Three months in Melbourne...suggestion for getting "things" over there?
Aug 31st, 2011, 11:48 PM
#1
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Three months in Melbourne...suggestion for getting "things" over there?
My husband and I will be spending 3 months in Melbourne for work starting Oct 30 and wonder how others have gotten their personal effects/clothes in a cost effective way overseas?
Seems like paying for extra baggage is expensive but maybe less than shipping? Thoughts, carriers, timing?
Thanks!
Seems like paying for extra baggage is expensive but maybe less than shipping? Thoughts, carriers, timing?
Thanks!
Sep 1st, 2011, 12:37 AM
#2
Hi Marcia -
Does the company you're working for offer any type of relocation package? Are you having to ship furniture?
Our household goods have always been packed and shipped at the expensive of my spouse's employer, but our assignments are generally for four years.
Failing that, do you have status with any airline frequent flyer program? We're both PE with UA and are each able to fly between the US and Australia with three checked bags, each weighing up to 70 lbs.
Does the company you're working for offer any type of relocation package? Are you having to ship furniture?
Our household goods have always been packed and shipped at the expensive of my spouse's employer, but our assignments are generally for four years.
Failing that, do you have status with any airline frequent flyer program? We're both PE with UA and are each able to fly between the US and Australia with three checked bags, each weighing up to 70 lbs.
Sep 1st, 2011, 09:45 AM
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There is also a great costco there,as well as numerous other shops and the Victoria Markets, if your only going to be there 3-4 months it hardly seems worth it to pay for all that shipping. Think of the adventure and fun you can have picking up a few things there.
Sep 1st, 2011, 06:21 PM
#5
You'll likely each be allowed two large checked bags plus a carry on. That is enough space for a LOT of stuff. It is for only 3 months
If your accommodations are fully furnished you shouldn't need to take much if any household things.
If your accommodations are fully furnished you shouldn't need to take much if any household things.
Sep 1st, 2011, 06:23 PM
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For three months, I don't think it's worth shipping things. My partner was working in Germany for six months last year. We rented a fully furnished apartment so really only needed the usual allowance of 23kg, 32kg for business.
Sep 1st, 2011, 09:09 PM
#8
You have tons of space in your luggage allowance - enough for hot weather and cool weather clothing. Not everything you own -- but plenty for 3 months.
They do have laundries and dry cleaners . . .
They do have laundries and dry cleaners . . .
Sep 1st, 2011, 09:35 PM
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"summer to winter ' in November, December and january -yes but not a cold winter. eg you won't need a coat but you may need a light jacket for that "wintry " weather. It is summer and can range from 18 to 40 C
Sep 3rd, 2011, 08:38 PM
#10
I wouldn't ship anything. Just bring the minimum you need in your case. If you have a furnished apartment then you won't need very much and can always pick things up cheaply here. We have Big W (like Woolworths) and Target etc to buy any household goods you find you need. You can give them away to an op shop when you leave (thrift/charity shop).
We went from Australia to live in England and stayed for nearly five years. We took one suitcase each, with clothes for work, casual clothes, summer and winter stuff etc. It was very hard packing but worth it in the long run. We ended up renting unfurnished flats, not by choice, and had to buy the absolute minimum of secondhand furniture and very basic kitchen equipment. We accumulated a fair bit and either gave it away or sold it cheaply when we left. I would do this the same way if we moved again, it's not worth shipping stuff unless you are moving permanently.
In your case, with only 3 months here, I think you should just bring the absolute minimum. You may be surprised, as I was, how little you really need.
By the way, I know we don't know each other but have met other people via travel forums, which has always been really nice. We could meet up once you get here if you like.
Kay
We went from Australia to live in England and stayed for nearly five years. We took one suitcase each, with clothes for work, casual clothes, summer and winter stuff etc. It was very hard packing but worth it in the long run. We ended up renting unfurnished flats, not by choice, and had to buy the absolute minimum of secondhand furniture and very basic kitchen equipment. We accumulated a fair bit and either gave it away or sold it cheaply when we left. I would do this the same way if we moved again, it's not worth shipping stuff unless you are moving permanently.
In your case, with only 3 months here, I think you should just bring the absolute minimum. You may be surprised, as I was, how little you really need.
By the way, I know we don't know each other but have met other people via travel forums, which has always been really nice. We could meet up once you get here if you like.
Kay
Sep 5th, 2011, 02:46 AM
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Kay, what a lovely offer! My husband will be worlking and I will be "exploring" and would be thrilled to meet. I enjoy art, music, plan to do a lot of wandering In the city and beyond, maybe take some art or cooking classes. Any thoughts would be appreciated and how to contact you once we're settled....we're still deciding which area to rent an apt. I want to be near transportation, husband doesn't want a high rise (what most short-term furnished rentals seem to be) since we live in New York city and he wants something different....thoughts?
Anyway, thanks to all. I am looking forward to packing in one suitcase and filling in there with an excuse to shop!
Anyway, thanks to all. I am looking forward to packing in one suitcase and filling in there with an excuse to shop!
Sep 6th, 2011, 02:13 AM
#12
Hi Marsha, most Melburnians live in one storey houses so you may be able to rent something like that and live a different lifestyle from the NY one! We live in a one storey weatherboard house, which is the most common sort of house out our way. We live way out in the 'burbs. When we went to live in the UK we were excited to live in a flat on the second floor as it seemed so different. We got good leg muscles from all the exercise!
Actually thinking about it, if you want a furnished rental, that will probably have to be in the inner city in a highrise as houses are (nearly) always rented empty.
We had a week in NYC about 2 years ago and some floors of our hotel had permanent residents in the apartments. The first time we saw a dog in the lift (with it's owner) we were so surprised, not what we expected. But we love animals so it was great to see all the dogs in New York, just about everyone seemed to have one.
This is one of the more popular websites for buying or renting:
http://www.realestate.com.au/rent
The UK branch of this site was useful to us when we lived overseas, worth checking out for short term rentals etc.
http://melbourne.gumtree.com.au/
Public transport in Melbourne is not that great (especially after living in London) but if you live near a train station or in the inner city it shouldn't be too bad. Somewhere near a tram line would be good too.
Do you want to put your email address on here and we can swap more info off the forum?
Take care and happy to answer questions.
Kay
Actually thinking about it, if you want a furnished rental, that will probably have to be in the inner city in a highrise as houses are (nearly) always rented empty.
We had a week in NYC about 2 years ago and some floors of our hotel had permanent residents in the apartments. The first time we saw a dog in the lift (with it's owner) we were so surprised, not what we expected. But we love animals so it was great to see all the dogs in New York, just about everyone seemed to have one.
This is one of the more popular websites for buying or renting:
http://www.realestate.com.au/rent
The UK branch of this site was useful to us when we lived overseas, worth checking out for short term rentals etc.
http://melbourne.gumtree.com.au/
Public transport in Melbourne is not that great (especially after living in London) but if you live near a train station or in the inner city it shouldn't be too bad. Somewhere near a tram line would be good too.
Do you want to put your email address on here and we can swap more info off the forum?
Take care and happy to answer questions.
Kay
Sep 6th, 2011, 06:52 AM
#13
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Yes, thanks. I'd love to get feedback on areas we're looking to rent in. Please send me an email at
[email protected]
and hopefully I can run locations by you for convenience in getting around. Thanks!
[email protected]
and hopefully I can run locations by you for convenience in getting around. Thanks!
Sep 6th, 2011, 02:31 PM
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Hi Marshacarlin,
If you enjoy art, you will enjoy visiting the National Gallery of Victoria which has a really good collection. Across the river from that is Federation Square (with the type of architecture that you either love or loathe - you will see what I mean) which houses the Ian Potter Gallery which is a collection of Australian art.
If you love food, make sure you visit the Queen Victoria market - great food, clothes, souvenirs. They run guided tours of the market and, I think, they also have cooking classes. There is another group that does guided tours of the Asian area of Melbourne sampling different foods. Melbourne has a great range of places to eat with food from every corner of the world.
There is a very good tourist office in Federation Square which can help with information.
Since you are arriving late October, you will be in Melbourne for the Melbourne Cup. They say it is the (horse) race that the nation stops for and that's about right, as wherever you are in Australia, everyone stops to listen to the race. Horse racing may not be your scene but it would be a good Aussie experience.
I hope you enjoy your visit to Australia.
If you enjoy art, you will enjoy visiting the National Gallery of Victoria which has a really good collection. Across the river from that is Federation Square (with the type of architecture that you either love or loathe - you will see what I mean) which houses the Ian Potter Gallery which is a collection of Australian art.
If you love food, make sure you visit the Queen Victoria market - great food, clothes, souvenirs. They run guided tours of the market and, I think, they also have cooking classes. There is another group that does guided tours of the Asian area of Melbourne sampling different foods. Melbourne has a great range of places to eat with food from every corner of the world.
There is a very good tourist office in Federation Square which can help with information.
Since you are arriving late October, you will be in Melbourne for the Melbourne Cup. They say it is the (horse) race that the nation stops for and that's about right, as wherever you are in Australia, everyone stops to listen to the race. Horse racing may not be your scene but it would be a good Aussie experience.
I hope you enjoy your visit to Australia.
Sep 27th, 2011, 03:36 AM
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We moved to Melbourne - more of a permanent deal on our own - in 2009. I highly recommend maximizing the amount of checked baggage you can bring to hold as much clothes as you think you'll need. IMO, clothing is much, much more expensive here. When we go back to the US, we leave with nearly empty bags and bring back what we can. Jeans alone are about 3x-5x here what they cost back in the US, considering they're all made in the same place (which isn't the US OR Australia).
You can pick up household goods pretty cheap. Highly recommend starting at the Reject Shop and similar to see what they have first, before going to a regular retailer. Won't be great stuff, but hey - even a $2 toilet brush will last for a few months.
One thing - it's not uncommon here for people forgo some conveniences that Americans often expect. Clothes dryers come to mind off the top of my head. Meaning that your furnished place may very likely not have one. Might want to check that out, but be prepared to peg out clothes. It's the way of things... Australians are immersed in the science and art of outdoor clothes drying!
PS - it's way overpriced, but if you get to missing some food item or another, there's a little import company with a storefront here in the Melbourne suburbs that brings over US and Mexican packaged foods. usafoods.com.au
Love the Queen Vic Market. Also a fan of Frankston Beach, Healesville Sanctuary and the Yarra Valley, South Melbourne Market, seeing something at the Princess Theatre, and the cafes of DeGraves Lane (it's a real cafe culture around here).
You can pick up household goods pretty cheap. Highly recommend starting at the Reject Shop and similar to see what they have first, before going to a regular retailer. Won't be great stuff, but hey - even a $2 toilet brush will last for a few months.
One thing - it's not uncommon here for people forgo some conveniences that Americans often expect. Clothes dryers come to mind off the top of my head. Meaning that your furnished place may very likely not have one. Might want to check that out, but be prepared to peg out clothes. It's the way of things... Australians are immersed in the science and art of outdoor clothes drying!
PS - it's way overpriced, but if you get to missing some food item or another, there's a little import company with a storefront here in the Melbourne suburbs that brings over US and Mexican packaged foods. usafoods.com.au
Love the Queen Vic Market. Also a fan of Frankston Beach, Healesville Sanctuary and the Yarra Valley, South Melbourne Market, seeing something at the Princess Theatre, and the cafes of DeGraves Lane (it's a real cafe culture around here).
Sep 29th, 2011, 02:19 AM
#19
Hi Clifton, we live in Melbourne too. I know this has been discussed here before but I have to agree with you about prices. We lived in the UK for a number of years, which everyone here seems to regard as a country with very high costs. Since we've been back, we've routinely found things to be more expensive here. It's quite surprising, I never thought I'd want to go back to the UK to stock up on things!
I must check out that USA Foods store you gave the website for, we often buy food bits and pieces in America and bring them home (we know how strict customs are so are careful about that).
Kay
I must check out that USA Foods store you gave the website for, we often buy food bits and pieces in America and bring them home (we know how strict customs are so are careful about that).
Kay
Sep 29th, 2011, 03:07 AM
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Hi Kay. I do think that there are some things that come pretty close in price with what I was used to, or as close as one might expect given the difference in economies of scale between the US and Australia. For instance, we were seeing awful prices on bananas due to the flood, while in the US, bananas were going for $.59 per pound. But now, bananas are projected to come close to around $.79 per pound with the new season. And that's with the US importing all theirs from places with very low wages for workers (thus no net gain for the economy except in handling).
But some manufactured goods. Wheww. Cars and clothes being prime examples. Quite a difference there. Others, say your basic slow cooker or waffle iron, not too much difference. Seems to depend on a lot of factors I'm not privy to... lol
Judging by forums I've read, wayward Yanks all over Oz seem to mail order from USA foods for their fix. (I tend to stick with Cheerios for the kiddo since the US version not made by Uncle Toby's is sugar free and a favorite.... and a variety of mexican and Mexican-ish products, like real ancho chili powder and salsa verde. But I just drive down if I see online they have what I'm wanting in stock. It's in Moorabbin, on Cochrans Rd, almost at Warrigal Rd.
But some manufactured goods. Wheww. Cars and clothes being prime examples. Quite a difference there. Others, say your basic slow cooker or waffle iron, not too much difference. Seems to depend on a lot of factors I'm not privy to... lol
Judging by forums I've read, wayward Yanks all over Oz seem to mail order from USA foods for their fix. (I tend to stick with Cheerios for the kiddo since the US version not made by Uncle Toby's is sugar free and a favorite.... and a variety of mexican and Mexican-ish products, like real ancho chili powder and salsa verde. But I just drive down if I see online they have what I'm wanting in stock. It's in Moorabbin, on Cochrans Rd, almost at Warrigal Rd.
