Organise removalists, packing and unpacking services, cleaning and mail redirection, ideally about a month in advance. Use Australia Post to redirect mail and notify of your new address. Organise services and utilities to be disconnected in your old home and connected in your new one.

Throw out as much as you can at your old home. This means you have less to pack and don’t need to sort through everything when you are unpacking at your new home. There is also less to move, which makes it faster and cheaper.

Packing a house takes a long time. Professional packers can pack around 4.5 cartons per hour, but if you are inexperienced, it will take much longer. Ensure you leave plenty of time to pack before your removalist arrives so everything is boxed, labelled and ready for them.

Pack your belongings into boxes to keep them clean, safe and easy to transport. Always pack lighter items in large boxes, and heavier items in small boxes. Items such as artwork, televisions, golf clubs, wine etc have special sized moving boxes. Have an esky to move cold food. Get breakables packed professionally, or research how to pack them to minimise breakages.

Use clean white paper for wrapping & packing items. Do not use newspaper as it can leave black newsprint on your possessions and home. You will need around 1kg of paper for every 3 boxes to be packed. For a 3 bedroom home, you will need around 15kgs of paper. A tape gun is also invaluable to tape boxes.

Ensure you have some markers to label your boxes. Include Your SURNAME, ROOM (e.g. kitchen, bathroom), CONTENTS (e.g. glassware, books) and FRAGILE if appropriate. At your new home, well-labelled boxes can be placed in their correct rooms, and you’ll find specific possessions quickly. Write on the tape and not the box if possible, so they can be re-used.

This should contain ‘easy to lose’ and ‘hard to find’ items such as remote controls, shelf supports, keys to furniture cabinets and manufacturers’ instructions for reassembly of items. Valuable items such as laptops and small electronic items, passports and jewellery should accompany you on the move so you know where they are.

Moving day can be stressful. If possible organise for kids and pets to be looked after while you move so they can come home after the chaos has cleared, their belongings put away and your new home organised. It makes sense to set up kids rooms early so they can get themselves settled into their new room while you focus on the rest of the house.

Moving is stressful and physically strenuous. Hire reputable removalists who are referred by those you trust. Let us help you with packing and unpacking, so you can focus on work, family, organising services and connections in your new home, and the many, many other things that need to be done when you move.