Relocating to Australia – checklist

1. Decluttering – what to take and what to better leave behind

One of the most important questions is about what you should take to Australia, what you better leave behind and what you are allowed to bring into the country.

After the relocation, we realised that we took too much and that we should have left more before moving. Therefore, think carefully what you fill the container with. Some things you better buy new in Australia (which also reduces the removal costs) and other things are simply not useful.

Although relocating your household is in principle free of duty (if older than one year), there are some limitations. Furthermore, customs can be very meticulous when examining the goods to bring into the country, especially with regard to the hygiene regulations in Australia. It is therefore important to ensure that the relocation goods and in particular things used outdoors, such as bicycles, garden furniture and tools, etc., are perfectly cleaned and, if necessary, disinfected. Which raises the question if it’s worth the trouble.

Here are some first-hand tips:

Technical devices in general

In Australia, the power grid also has 230V volts, which basically means that most technical equipment can be used (there are for countries with a lover voltage). However, the sockets and plugs are different. Therefore, after arrival in Australia you have to go to a hardware store, buy new plugs and have the old ones of your device exchanged (of course only by a licensed electrical contractor according to Australian laws), which really can be a lot in a normal household ….

If you want to avoid this work, I recommend to stock up with power boards before moving to Australia. Then you only have to replace the respective plug of the power board (again only by a licensed electrical contractor). However, you can barely get around to replace the plug of a few devices.

Furthermore, it is often a problem to get in Australia spare parts for equipment etc. bought overseas. For example, three years ago I bought a bicycle with hydraulic Magura brakes. Since these brakes are unknown here, I wasn’t able to buy new brake pads at any bike shop here at the Gold Coast. Only in Sydney a found a shop for e-bikes that also sells spare parts for Magura brakes.

Television

Your good smart flat screen TV is best left behind, because on the one hand TVs are no longer expensive in Australia, and on the other hand, your TV might not pick up anything in Australia. Television in Australia is broadcast on other frequencies than e.g. in Europe (even on cable channels), so the tuner of your TV is unlikely to be prepared for these frequencies. In this case you have to buy a set-top box in Australia, which serves as a receiver.

Furthermore, the apps and other smart features may not work, as most televisions sold are designed for the country of purchase. In Australia useful apps (e.g. ABC iView and SBS on Demand) can then not be installed on your TV.

And the possible recording function on hard disk based on the Electronic Program Guide can also not be used.

Modem/Router

Before taking your LAN/WLAN/WIFI modem/router to Australia, make sure it supports Australia’s DSL and telephony standards. This is usually not the case. Furthermore, the WLAN frequencies and radio channels used by your existing router may not be allowed to be used in Australia (e.g., channels 120, 124 and 128), and consequently your router may not have the legal approval for Australia and hence may not be operated at all.

I therefore recommend selling the box beforehand and to buy a new one in Australia.

DVD-Player

If you have a large selection of DVDs and would like to bring them to Australia, then you should also wrap up your previous DVD player. Otherwise, it can happen that you cannot play your beloved movies on a device bought in Australia.

DVD (and also Blu-ray) uses regional codes that provide technical protection for digital rights management. The region code is designed to prevent movies stored on these media from being played worldwide.

In this day and age of mobility and intercontinental relocations I regard this patronising and furthermore as extremely antiquated and disturbing. But you have to live with it.

The DVDs bought in e.g. Europe have the region code “2” and in Australia the code “4”. If you do not happen to own a regional code-free DVD-games (which are available), you can only play the DVDs of the region in which you bought the player on the DVD player.

Although Blu-ray also has regional codes, the good news is that on one hand the regions Europe and Australia (Oceania) have the same code “B” and on the other hand most Blu-Rays are code-free.

Vacuum-Cleaner

Has to be cleaned extremely accurately. Vacuum cleaners are one of the classic examples of what customs are paying particular attention to when it comes to hygiene control. So bring it to Australia only if the vacuum cleaner was brand new and very expensive and you do not mind spending an afternoon cleaning (and I mean much more than just removing the bag).

Wardrobes / bedroom closets

Best not to bring, as almost all bedrooms are equipped with built-in wardrobes and in a bedroom is normally no space for an additional wardrobe / closet. The bedrooms are often quite small in Australia.

Gas-Barbecue

… is better left behind. A barbecue would have to be meticulously (!) cleaned, so that it is not rejected by the customs during quarantine inspection or possibly fumigated for reimbursement of the high costs. The main point here, however, is that gas connections in Australia are different from Europe or other countries. Which means you will not likely find the appropriate gas hoses and valves to connect your barbecue to local gas cylinders or gas lines. In addition, gas barbecues which are approved overseas may not be operated in Australia.

Sodastream® (Sodaclub) sparkling water maker

Don’t bring with you. The thread of the Sodastream® bottles in Australia is different, so you can only use bubblers purchased in Australia. On the Australian website of Sodastream you will find the following information:

Australian CO2 Cylinders use a specific cylinder thread, so you may not be able to find these compatible Cylinders anywhere other than in Australia. If you have bought a Cylinder or a Sparkling Water Maker from outside of Australia, it will not work to Australian standards.

Food

There should be no food at all in the removal goods. That usually only creates problems with customs.

Clothing

Less warm clothes! Australia is a continent with few freezing cold climates-zones (like Tasmania), of course the sensation of cold is subjective. So if you are used to living in cool regions overseas or if you have pursued many alpine activities, you will have to adapt more or less in Australia. In any case, you need much less “winter equipment” than e.g. in central and northern Europe. Thick boots, thick jumpers etc. can be reduced to a minimum. However, one should not omit warm clothes completely, as in winter it e.g can freeze (below 0°C) in the outback, can get quite cold in Melbourne and even on the Gold Coast, the temperatures in unheated houses can well go down to 6°C in winter (after sunrise, it gets quickly warm again).

Less formal clothes! In Australia, people dress much more casually than in Europe. If you do not have to follow a specific dress code at work (also here), T-shirts, shorts and flip-flops (here called “Thongs”) are part of everyday clothing. Australians put on shorts and thongs on almost all occasions. In the plane, buses and trains, when driving, shopping, in the cinema, even at a wedding.

Beds

You should also think twice whether your bed is so valuable, that you want to pack it into the container. In fact, if you need a new mattress later in Australia, this may be difficult as bed and mattress sizes in Australia are different from those in continental Europe.

First, mattresses are usually much thicker, namely up to 45 cm. But also length and width differ. The typical queen size bed has a mattress of 60 by 80 inches, which is 203 × 153 cm. In general, there are only the following sizes available, which are based on inches. Therefore the odd cm-numbers.

Single (188 × 92 cm)
King Single (203 × 107 cm)
Double (188 × 138 cm)
Queen (203 × 153 cm)
King (203 × 183 cm)

The common sizes available in Continental Europe of 140 × 200 cm, 160 × 200 cm or 180 × 200 cm are very difficult to find in Australia. IKEA has mattresses in the size 180 × 200 cm on offer.

2. Mail forwarding request

You should ask in time for a forwarding request. In a lot of countries his doesn’t cost much. I recommend a forwarding-period of at least a year or even more (depends on the costs), since a renewal is often not possible.

Furthermore, since you probably have to move again inside Australia within the first two years, you may want to choose a forwarding address that is “stable” in these 24 months. We have chosen the address of the parents-in-law.

Resending Australia Post within Australia for 12 months costs $ 144.15 (and from Australia to Europe sensational $ 1,214.85 !!!!)

3. Health check at family doctor / general practioner (GP) and dentist

Although in Australia you are covered by Medicare, the general public health insurance, it is advisable to have a health check before in your current country of living. The Medicare reimbursement system is not easy to catch on, so you might experience some surprises when you go to the doctor right after arriving in Australia. Costs for dental treatments are generally not reimbursed by Medicare.

4. Cancellation of insurances

All insurances should be terminated in good time, including health insurance. None of the insurances based overseas insures anything in Australia. Furthermore, the insurance companies often want proof of relocating so that they will terminate the insurance before the official expiration of the contract. The whole procedure can take a while. Starting the procedure half a year in advance can save a lot of trouble.

5. Cancellation of bank-accounts or inform the bank about relocation

It certainly makes sense, at least for a transitional period, to keep one bank account in your home country. On the one hand, you might want to pay one or the other bill, even if you are already in Down Under, on the other hand, you might also want to wait until the exchange rate is a bit more favourable before you transfer your money to Australia. Or you have investments in your home country that you do not want to dissolve yet.

In any case, you should inform your credit institutions in good time about the plans. Then you can also avoid that problems arise, e.g. if you want to transfer larger amounts while you already in Australia.

6. Termination of tenancy agreement

Sounds trivial but is quite important. Don’t forget to terminate your tenancy agreement (if you have one) in time according to the applicable law of your country. Often there is a time limit you have to be aware of.
If you miss this time limit, you still might have to pay rent while you are already in Australia ….

7. Organize / prepare renovations for old property

Have a close look into your tenancy agreement. Sometimes you are obliged to renovate the property (e.g. painting work). If so, you should plan this too. I personally recommend taking advantage of the services of a professional moving company. They can usually do the renovations and coordinate it with the removal / relocation.

8. Water, Gas, Electricity, etc. – Inform the supplier and arrange an appointment for meter readings

Cancel the energy supply with your local provider on time. However, sometimes this is only possible one week ahead of the relocation out or even after one has moved. Get informed well ahead about the correct procedure with your energy supplier.

9. Local authorities – registry office

Check with your local authorities. In many countries it is compulsory that you inform the registry office about your new address and/or provide them with further information.

9. Organize accommodation / address in Australia

After arriving in Australia one would like to stay somewhere. You also need a residence in terms of bank details, driver’s licence, Medicare etc. We rented the first 4 weeks in a holiday apartment, which we had previously booked online. So we had a base to settle the first issues from. As a residential address, we used the address of the in-laws (where we were every few days).

10. Bank-account in Australia

You can already open a bank account in Australia beforehand and transfer money from overseas. Within 6 weeks after arrival in Australia you have to unlock the account by personal appearance. Of course, you can also open an account after arriving in Australia, but that’s a little more complicated if you do not have all the different proofs of identity (and you certainly will not have that in the beginning).

12. Book your flight

Also seems to be trivial but you should think of it well ahead. You can save a lot of money if you compare flights and airlines and book at the right time.

13. Farewell Party

Last but not least, you should also think of your friends and relatives, who would certainly like to say farewell to you (one should at least think so) and also want to be part of a farewell party. Therefore, plan ahead as early as possible, so that not many people might have to say “sorry,
unfortunately on that day I have already something else planned“.