What to take? What to leave?
Apr 4th 2005, 1:26 am
#16
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: What to take? What to leave?
Originally Posted by Robbo2
Hi to all,
I really need some advice from all you expats who have experience!
I hope I don't sound completely stupid,
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.
I really need some advice from all you expats who have experience!
I hope I don't sound completely stupid,
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.
]Basically secondhand, charity and cheap shops.... or borrowing from mates
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
[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
Apr 4th 2005, 1:28 am
#17
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 582
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.
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.
Apr 4th 2005, 1:38 am
#18
High in the Dandenongs
Joined: Apr 2003
Location: Listening to Puffing Billy
Posts: 9,183
Re: What to take? What to leave?
Originally Posted by Phoenixuk2oz
you don't have enough space to put it all
[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? ]
)
[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? ]
)
And my fire place, had a wee accident with a candle when i lit the coonara
Apr 4th 2005, 2:29 am
#19
Brain Drained
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 1,882
Re: What to take? What to leave?
Originally Posted by hevs
had a wee accident with a candle when i lit the coonara
Apr 4th 2005, 2:29 am
#20
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: What to take? What to leave?
Originally Posted by hevs
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 And my fire place, had a wee accident with a candle when i lit the coonara
And my fire place, had a wee accident with a candle when i lit the coonara 
And......I hope your coonara feels better soon
Apr 4th 2005, 4:07 am
#21
surfer chic from Teesside
Joined: Mar 2004
Location: Halls head, WA
Posts: 1,431
Re: What to take? What to leave?
Originally Posted by hevs
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 You'll need about 100!!
My thoughs exactly
You'll need about 100!!My thoughs exactly
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
Apr 4th 2005, 4:16 am
#22
surfer chic from Teesside
Joined: Mar 2004
Location: Halls head, WA
Posts: 1,431
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
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
(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
Apr 4th 2005, 6:10 am
#23
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Aug 2003
Location: Near Duloc
Posts: 4,638
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
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
Apr 4th 2005, 6:12 am
#24
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 582
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.
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.
Apr 4th 2005, 6:20 am
#25
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 9,397
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??
Apr 4th 2005, 6:45 am
#26
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Jan 2005
Location: Perth
Posts: 819
Re: What to take? What to leave?
Originally Posted by lauralollipop
worst thing i brought was tonns of bedding (sheets, quilt covers) as it all doesnt fit the beds here!
laura
xxx
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
Apr 4th 2005, 7:01 am
#27
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 582
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
http://www.answers.com/topic/bed-furniture
Apr 4th 2005, 8:01 am
#28
BE Enthusiast
Thread Starter
Joined: Mar 2005
Location: Brisbane!
Posts: 968
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
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
Apr 4th 2005, 8:17 am
#29
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Oct 2004
Location: Lincolnshire
Posts: 858
Re: What to take? What to leave?
Originally Posted by lauralollipop
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
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
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
Apr 4th 2005, 9:31 am
#30
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Jan 2004
Location: Hobart
Posts: 336
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
Obviously it would be a lot easier to just change the plugs rather than have adapters on everything.
Nat xx