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What to bring, buy or leave behind?


Liv

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It looks like things are coming together really quickly for us (I'm using my wife's account so excuse the poor spelling and language) and I wanted to know from some of you guys in Aus what you found helpful that you took along, bought and then took or wish you had taken with? We have a lot of things that we definitely don't need to bring over and I want to start clearing and getting things that will set us up that side.

I'm looking into bringing my boat (or maybe sell it and bring a smaller boat) because of the ridiculous cost of a boat that side… but other advice and tips would be greatly appreciated...

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I think that the general consensus is that if you have the money for a container, fill it up and bring everything. If the majority of your furniture and white goods are needing replaced, buy new here.

We didn't bring anything except photos and a few bits and bobs, but I do know that it helps people build a home more quickly when their container arrives with all their familiar possessions.

In terms of the boat, you will need to weigh up the costs of any taxes, changes to Australian standards etc that will need to be made in much the same way that people who bring cars over do. I don't know of anyone who brought a boat so can't really help, but will it have to be moored,is it small enough to fit in a yard, will you have a yard big enough to house it?

I think I will leave it to those who have recently arrived to tell you what they wish they had left or brought, but good luck with the adventure :)

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We brought everything we could....we still had space in the container so I am sorry that we didn't stick the old fridge and washing machine in as they could've lasted another 12 months this side. Obviously it depends on your situation and the quality of stuff you're bringing over....if you are arriving with a job and earning dollars immediately, it won't be that bad. If you aren't, you will convert everything you buy into rands and it is very expensive to replace stuff. Check out websites this side to compare prices....our TV was stole the week before we left so we didn't replace it in SA. It cost us R6 000 in SA and to replace here would've been double so we got something else. My husband brought his motorbike....it was a huge mission in terms of the paperwork needed, and there are additional clearance costs etc. Contact a shipping company your side (we used Bayleys and they were excellent on both sides) They will tell you exactly what to apply for....it takes long to get the paperwork done, as well as the additional inspection and container costs. Problem is that his bike doesn't meet all the 'Standards' this side, so just check out that stuff too. I am so happy that we brought everything...our kids settled quickly having familiar stuff with them so it really worked for us.

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We are currently packing up so I would love to see all of your opinions too.

99 days for us

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That's a good question... we are also considering all our options and all along in my head I was fine with ordering 2 large move cubes... then we physically measured out the movecubes and I had a mild panic attack. Also, they aren't cheap - R20,000- each with the AUS inspection fees. Prices vary for containers but the cheapest so far (Jhb to Sydney) has been just under R60,000- through British International...

Check out some of these sites for costing of buying second-hand or new:

Gumtree

Bing Lee

Seconds World

Harvey Norman

The Good Guys

Freedom Furniture

So in terms of your question, I am not too worried about "white goods" and replacing them in Aus but some of our good furniture we cannot replace at that quality with Rands (I don't think)... and perhaps after all is said and done I have too many kitchen things and kids things to take that will make it feel more like home for them to take the move cube... so much for the sleek, streamlined move for us! We will be packing our container full!

Good luck!

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Shannon, you must be so excited. We're not there yet, but always so grateful for everyone sharing their experiences.

Good luck everyone!

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Shannon, you must be so excited. We're not there yet, but always so grateful for everyone sharing their experiences.

Good luck everyone!

At the moment, the emotions come in like waves. One moment I'm super excited and want to go NOW and the next I'm sad and a little despondent but none the less, still ready to start this new adventure :ilikeit:

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Hi Liv/Shannon you might be interested in the procedure to get your marine license. We are in QLD and our whole family went and did ours on Saturday. It was a course of +-6 hrs and cost $130pp. http://www.msq.qld.gov.au/Licensing/Recreational.aspx

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This may sound a bit arbitrary, but bring a decent mop. You'll be doing lots of those and the mops here aren't that great. Some people say the steam mops here are good, but I like the quick and easy operating ones like verimark....something small that makes my life a lot easier...

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Hmm, I've always said bring it all and we did, but having just moved into our first own home (ie not a rental) we have had to make choices as not everything will fit. I would say bring enough for smallish home, this will make it easier to find a rental. So if you have doubles of stuff choose the more practical option and get rid of the other, such as lounge suits or dining tables. Also, a lot of SA furniture is just too big for average homes here so have a careful think as to the practicalities of your furniture.

Bring beds, or replace mattresses. They are pricey here new. Bring extra linen, it is pricey here. Check your towels and if need be replace them.

Leave white goods unless new or special.

Bring sporting equipment, it is expensive here.

Leave cars, boats etc.

Bring your clothes plus a few extra things for next year. Shoes are still cheaper in SA.

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Wow, thanks for all the responses! Every little bit of advice helps. I've loved all the practical input…doesn't sound like taking our boat is such a good idea, we never thought of all the extra costs. However, we'll definitely go buy a good mop and some new linen….those little pearls of wisdom are priceless ;) Has anyone taken over a gas stove? We have a relatively new Defy gas stove, which is in amazing condition, so I'm reluctant to part with it.

Thanks

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Wow, thanks for all the responses! Every little bit of advice helps. I've loved all the practical inputdoesn't sound like taking our boat is such a good idea, we never thought of all the extra costs. However, we'll definitely go buy a good mop and some new linen.those little pearls of wisdom are priceless ;) Has anyone taken over a gas stove? We have a relatively new Defy gas stove, which is in amazing condition, so I'm reluctant to part with it.

Thanks

You would probably need to have the stove converted or at the very least, inspected and certified.

That said, every single house that you buy or rent will have a stove already, so it's up to you on whether you want the awkwardness of getting rid of the old one or where to put the one you brought.

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Bring all your tools, ladders, wheel barrow, hose pipes and connections, even all those odd nails and screws. I found buying these expensive. I would have also packed some coffees. Bring your bikes as well.

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If you are going to the expense of a container, pack every cm. no need to leave your white goods. We fitted in our 4 year old Samsung washing machine & it washed here for 4 more years. You can even fit in your stationary and Christmas wrapping paper. One thing I bought now recently in SA to bring back was a Verimark potato peeler set, those heavy metal ones with an additional slicer. I love it & I haven't seen one here. Friends also onced asked us to bring back Stokies, haha

Ps. Our Bosch dishwasher was a waste of space but we did sell it for $200 on this side

Edited by Bronwyn&Co
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Bring all your tools, ladders, wheel barrow, hose pipes and connections, even all those odd nails and screws. I found buying these expensive. I would have also packed some coffees. Bring your bikes as well.

I would love to see you push a South African wheel barrow in the sand over here.

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We have also looked at the cost of replacing versus taking a container and in the end we decided on a 20ft container through Bayley's. We will have it packed to the max will all our stuff as I believe it will help us and our girly settle easier with our own things around us. Plus our stuff is not too old and in very good condition with a few family antiques.

At some time we where considering to bring our Venter trailer as we love camping, but the hassles where just too much.

Now we just need to decide on when we want to go and get the packing started...

Good luck to all in the packing process.

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We've brought as much as possible and it helped us settle in in terms of costs. You can sell what you don't need here and recover some money.

My opinion: throw out all your old clothes, undies and shoes (liberally) and replace. It should carry you for a while until you earn $s. Good quality clothes in RSA are much cheaper than here.

We brought two fairly old Floorwizzes (plural for Floorwiz?) - one broke over the weekend and at least we can still use the other before we buy someting new here.

Tools are very expensive and RSA tools are very good quality. Bring them along!

And bring your fans You'll thank me for that one. :-D

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After storing our AEG dishwasher for 5years we have finally taken it out of its Baileys packing. So great to toss out the Asko and install something solid. That is the resounding comment of so many tradesmen. Our stuff is solid, where does it come from. Even better, we just connected it and it worked, unlike the washing machine we unpacked 1 year after arriving and had to replace all the pipes.

Definitely tools are good to bring. You can get Ryobi at Bunnings, but if you want AEG bring it with you.

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Hi Liv,

We will definitely be taking hubby's boat if we get our visa.

Hubby will have to do a few modifications such as add a second axle and narrow them slightly as the widest part must be no more than 2.5m. And as it is around 2.8tons each wheel needs to be breaked. Luckily he builds trailers so won't be too costly to do these modifications.

As he bought it new 5 years ago and it is paid for we are willing to pay costs associated with taking it with. We have looked on gumtree and we can not replace it especially with the exchange rate and besides boats over there do not seem so pretty..... (probably get shot for saying that)

Thanks for posting this as it will help us all with our future move.

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Maybe a little off topic, but maybe it help: We are still waiting for our container and I was forced to do some purchases. I caught some sales and bought amazing quality bath sheets (equivalent to WW's exclusive range) for $15 each. Basic swimming towels for $7.50 each. Coles has a special where you can mix and match kitchen ware for $10 (e.g 3 sharp knifes and 2 cutting boards/ 1 bamboo board). Both Coles and Woolworths have rewards cards and you can also use it at some petrol stations. Clothes are very very expensive...

We have come to the conclusion not to buy anything if not on special. Buy in bulk does seems to save!

One last remark: Get an estimate of the typical rent for the type of property you would want to rent. If you have a lot of furniture, but cannot afford to rent a big house, rather come with less. Although we live in a rural town, I struggled to find a large enough rental house. I don't know if you have children? Schools are zoned and it seems as if people move into the better public school's zones just to get in. Therefore finding a big house in a good neighborhood could be difficult. You might have to settle for something smaller and store the rest of you stuff. But that is also expensive.

Hope it helped!

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  • 2 months later...

Thanks! These tips are all helpful. We are also currently in the process of deciding what should be taken with, sold, etc.

Thankfully, I can sew and my sewing machines is definitely coming with, so that will help:)

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Hi Thank you for all this useful information, we have basically exactly 12 months to go, so looking at what we should replace in terms of washing machine, fridges etc. As one has to have owned everything for 1 year prior to move. thanks :ilikeit:

Edited by Belindaf
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  • 3 weeks later...

We have also looked at the cost of replacing versus taking a container and in the end we decided on a 20ft container through Bayley's. We will have it packed to the max will all our stuff as I believe it will help us and our girly settle easier with our own things around us. Plus our stuff is not too old and in very good condition with a few family antiques.

At some time we where considering to bring our Venter trailer as we love camping, but the hassles where just too much.

Now we just need to decide on when we want to go and get the packing started...

Good luck to all in the packing process.

How much did they qwote for the 20ft? We are still thinking of buying new here, beds and lounge suite and taking it over as it is expensive. Just do not want to spend 100k for just buying and container cost. Then we might as well buy the stuff there???

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Having gone through similar costs assessments, here's what we'll be taking in 6 months.

Dining room table

Dining room chairs

Sideboard

Cookware

Bed

Mattresses

Linen

Tools

Musical Instruments

With a couple boxes of smalls and clothes, kids toys and sundries we're looking at around 10-15 cubic tons, a 20ft container holds 30 cubic tons, so between a 1/3rd to 1/2, the quote we got from two different places was similar +- R30,000, a whole 20ft container is around R55,000.

Our electrical appliances are all old now, our dishwasher is on the brink and not sure how much more use we'll get on the fridge. The cost of shipping the fridge is +- R2,000, then there is no warranty and what happens if we get a rental that comes with one?

We are heading to Sydney, probably going to be in a 2-3 bedroom flat or terrace, space is a premium and storage is expensive, rather buy new there, when/if we need it. We've looked at prices on-line and comparing apples with apples on most appliances it's about 1/3rd more expensive in Aus, fine by us considering it's new, warrantied, and as shared we buy when we need it.

We have high end bed which is Aus are more than double of not triple the cost, same with our solid wood dining furniture, but Ikea offers us replacements for the rest and in many cases cheaper than what we could even replace them for here in SA, plus there are stores like Freedom, Target and many others, more options than we have here.

To each his/her own I guess, just our 2 cents.

Cheers

Matt

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