This whole moving thing is starting to get me down

[bitingmidge]

and the most distant one in the Maroochy Shire, Coolum:

http://www.maroochytourism.com/ausnet_coolum.htm



P

[bitingmidge]

awwww... what the heck! If you haven't already done so, log onto http://www.maroochytourism.com

That ought to take your mind off packing for a few days!
Cheers,

P

[ozwinner]

Sooooo, Midge, how come your hanging around all these toilets???????

Al :confused: :eek:

[bitingmidge]

Purely for research you understand!


P

[jackiew]

I don't envy you your packing task. I had to go through the process twice.

First time my employer paid for 1 container and I left everything else behind ( the day before departure I was to be observed desperately throwing things into the loft - I'm surprised that the ceilings didn't collapse on my tenants.

Second time was the genuine clear out with garage sales, car boot sales, giving stuff away and at the end of it a big skip. And I still made mistakes in keeping/getting rid of stuff even with several years of being out here under my belt - so theoretically I knew what stuff cost.

You won't regret taking the things that you care about, books, records, pictures etc and pieces of furniture that have sentimental associations. You won't regret bringing tools (DIY and workshop). Don't discount taking things which don't cost much and don't take up much room - it can be incredibly annoying to have to go and buy that 50p little screwdriver to fix your glasses. Having moved into a 4 bedroom house ( rented ) with 3 suitcases ( waiting for first container to arrive ) you have to buy stuff while you wait for your container. You have a choice of buying cheap and nasty or secondhand on arrival and get rid of it when your good stuff arrives or just leave the items behind and buy decent new first off. The op (charity) shops can be a good deal. I got 3 chairs for $6 for instance - nothing flash but it did me for something to sit on for 12 weeks.

Go with your gut feeling over the transport company you use and don't go on price.

First time I used Pickfords - have nothing but praise for their service and the couple of bits that did get damaged they paid up for no worries.

Second time I got another "international" company. They measured everything and took copious notes. Their price was lower than Pickfords and very reluctantly I went with them. They collected everything and then rang me up and said there was more stuff than they quoted for and I would have to pay extra.

When my belongings arrived here in Aus it was "we are delivering on this day take it or pay extra". My belongings were and I kid you not, dumped in the house so I couldn't get in or out. Pickfords take away the wrappings and allow you to check for damage there and then. It took me several days to unwrap ( having to clamber over boxes ) and weeks to get rid of the packing in my wheely bin.

The standard of packing was extremely poor. One large box had a teapot in it and lots of packing and nothing else ( of course I paid for that unused volume). Other boxes they'd emptied separate containers into one. Several irreplaceable pieces of furniture were damaged having been wrapped in a single layer of bubble wrap while other pieces which could easily have been unwrapped and survived had 3 or 4 layers of wrapping. I finally gave up trying to claim on the insurance for the damage and for missing items ( I suspect they thought I wouldn't notice what was missing as their inventory was crap ) as they were totally not interested in my claim. I won't name names here in print but lets just say that I've probably got back my insurance claim in losing them business when anyone asks for recommendations.

[simon c]

Get rid of it all.

When I came out I got rid of a lot but still shipped some stuff out. I still think I brought out too much stuff.

One of the problems is the time it takes for it to get here - could be up to 3 months. If you REALLY need the stuff, then you'll end up buying it in the interim (eg toaster, kettle, etc).

You're setting up a new life, don't bring the old one with you.

[TassieKiwi]

I know just how you feel. I came from NZ, and I now look at some of the stuff i did bring and wonder why, but also often go looking for say the small sheet of stainless/ply/phenolic/whatever, and think 'bugger, should've bought that along'. I'd go with keeping hold of useful or sentimantal stuff, especially workshop stuff. There's no rules son. Good luck with everything.


D