolleyes:

And......I hope your coonara feels better soon :D :D

Re: What to take? What to leave?
 

[/QUOTE]


oh thanks, ill go to bunnings tonight and get a few, ill ask them to price match too..... JC will be busy tonight (poor guy)

laura
x

Re: What to take? What to leave?
 

oh thanks, ill go to bunnings tonight and get a few, ill ask them to price match too..... JC will be busy tonight (poor guy)

laura
x[/QUOTE]


just read your post, never noticed them in Coles, maybe should try there then......especially if they are $1 cheeper!!!

Yes I miss windowsills and fire places, we have lots of photos, candles and stuff and no-where to stand them, think we will save up for a nice book shelf type thinggie......

Bedding, not sure, some from Ikea and others from somewhere else....just relised that my uk Double fits Aussie double quilt, and reason for my sheets not fitting is cos i bought a Queen size bed and matteress from Aussie Ikea, so my UK double sheets dont fit, although my double duvet fits on the Queen bed :confused: if that makes anysense....??

So if i buy a double bed from Ikea will my UK double sheets and bedding fit then?? Cos ill by a chepo double bed from ikea and use them in my spare room?????????

Cant wait to get my plugs changed, so excited :D (God im bored need to start my job soon) we havent ever seen any in Coles or Bunnings, maybe we just werent looking properly, glad i know you can get them now!

laura
xxx

Re: What to take? What to leave?
 

We sent our stuff early and bought loads of camping gear - airbeds and good sleeping bags. We can reuse the camping stuff here in Aus for holidays or sleepovers. We used basic crockery (gave away) and packed our knives, kettle, wok etc. in our coolbox and took it with us. It was handy when we got to Aus. We ended up buying extra pillows as our camp bed pillows were rubbish and just took them on the plane with us. You get a huge migration allowance with Air Singapore.
Buy UK bedding; you can pick up duvets for a few quid but they are very pricey here. Towels also look expensive but you can get them cheaper in the sales, problem is that there probably won't be a sale on when you need them.
Some of my electrical equipment died on arrival in Aus, I think it must have been due to condensation as Sandra had some yucky stuff on her pictures. I have bought a new microwave but debating whether to manage without my Kenwood chef of get it fixed :(

Re: What to take? What to leave?
 

Laura,

According to the IKEA catalogue Aussie mattress sizes are:

Double W135xL189cm
Queen W152xL202cm (which in the UK is a King Size!)

I'd check with a tape measure but I bought some Aussie Double bed linen from Target and it fits my UK double bed fine.

Regarding the plugs in Coles/Safeway, the electrical stuff is usually tucked away somewhere near the outdoor, garden, bug killers etc. If you get stuck ask one of the spotty yoof packing shelves for electrical plugtops, they should be able to wave arms about in suitable 'Kevin the Teenager' mode and shuffle off in the right direction hehe.

They look a bit different to what you'll expect as they are round with a flat back and cable goes in at an angle from the side, if you look for all the extension leads and stuff they should be hanging up in that section. :D

Re: What to take? What to leave?
 

And there are two common makes - one with two screws to hold it together and one with one. The second is much easier to wire - the first is like milking a mouse! The second one is the thinner of the two - HPM??

Re: What to take? What to leave?
 

Hi Laura

What are their standard bed sizes then ? I just assumed they were the same in Oz. In other words if we bring our beds and want to replace bedding over there, will we not find anything fitting!

Thanks

Re: What to take? What to leave?
 

Here we go, good old google does it again lol, hopefully this will save digging up a tape measure....

http://www.answers.com/topic/bed-furniture

Re: What to take? What to leave?
 

Many thanks for all your replies...It has reassured me lots.
I'm glad I'm not the only one worrying about these things...it makes me realise that my rollercoater of emotions is a normal ride!
Cheers again. x

Re: What to take? What to leave?
 

Hi Laura,
a very useful post, I was thinkning of replacing quilts out there as they need replacing anyway but perhaps I should buy new here and bring them with us. When you say beds are a different size what is the standard size of beds.

Thanks Chris

Re: What to take? What to leave?
 

Is it ok to just change the plugs on stuff. I thought I read on the forum somewhere that it was illegal or that if there was a fire caused by the plug being changed then insurance would be void.

Obviously it would be a lot easier to just change the plugs rather than have adapters on everything.

Nat xx

Re: What to take? What to leave?
 

Hello

I noticed you mentioned taking your cats with you, I have 2 cats and we really want to take them, how did your cats cope and how much did it cost to take them and how long do they keep them in quarantine?

Thanks

Re: What to take? What to leave?
 

The cats coped fine, a lot better than I did worrying about them lol. Considering we moved out of our house a month before heading to Aus and they spent a month in their normal holiday cattery before the journey even began I was more worried about them than anything else. They went with airpets near heathrow. I think it was about £1100 for the two of them plus quarantine fees over here. FOr me cost wasn't an issue I wasn't leaving them behind.

They had four weeks in quarantine and then finally came home. I settled them in like new kittens again, ie access to a little bit more of the new house each day and they didn't go outside for five or six weeks. Now they are off out exploring all day and am sitting here with a furry purring hot water bottle curled up on my lap.

You have to register pets with your local council out here and some have stricter rules than others about cats roaming freely. Also depending on which area you will be living in you just need to be aware of a few more risks outdoors for them (however animals have an uncanny ability to avoid anything that isn't good for their wellbeing!) mainly stuff like ticks, cane toads in QLD, spider bites a possibility. I shouldn't worry about reptiles, the girl at quarantine said her folks had a cat like mine and they live on a farm in SA, cat regularly brings home live Tiger Snakes!!! :eek: :scared: :eek:

If mine bring home any reptile without 'gucci' stamped on it they will be getting confined indoors for evermore!!

Re: What to take? What to leave?
 

I was just about to do an FYI thread on this very topic! Anyway, for what it's worth, here's my ramblings on the matter.

Things that we've found useful to have (or we wish we'd brought) in the first few weeks:

Laptop (definite top of the wish list!)
MP3 player
Camera
Binoculars
Download leads for camera, MP3 etc
Travel adaptors (although these can be bought over here)
Radio alarm clock (radio being an important word there!)
Hairdryer
Mobile phone charger (assuming you're bringing the phone!)
Air matress and pump
Blanket
Sheet
Pillows and covers
Dressing gown
Towels
Travel washing line (been a God send, as not all of my stuff can be tumble dried)
Swiss army knife (an excellent leaving gift from Mr GG's place of work. So far the corkscrew, scissor and screwdriver attachments have come in handy. But mainly the corkscrew! ;) )
Some personal odds and sods (books, a few photos, leaving cards - just to make it a little more homely)
Interview gear - suit and shoes
Exercise gear, including trainers (although I'm using a lack of these as a good excuse to be a lazy sod ...)
Stationery - pens, envelopes, writing paper
Rucksack
Umberella

Things we've ended up buying, as we planned to do, that have been essential/really useful so far are:

TV
Fridge
Basic kitchen ware (see list below)
Camping chairs (instead of a settee, whilst we wait for our shipment - then we can use them in future too)
Street directory of Sydney (obviously! Sooooo necessary when you're finding somewhere to rent!)

Kitchen ware we've bought:
Tea towels
Oven gloves
Trays
Glasses
Mugs
Cutlery
Plates
Bowls
Wooden cooking utensils
Pans
Colander
Tupperware
Knives
Chopping boards
Tin opener
Cheese grater
Kitchen scissors
Baking tray
Casserole/roasting dish

I go on, don't I?!? Sorry. It would have just made the trip to Ikea so much easier to have that list written down before we got there!

I've probably missed a million and one things, but it's a start. It's suprising how little you can get by on when you're forced to live stripped down existance.

Oh, and final top tip! Keep the box the TV comes in - turn it upside down for a handy table. Full o'sound advice me, like! :D

GG

Re: What to take? What to leave?
 

thanks so much for that information, i'm really stuck on whats best for them, we think we will head for brisbane but have friends in melbourne and sydney and cant decide yet, we are also traveling for a bit first. My sister says she will have the cats and she adores them so i know they will be ok but i will miss them so much. Are the cane toads a big problem with cats in Brisbane?

Re: What to take? What to leave?
 

They are widespread throughout Queensland (another great human decision to release these hideous critters!) and can kill cats or dogs if they try to bite or mouth them, have a look at: http://www.qmuseum.qld.gov.au/inquir...eaflet0030.pdf for more info

Re: What to take? What to leave?
 

I had to laugh at your comments throughout - nice one!!
We are moving soon - offer on house, visa lodged March 2004 medicals etc August 2004 still waiting - to move to Frankston or similar or Bittern we love the sea but do not know if it is a bit too close to beach and being under water at some point - but money bracket is ok and we have some mates in Bittern.
What to take - very easy for us we have contacted removal agents much less without furniture - and hey - we can cope - but it is the car boot we need to sort out to get the stuff we have carted around sold and get some money on the rest - I like your Bush telli from Tesco - same here!! Ha Ha great at the time must say!!

Take care and somehow I am not worried about the move, you know stress is no good for you, just plan what you can and be happy - life is too short!

See you,

Syltgirl :D

Re: What to take? What to leave?
 

I thought I'd just bump up this thread, seeing at is so informative!! :)