Planning an interstate move

An interstate move is not a local move with a longer drive. Your belongings are out of sight for days, the dates at each end are harder to shift, and the rules change when you cross a border. Most of the difference is in the planning, and most of the problems live in the gaps between one state and the next.

Start earlier than you think

Book an interstate move well ahead, and earlier again if you are moving at the end of a month, during school holidays or over Christmas. Space on the busy routes goes first.

Ask for an itemised written quote rather than a single figure. It should show transport, packing, storage and any extras line by line, so you can see what each part costs and what would change it.

Understand delivery windows

Interstate removalists give an estimated delivery window rather than a fixed date, because distance, road conditions, weather and other loads on the route all affect timing. Be wary of anyone who guarantees an exact day over a long distance.

Plan around the whole window, not the earliest day in it.

• Keep enough with you to live for a week: clothes, bedding, medications, work equipment and school things.
• If you will arrive before your furniture, a few basics bought locally beat a week of sitting on the floor.
• If your furniture could arrive before you have the keys, ask about holding it in storage.

Check the border rules before you pack

Western Australia and Tasmania both have strict biosecurity rules on what can come into the state. Plants, soil, some fruit and vegetables and other produce can be restricted, or need to be declared. Outdoor furniture, pots and garden equipment with soil on them can be a problem too.

Check the current requirements on that state government's biosecurity website before you pack, not after. The rules change, and it is far easier to give a pot plant to a neighbour than to deal with it on arrival.

Dangerous goods are a separate question, and the answer is the same in every state. Petrol, gas bottles, paint, solvents and ammunition do not travel in a removal truck. Drain the mower and the whipper snipper before moving day.

What to update when you arrive

• Vehicle registration. States generally expect you to transfer registration within a set period of moving there - check the timeframe with the transport authority in your new state.
• Your driver licence, which usually works the same way.
• Your enrolment, with the Australian Electoral Commission.
• Medicare, your bank, employer, insurer and the Australian Taxation Office.
• Schools. Curriculum, uniforms and term dates can all differ between states, so contact the new school early.
• Pets. Check any requirements for bringing animals into the state, and book pet transport early if they are not travelling with you.

Your car

Driving between capitals takes days on some routes, and a long drive at the end of a move is the last thing most people want. Sending the car separately means you can fly and arrive rested.

We arrange door-to-door and depot-to-depot car relocation. Ask which suits your route, and leave the car mostly empty. Loose items move around in transit, and personal effects left in a vehicle generally sit outside the transport arrangement.

Pack for the distance

A local move might take an afternoon. An interstate load spends days on the road, so packing has to hold up to far more than a trip across town.

• Use proper removal cartons rather than supermarket boxes, and fill them so the tops do not sag.
• Wrap furniture fully, not just the corners.
• Keep an inventory, and photograph anything valuable before it is packed.
• Keep documents, jewellery, passports and anything irreplaceable with you.

On arrival

Be at the destination, or have someone there, for the delivery window. Check items as they come off the truck, point out any damage to the crew before they leave, and photograph it. A problem recorded on the day is far easier to sort out than one raised a fortnight later.

If you are planning a move between cities, our interstate relocations page explains how we handle one from quote to delivery.