Moving to Australia from the UK? 1st Move International is one of the UK’s leading International Removals companies and is your trusted partner for a seamless and stress-free move abroad.
With over 25 years of experience in moving household goods overseas, we specialise in helping individuals and families relocate their belongings safely and efficiently.
We offer a comprehensive range of door to door international moving services, from expert packing, fast weekly shipping and transparent pricing, to personalised support with your own dedicated move manager to guide you through the complexities of an overseas move.
Get a free quote here or continue reading to find out everything you need to know about moving overseas from the UK to Australia.
With guaranteed weekly shipping services to Australia our faster transit times using, consolidated shipping, means your household goods and personal effects can arrive up to 14 weeks faster than other movers.
Take advantage of our advanced palletised packing systems to ensure top-level security for your overseas move. Carefully packed and stacked to your own individual pallets to minimise handling and maximise safety and security. Truly the safest way to ship household goods abroad.
With palletised shipping, enjoy precise and transparent billing thanks to accurate measurements. Your pallets are individually measured to ensure you pay for what you ship. Say goodbye to rough estimates!
As a BAR member, our company has been rigorously vetted and subject to regular audits to ensure we meet their strict quality guidelines, including financial stability, full regulatory compliance, and adhering to the BAR's strict code of practice when dealing with our customers and all aspects of shipping their goods worldwide.
When shipping your household goods from the UK, sea freight container shipping is typically the method of choice. Depending on the size of your move, you can either choose a Shared Container or a Full Container service. Continue reading to learn more about these types of services and how to choose the right one for you.
Shared Container is the most cost-effective and efficient way of shipping your belongings from the UK. This is the perfect option for "smaller" moves (those shipping anything less than the contents of a 2-3 bed home.) This service allows you to share container space with other customers so that you only pay for the space that you need for your move.
Moving costs: Shared container shipping costs start from £ 840.00 for a small move up to £2490.00 for a 1 or 2 bed apartment. This service is weekly and will take around 45 days to arrive. There will be additional costs for packing, insurance and final delivery depending on your location in Australia.
Full Container is the ideal solution for larger moves, providing you with the exclusive use of a 20ft or 40ft container for your move from the UK. This service is tailored for those relocating the contents of a 3+ bedroom home, or for anyone needing to transport a large volume of goods. With Full Container shipping, you benefit from the security and control of having an entire container dedicated to your belongings.
Moving costs: Full container shipping costs start at around £ 4600 for a 3-bedroom house or £7600 for a 4-bedroom home. There will be additional costs for pack and load services, insurance and final delivery depending on your destination in Australia.
Here at 1st Move, we professionally pack all your personal belongings, white goods, and furniture items. These are then carefully stacked and secured to pallets for maximum safety during the international shipping process.
This prevents any movement in transit and greatly reduces the amount of handling for those larger items. Proven to reduce insurance claims by up to 70%, it is the safest way to ship household goods Down Under.
Export wrapped, secured to your pallet, then further protected with a bubble wrap casing and a cardboard skin. Finished off with our unique Shrink Fast bag, then tightly strapped and sealed.
Fabulous packing for your personal effects and peace of mind for you, our customer.
Michelle M
Bristol to Bunbury, WA, AustraliaFrom first contact to completion of the job everyone had time to talk through options. I can't think what they could have done better, when my stuff arrived after several weeks at sea I was pleased but not surprised to see no damages. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them and if I move again they get the call! 5 Star
Read more Australia moving reviews
Chaya R
London to Victoria, AustraliaI highly recommend First move international and will definitely use them again. They were caring, understanding and very patient with me and made sure I knew exactly what was happening every step of the move. Thank you for being so helpful!
Read more Australia moving reviewsIf you're thinking of moving to Australia then you probably have a lot of questions about the international removals process (and everything else!). Below we've compiled some of our most frequently asked questions and answers to them.
International removals costs from the UK to Australia will vary depending on the size of your move and the destination in Australia. To give you some guide prices the costs for a small house move will start at around £890.00, an apartment move will be around £2200.00 and a full house move will cost upwards from £4500.00.
You should also factor in the costs for packing, customs clearance, insurance, and inland transport in Australia.
As a rough guide see our table below for some typical shipping and moving Costs from the UK to Australia in 2025.
| Destination | Small Move | 1 bed flat / apartment | 3 bed house move | 4 bed house move |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fremantle, WA | From £840 | From £1780 | From £4600 | From £5900 |
| Adelaide, SA | From £870 | From £1800 | From £4550 | From £5800 |
| Melbourne, VIC | From £860 | From £1790 | From £4500 | From £5900 |
| Sydney, NSW | From £865 | From £1750 | From £4550 | From £5850 |
| Brisbane, QLD | From £875 | From £1800 | From £4650 | From £5950 |
| Darwin NT | From £990 | From £2350 | From £5400 | From £7200 |
| Burnie, TAS | From £1300 | From £2450 | From £5600 | From £7300 |
| Hobart, TAS | From £1650 | From £2490 | From £5800 | From £7600 |
The above costs should only be used as guide only. Prices shown are port to port freight costs. They do not include UK collection or packing costs (we don't know how much stuff you plan to ship or exactly where you are departing from).
To receive an accurate quote for the total cost involved for your move to Australia simply request a quick quote, or give us a call on +44 117 9828 123.
It is important to know when the ship will sail from the UK to determine the correct arrival time for your household goods.
We offer weekly sailings direct from the UK to all main ports in Australia. Port to Port shipping time average 45 to 50 days after sailing from the UK.
Most movers however need to wait up to 3 months before they can fill their container before they can ship, so although the transit times may be the same the arrival times with 1st Move can be up to 3 months earlier.
At 1st Move we share with commercial exporters, we do not need to wait to fill our containers so we ship out every week. This means faster arrival times so you can settle into your new life without having to wait months while your goods hang around in the UK.
On average it takes between 45-50 days for goods to arrive. For exact sailing and arrival times, check out our weekly Australia shipping schedule.
Be it Darwin or Alice Springs, Wollongong, or Launceston we have got you covered. We offer international removals services to all the Australian States and Territories of New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia, and Tasmania—and two internal territories—the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory, which contains Canberra.
We serve these destinations through all the main arrival ports listed below with weekly shipping services direct from the UK.
Wherever your destination, we’ve got you covered.
Be in full control of your move! This detailed timeline outlines each step of the process, from getting a quote, moving day, packing, and shipping to finally receiving your belongings in your new home. Plan your move with confidence and get ready for your new life Down Under.
Now you have a clear roadmap for your move! Ready to get moving? Get a quote here.
Generally, Australian citizens and permanent residents returning after 12 months abroad can import their used personal effects duty-free. This typically includes household goods and furniture owned and used for over a year. These include clothing and footwear, personal hygiene and grooming items, furniture, appliances, sports equipment and books. However, some items may still be subject to Goods and Services Tax (GST) or other charges.
Australia has strict biosecurity laws to protect its unique environment and banning or limiting the import of almost all food and animal products including;
The Australia government provides a full list of these items. Please also see our own restricted items for Australia guide and our Australia Customs Guide for more information.
We require the following documents to ship your personal effects from the UK:
Please see our detailed customs guide for personal effects shipping to Australia.
All documents and forms can be securely uploaded via our document transfer page.
Yes, if you are planning to move permanently, you will need a visa before you can enter and move any household goods from the UK. Below is an outline of available visas and the Australian Government provides great advice on visa application requirements here. Have a look at Australia Visa Finder options here.
Yes! We provide a tracking service for all our international removals. Once your shipment is in the container and loaded to the vessel, you will receive a tracking number. This will allow you to monitor the progress of your shipment online using our container tracking tool and stay informed about its estimated arrival time.
The short answer is yes, when you move to Australia it is possible to have your car shipped at the same time, and the good news is they drive on the left-hand side, just like the UK. We can arrange to ship your car inside a container or by specialist Ro Ro , (Roll on Roll off) services from Southampton. You will have to obtain prior permission and apply for Vehicle Import Approval before you can ship your car.
Autoshippers is part of the 1st Move International group of companies, and are one of the largest shippers of private vehicles to Australia They have over 25 years of knowledge and experience and can guide you through the intricacies, paperwork, and customs requirements to safely ship your vehicle. Please visit the Autoshippers Australia car shipping page here for more information.
From visas and medical fees, to shipping your goods and flights we go in-depth on the costs involved in packing up and moving to Australia.
Get the latest information on UK to Australia container shipping costs and container ports.
Everything you need to know about shipping furniture & personal effects from the UK to Australia.
Whether you're looking for basic moving tips, city info, or full visa and immigration guides we've got you covered.
How long does it take to ship? We post up-to-date sailing schedule information and as part of our weekly shipping promise we'll tell you in advance what ship we can get your personal effects on.
We cover all the legalities of shipping household goods from the UK to Australia including what forms and documentation you need to provide.
Australian customs are known to be one of the strictest in the world so we've detailed what you can and cannot ship in to the country.
We ship cars too. Get more information on our car shipping service.
