Things you wish you took

[michaelc17]

Hi guys, making the move in April and will be packing our stuff up soon. What’s some things you wish you took but didn’t? I’m a carpenter/joiner so will be taking as much tools as possible then just some household stuff. I know once we get there, there will be a “ I wish we brought” scenario or 2 lol

[Jon the Hat]

42 minutes ago, michaelc17 said:

Hi guys, making the move in April and will be packing our stuff up soon. What’s some things you wish you took but didn’t? I’m a carpenter/joiner so will be taking as much tools as possible then just some household stuff. I know once we get there, there will be a “ I wish we brought” scenario or 2 lol

We bought everything just about, and I spend my time wondering why I have so much shit.  Generally speaking everything is expensive here.

[calNgary]

1 hour ago, michaelc17 said:

Hi guys, making the move in April and will be packing our stuff up soon. What’s some things you wish you took but didn’t? I’m a carpenter/joiner so will be taking as much tools as possible then just some household stuff. I know once we get there, there will be a “ I wish we brought” scenario or 2 lol

We came with 8 suitcases and shipped 8 boxes in a shared container, mainly hubbys tools, kids favorite toys, toiletries, kitchen ware and any sentimental items we couldnt part with. In hindsight i wish we had brought the tumble dryer too as it was quite new, but that is about it.

     Cal x

[pob]

Toilet paper, toothpaste, shaving cream, gravy browning.

[Toots]

22 minutes ago, pob said:

Toilet paper, toothpaste, shaving cream, gravy browning.

Stock up on that sort of thing when they are on special at Coles/Woolies.  I got enough toothpaste and shaving cream for OH at half price to last for many months.  Never pay full price.  

[Melbpom]

20 hours ago, calNgary said:

We came with 8 suitcases and shipped 8 boxes in a shared container, mainly hubbys tools, kids favorite toys, toiletries, kitchen ware and any sentimental items we couldnt part with. In hindsight i wish we had brought the tumble dryer too as it was quite new, but that is about it.

     Cal x

Second vote for the tumble dryer, I brought my condenser dryer back because they're expensive here.

[calNgary]

2 hours ago, Melbpom said:

Second vote for the tumble dryer, I brought my condenser dryer back because they're expensive here.

Those few weeks over winter are a nightmare trying to dry clothes and that when i miss it. I do have an undercover clothes line so manage outside on that the majority of the time ,thats probably why i have never been bothered buying one here. Just to know i pretty much gave a new one away thinking i would never need it ever again is frustrating,lol.

       Cal x

[ali]

On 15/02/2023 at 17:39, Jon the Hat said:

We bought everything just about, and I spend my time wondering why I have so much shit.  Generally speaking everything is expensive here.

We brought everything as well (other than fitted robes and appliances) including the washer and dryer.  We're so glad we did - reduced our stress levels and financial outgoings in those early days as we didn't have many huge purchases to think about

[JetBlast]

I came across someone who dumped all their winter clothes. Don't make the same mistake. It does get cold here!

[Marisawright]

1 hour ago, JetBlast said:

I came across someone who dumped all their winter clothes. Don't make the same mistake. It does get cold here!

Very true. It depends on where in Australia you're going (the further North you're going, the less you'll need them).   However if you're coming to Victoria or Tasmania, you'll need woollie hats, scarves and gloves just like the UK.   I never needed such things when I lived in Sydney, but I still needed a winter coat and jumpers.

[Bobj]

1 hour ago, Marisawright said:

Very true. It depends on where in Australia you're going (the further North you're going, the less you'll need them).   However if you're coming to Victoria or Tasmania, you'll need woollie hats, scarves and gloves just like the UK.   I never needed such things when I lived in Sydney, but I still needed a winter coat and jumpers.

I have seen frost in Hall's Creek. In Kununurra in the depths of the Dry, we used to go to the open air cinema with 2 blankets,  2 over the deck chairs and 2 over each and a sweater each andlong trackies as the evening temps would get down to 10C.

Cheers, Bobj.

Edited February 18, 2023 by Bobj
grammar

[ramot]

We bought everything with us, apart from winter clothes because we actually had almost none as we had lived in Brunei for 10 years prior to our move. If it isn’t broken and it will work in Australia, then it certainly keeps the initial costs down, and then you replace them  slowly rather than all at once.

One thing to remember if you move here to a warmer part of Australia, is that it doesn’t take very long before you acclimatise and  start to feel cold in winter and understand why no one else is wearing thin summer clothes in winter, apart from visitors from the South, or overseas. You see us locals wearing trousers and a fleece, and visitors in swim wear.

[Tychen]

I agree - bring everything you can. Especially if you have anything good quality and/or made in UK/Europe, whether that be clothes, linen, crockery or appliances. Unless it's an Australian or Chinese product, it will probably be more expensive and/or impossible to replace at the same quality.  If you bring appliances,  I suggest investing in multi extension leads on the UK end - then you only need one converter for multiple appliances. For the TV, you can get a set-top box here to get it working.

You are probably not in the market for nappies, but we found that it wasn't possible to get nappies of the same quality in supermarkets here. (We eventually found importers of the same brand of nappies, but made in Japan.)

[Ausvisitor]

I disagree, we sold absolutely everything before we came over. We travelled with Qantas, one 30kg suitcase each and 10kg of hand luggage. So 80kg between us. Basically clothes, laptops, important docs and some sentimental things.

Never been happier, we had a 5-bed house chock full of stuff before, we now rattle round the new place because we don't have any clutter

Best thing we ever did to hit "full-reset" when we made the move

[Raplin45]

39 minutes ago, Ausvisitor said:

I disagree, we sold absolutely everything before we came over. We travelled with Qantas, one 30kg suitcase each and 10kg of hand luggage. So 80kg between us. Basically clothes, laptops, important docs and some sentimental things.

Never been happier, we had a 5-bed house chock full of stuff before, we now rattle round the new place because we don't have any clutter

Best thing we ever did to hit "full-reset" when we made the move

I'm really glad someone has said this as that is my plan when I get to that point! Everyone's different of course but this gives me confidence that I'm not totally nuts 

[Quoll]

I do wish we'd brought the tumble dryer and the under bench freezer but we are coping. 

[ramot]

4 hours ago, Ausvisitor said:

I disagree, we sold absolutely everything before we came over. We travelled with Qantas, one 30kg suitcase each and 10kg of hand luggage. So 80kg between us. Basically clothes, laptops, important docs and some sentimental things.

Never been happier, we had a 5-bed house chock full of stuff before, we now rattle round the new place because we don't have any clutter

Best thing we ever did to hit "full-reset" when we made the move

We’ve always been amazed by how much clutter we’ve managed to accumulate every time have moved house again,, and  as I gave up counting after 17 house moves, I’m quite experienced about weaning out all the unnecessary clobber every time.

When I posted about bringing everything with you, I didn’t mean unnecessary clutter, but why ditch perfectly good items, because unless you have plenty of money, it makes far more sense if they fit in your container, to replace them slowly, rather than the unnecessary expense of buying new, as soon as you arrive here. There is also a general consensus that everything is more expensive here, and a lack of choice.

 

[Ausvisitor]

I just don't see things being expensive here, they seem to be give it take exactly the same as they were in the UK. Certainly not enough to make hiring a container something I want to do (we've moved international many times before and always used a container and so it was a conscious decision rather than a naive first timer)

[Marisawright]

2 hours ago, Ausvisitor said:

I just don't see things being expensive here, they seem to be give it take exactly the same as they were in the UK.

Ah, but I recall you're a minimalist, like us -- you went to IKEA and kitted your home out from there.    That doesn't suit everyone.

For people who are fussy about their furniture, selling it all and replacing it here will cost them far more than shipping it. Plus they'll find the selection here isn't as good.  Plus they won't get to pick and choose exactly the right sofa, dining table etc etc, because they need to get their house set up in the space of a few weeks, so they'll have to settle for what's available and replace it later (more money thrown away). 

Of course, all the clutter needs to go and I doubt whether most people need a whole container once they've got rid of all the surplus.

Edited February 20, 2023 by Marisawright

[calNgary]

1 hour ago, Marisawright said:

Ah, but I recall you're a minimalist, like us -- you went to IKEA and kitted your home out from there.    That doesn't suit everyone.

For people who are fussy about their furniture, selling it all and replacing it here will cost them far more than shipping it. Plus they'll find the selection here isn't as good.  Plus they won't get to pick and choose exactly the right sofa, dining table etc etc, because they need to get their house set up in the space of a few weeks, so they'll have to settle for what's available and replace it later (more money thrown away). 

Of course, all the clutter needs to go and I doubt whether most people need a whole container once they've got rid of all the surplus.

But not everyone who doesnt ship everything is a minimalist and like Ikea either, and i have come across quite a lot of familys who brought no furniture, especially back when doing relocations.

 I think i have bought 2 items of furniture from Ikea in the years i have been here and they have been shelves for the kids. There are lots of other options out there and not just cheap and cheerful, unless Melbourne is very restrictive compared to SEQ. Furniture from a run of the mill semi in the UK would look silly in a big detached aussie house, so having the benefit of buying what we wanted, when we wanted, from where ever we wanted sure worked for us and if i did it all over again i still wouldnt bring furniture. 

To me money thrown away is paying for a container or movecube and never using half of what your brought because it doesn't suit / fit..

  Cal x

[Marisawright]

10 hours ago, calNgary said:

Furniture from a run of the mill semi in the UK would look silly in a big detached aussie house....

 

Once again, depends where you're moving from/to.  Many migrants coming to Sydney or Melbourne would be moving into a place that's no bigger than the place they left in the UK.

[Tychen]

10 hours ago, calNgary said:

To me money thrown away is paying for a container or movecube and never using half of what your brought because it doesn't suit / fit..

Fair enough. It's easy to forget that the calculus is different if you don't have a container worth of relocation allowance to fill.

This might be more helpful: here are some random examples of things we haven't been able to replace and/or have paid much more to get the same quality here:

- Tailor made suits/shirts

- Ties, cufflinks, silver jewellery

- Clothing from high street chains like GAP, Hobbs, etc

- British-made pottery - eg milk jugs

- French made knives, pots

[Tychen]

13 minutes ago, Marisawright said:

Once again, depends where you're moving from/to.  Many migrants coming to Sydney or Melbourne would be moving into a place that's no bigger than the place they left in the UK.

We had this experience. Our London furniture was too big for our first place in Inner West Sydney.

[Ausvisitor]

28 minutes ago, Tychen said:

Fair enough. It's easy to forget that the calculus is different if you don't have a container worth of relocation allowance to fill.

This might be more helpful: here are some random examples of things we haven't been able to replace and/or have paid much more to get the same quality here:

- Tailor made suits/shirts

- Ties, cufflinks, silver jewellery

- Clothing from high street chains like GAP, Hobbs, etc

- British-made pottery - eg milk jugs

- French made knives, pots

I get my work clothes tailor made (always have). Years ago working in Bangkok got fitted. Now I just look at the current styles online, call up a few weeks in advance and then jump on a long weekend to Bangkok to pick up the freshly made items.

Did it when I lived in the UK, still do it now. Even adding in the airfare and hotels it is many times cheaper than comparable onshore quality items (in the UK or AUS)

[InnerVoice]

On 15/02/2023 at 18:55, michaelc17 said:

Hi guys, making the move in April and will be packing our stuff up soon. What’s some things you wish you took but didn’t? I’m a carpenter/joiner so will be taking as much tools as possible then just some household stuff. I know once we get there, there will be a “ I wish we brought” scenario or 2 lol

Every time I get to Bunnings checkout I rue the day that I didn't bring everything and the kitchen sink when we returned from the UK. Especially all the tools and garden equipment I left behind. You can always find cheaper alternatives, but quality items here are expensive. You may well end up with things that you don't need, but you will easily find a home for them on Marketplace or Gumtree, and get decent money too. We had a big clear out just before Christmas and were surprised by how much people paid for some of our old junk, compared with what we could have sold it for second-hand in the UK.

As others have said, almost everything here is more expensive than the UK, so anything you don't have to buy here will be a bonus.