JeanneO

I was reading a thread here about things not allowed into Australia. I went to the website mentioned and see that cereal seed is not allowed. I take ground up flax seed and was planning on bringing it with me. Would it be confiscated? Thanks for any info. Love this site - it's so helpful.

Judy_in_Calgary

JeanneO, if I were you, I wouldn't even bother trying to take ground up flax seed to Oz. Or, if you do take it, be very sure to declare it, as several other posters have warned in connection with this topic, and do not have any expectation that you will be allowed to keep it. If it's confiscated, or if you decide not to even try taking it into the country, you can buy some in Oz.

To give you some idea of how strict they are, when we moved to Australia from Texas, the moving company gave us a list of precautions we had to take. Scrubbing our barbeque and all of our garden tools clean was one of the things on the to-do list. I guess the idea is to avoid taking into Australia the soil that might be on garden tools.

When our container arrived, we noticed that the cartons containing the barbeque and the garden tools had been cut open. We surmised that Customs inspectors must have checked them for cleanliness. Luckily I'd scrubbed them, and they were squeeky clean.

Being a farmer's daughter, I understand Australia's desire to protect itself from environmental and agricultural menaces that it has managed to keep out so far.

JeanneO

Thanks for the advice, Judy. I'll leave the flax seeds at home.

lcuy

I was in California over christmas clearing our family home and was surprised how many items my brother ( who lives in Australia) felt he could not take home. Antique wooden items ("might have bugs&quot, old china sets packed in straw (he repacked it with bubble wrap after washing), smoked salmon in a factory sealed box, and opened spice bottles among others.

Living in Hawaii, I know the problems that come from imported pests, so I applaud the Aus government on this one.

The good news is that supplies are good and things are still relatively inexpensive once you get there!

monia

Hi there,

we are heading to Australia for three weeks from the 26th Jan to the 14th Feb.
We will spend few days in Port Douglas in February and I was wondering, if you had in the past experience about the weather, being the wet season.

Cheers
Monia

thornhill5

We just returned from a trip to NZ and Oz and were brining shells and flax seeds with us. In Oz,we declared both items. They took away our seeds since they were in a ziplock bag and had no information. I don't think they would let any type of unroasted or unprocessed seeds in. They took my shells and washed them and gave them back.
Happy travels.

hotandsweaty

here's what we have never understood:

what about all the stuff that washes up on the 5 K gazillion KMs of coastline? who is monotoring that?

we had to surrender our seed leis from vanuatu, but let's face it, birds can eat and then drop the same seeds and they they don't pass through customs. ditto the tides and what they bring in. just wondering how this policy is implemented outside the airport arrivals area?

anyone with an explanation?

MD

Anything that's coming in via nature probably already has - it's the stuff that's totally out of it's element that they worry about. I'm sure it's not so much the common seeds as the molds insects and other pests they may harbour. The uncommon seeds and wildlife - well look at kuzdu (?) in southern USA; or the zebra mussels in the Great Lakes. Even Alberta in Canada asks you not to import firewood from the outside because there might be Dutch Elm Disease beetles in the bark.

It's easier to say "don't bring anything that grows or harbours crop molds, insects, or other pests". They don't have to use a giant catalog or keep a biologist on duty.

On the other hand, we brought in commercial Meuslix cereal from New Zealand - still sealed, It was processed (baked to sterility is part of the process, I assume) and sealed in the plastic bag and the box, so it was OK. Ditto for potato chips (sorry, crisps!).

I guess their motto is "better safe than sorry!"

Judy_in_Calgary

>>>>>>We will spend few days in Port Douglas in February and I was wondering, if you had in the past experience about the weather, being the wet season.<<<<<<

Monia, there are old discussion threads about this. Suggest you do a word search here in Fodors' Australia forum. Then, if you still have questions about the weather in Port Douglas in February, suggest you start a new discussion thread with a title that will let other participates know what it's about.

PixieChick

Jeanne-

Well, I would guess you already know not to bring them. But don't despair...ground up flax seed (and whole flax seed) is available in all major cities (and even many others). All supermarkets will have it (at least Coles and Woolworths) in the health food section.