iamrachael

So this is a little embarrassing. Removal men called last week to tell us our shipment had arrived, cleared quarantine and was ready for delivery. It comes tomorrow. I don't know what ship we have been tracking all this time, but it certainly wasn't the one with our goods on it. Just an FYI, we were using a ship tracking website called, Marine Traffic. Anyway, it's happy days here. Looking forward to having my hoover again!

Quick question, would you tip removal men when delivering your household goods?

I think if the shipping company had been a bit more open with their communication, we'd be more forgiving. We were told for weeks it was going any day and that was put back for weeks and weeks. It's frustrating but not the end of the world. The benefit of hindsight is a wonderful thing, but sadly won't help us this time. Danny - We went with Doree Bonner. The salesman was on fire, we liked him and were sold then and there!

Our precious belongings were picked up from our flat in London 3 and a half months ago with the idea that it would take 3 months in total for them to reach us in Melbourne. They sat in storage in UK for well over 2 months before being assigned to a ship. My partner and I have been living here now for 2 months and tracking the ship daily on a marine traffic website and it's stopping off at every single port in China. At this rate we will not have our goods for at least another month. That'll be almost 5 months - best case scenario! We've had to buy doubles of things we already have coming because we can't wait any longer! I know the delay is out of the hands of the shipping company, but their level of communication with us has been zero! Has anyone else suffered big delays with the shipment of their goods?

Hi Danny We just used the online enquiry form found on the Singapore Airlines website. Just leave contact details for them to get back to you! http://www.singaporeair.com/en_UK/feedback-enquiry/

My partner and I flew out of London with Singapore Airlines 3 weeks ago. He is on subclass 309. We emailed Singapore Airlines before flying to have written confirmation that my partner could have the extra luggage allowance. The lady checking us in had never heard of it before, so it helped that we had a copy of that email with us. She put us through with no dramas. As everyone above has said, you need to be flying on an unvalidated visa to get the 40kg. Good luck!

Hi Marynyho I am in a similar situation although they didn't miss loads it's still too much to take as baggage on the plane in 2 weeks time. Can I ask what the outcome of this was? I hope it all worked in your favour!

Hi all My partner and I leave London for sunny Australia in less than 2 weeks time. Most of our belongings are in a shipping container awaiting consolidation. We still have with us now, and especially after Xmas more belongings than we can take with us on the flight. Can anyone recommend any good air freight companies? I can't imagine we'll have loads - perhaps 30kgs. Also, will we have to pay any additional charges when these goods arrive in to Australia? Thanks in advance.

We are using Doree Bonner. Our worldly possessions have been sitting in a shipping yard in England since the beginning of December waiting to be shipped to Oz. Have not heard anything from them, so will be doing some chasing next week. Will keep you updated.

Hi all We have our first shipping company coming around tomorrow to give us a quote on how much our move will cost. Moving to the other side of the world is very new to me (I came here from Australia 12 years ago with a suitcase and am returning with a two bedroom house). Can anyone offer any tips on what sort of questions I should be asking tomorrow? eg. Do you supply the boxes and bubble wrap? Are we responsible for packing or will your team pack? Do we need to make sure everything is clean (hoover dust free) or will your team take care of these things? How long will our belongings sit in storage before being shipping to Australia? etc etc Thanks in advance!

I suspect I already know the answer to this one, but wondered if anyone else has any experience with bringing entomology in to Australia? I collect butterflies, insects and I have a crab (I'm a little stranger than some) I have about 8 in total. Before anyone gets animals rights on me, all of these animals died naturally. They have all been treated and are in glass cases that have been sealed shut. I'm sure customs will destroy them on site which would break my little heart. Can anyone offer any advice ??

VERY excited to announce that my partner received approval today for our 309 visa request!!! We applied on the 19th of January. So just over 9 months to process. Very very happy!

One last question, does anyone know how long do we have to make the move to Australia after the visa has been approved? I've heard 12 months, but not sure where I'd read it.

So I emailed our CO today, just for peace of mind. Her reply was very simply that nothing further was required from us and the documents we have provided are sufficient. We should not expect to hear anything further until a decision is made between September and October. Feel very relieved, now just hoping we get approved!!! Thanks again for the advice and reassurance. I will now go back to holding my breath and twiddling my fingers until September.

Thanks so much for your replies. VickyPlum & MovingtoTasmania - We have applied for the visa online through the immi website. We were appointed a CO within days of submitting the application. She emailed us directly asking us not to attach photos, correspondence between my partner and I, cards etc, we were also told there was no need to have any of our documents certified. So we have not done any of that at her request. Now reading through the forums and people who have submitted everything with their application but their kitchen sink is having me worry that we've not done enough. Obviously this is our CO's job and I'm sure she'd email us if there was any problems, but it's all just a little unnerving. We have done our best not to bother her with emails and phone calls but perhaps we should to refresh her memory. I really don't know!!!