Audrey 
If moving home is one of the most stressful things you can do, then moving interstate in Australia must be doubly so.
But this is something an estimated 400,000+ Aussies do every year.
Whether it be for work, a sea change or to look for new opportunities, there is a lot to consider when moving to another state.
For this reason, it is a good idea to be as organised as you can be, which is why you should consider making a checklist of all the things you need to do before, during and after your move.
If you do decide to draw one up, here are some of the things you should include on it. Do this, and you should find the process of moving interstate that little bit easier.
What to do before the move
Here are some things you should plan to do between 1 to 6 weeks prior to your move:
Find your kids a new school or kindergarten. If you have children, one of the first things you should do is find a new school or kindergarten for them. This will involve researching, and even visiting the institution, as well as filling out the relevant paperwork. This can be time consuming so it’s best to start this process as early as you can.
Declutter. The chances are you have plenty of stuff in your current home that you no longer need or want to take with you on your move. So, this is the perfect opportunity to declutter via the classic ‘donate, bin, sell’ method. Not only can you make a bit of money by selling some of your possessions, but you will also become much clearer about what you actually want to take with you. If you need to chuck a lot of stuff out, 1300 Rubbish can help remove unwanted waste, whether you are in Melbourne or several other cities in Australia.
Get removalist quotes. You will need help to move your possessions out of state, so it is worth booking in the services of a removalist early. Before doing this get three different quotes from reputable companies. Make sure these include door-to-door delivery, insurance and packing (if required). Be sure to check out their reviews on Google or their Facebook page too, as a guide to previous customer satisfaction.
Put all your essential documents together. It is easy for things to get lost in a big move, so prior to leaving your current home take the time to put all your essential documents like passports, birth certificates, medical records and financial information in one box. To reduce the risk of you losing it, keep the box in your bedroom until you move. It is a good idea if this box is brightly covered to make it easily recognisable.
Change your details. As you are moving home, you will need to let a number of institutions know. This includes your bank and various government related services (myGov is a convenient way of doing this). You will also need to update your driver’s licence too.
Arrange utilities & internet. As soon as you know your move out/move in date, you will need to contact your utility and internet providers to let them know of your changing circumstance. Take the opportunity to ascertain whether you can procure these services for cheaper in your new home. Make sure you arrange from them to be operational on the day you move in.
Get packing & moving supplies. Once your house move has been confirmed, you should take the opportunity to source the packing and moving supplies you will require. This includes everything from boxes and containers to packing tape and bubble wrap. The quicker you get these, the sooner you can start packing!
Start packing. How you pack is up to you, although room by room is a very good strategy. When you do pack, it’s a good idea to clearly label the box with the room its contents are to be put in. It is also worth writing down on a piece of paper, a list of every item that you put in a box, and then sellotaping it to the side of it. That way when you arrive at your new place, you can easily refer to this list if you want to remember where you put something.
1-2 days before the move
Here are some things to do 1 to 2 days before you move.
Set up a post office address redirect. You don’t want to lose important mail, so it is a good idea to set up an address redirect with Australia Post. This way your post will be redirected to your new address for up to a year. Which will give you ample time to change your address with everyone who sends you correspondence.
Pack a bag of clothes and essential items. As you will be travelling to your new home, or at least moving out of your current one, you will need to pack a bag of clothes, toiletries, food items and other essentials to use until you get settled again. Make sure your new house keys are in this bag, if you have them already.
Pack your car: If you will be taking some of your own possessions with you then be sure to pack your car the night before the removalists come. This way you will ensure that everything you personally want to take with you is accounted for, and not accidentally included in the moving truck.
Pack a kids entertainment bag. If you have a long drive, or flight ahead of you, and are travelling with children, make sure you pack some of their favourite games, books, toys and some art and craft activities for them.
Clean your fridge. Prior to your move you will need to run down and completely defrost the fridge and freezer. It’s a good opportunity to give them a thorough wash too.
Double check all boxes. It is a good idea to check your boxes over to see if they are all labelled properly. You could consider moving them to the garage or near the front door as this will mean the removalists will spend a little less time fetching them – and thus may even save you a bit of money.
Relax. Moving day will be a big day for you. So, take the opportunity to rest and relax in preparation for it. Go for a walk, hit the beach, or enjoy a nice meal. Anything to take your mind off the stresses of what lies ahead the next day.
Moving Day
On the day of the move, you should focus on the following.
Supervise the removalists. When the movers arrive make sure you are ready for them. Run through with them what to take and also confirm the address they will be taking your possessions too.
Conduct a final survey of each room. Before leaving the house do a thorough search of every room to ensure that you have not left anything behind. This includes things like curtains you might want to take. If you have outside storage cabinets or a shed, make sure you double check there too.
Clean and hoover all empty rooms. While this is optional if you own the home you are moving out of, it is a nice thing to do. Quickly vacuuming all rooms and wiping down surfaces like kitchen benchtops and bathroom sinks will leave the house in a nice state for the new owners. (Which if anything should create good karma for yourself). If you rented the property, you would have to give it a thorough cleaning, or at least pay for someone to do it.
After the Move
In the week or so after you have moved into your new home here are some things you should do.
Air out your new place. Weather permitting, it is worth opening all the doors and windows in your new home and giving it a proper, natural airing out. That way any lingering or musty smells should dissipate. Once you have done this, you can then introduce air freshening products to keep it smelling nice!
Sage your home. Again, this is optional, but many people believe lighting a sage bush and wandering around each corner of each room of the house will rid it of negative energy. If this is something you would like to do, make sure you have all your windows and doors open. As this will ensure the negative energy flows out of them.
Change locks. Something else you don’t have to do, but is wise to do, is to change the locks. After all it is better to be safe than sorry. You just never know how unscrupulous the previous owners might be, or for that matter anyone else who might have a key to your new place.
Unpacking. You will obviously need to unpack all your possessions in your new home and this should take you a good week or so. How you do this is up to you, although on a room-by-room basis is always a good idea. On the day you move into the new place, you might want to consider setting up the kitchen and bedrooms first. That way you have somewhere to eat, sleep and relax in, away from the clutter of the remaining unpacked boxes.
Check all appliances. It is worth checking all your appliances to see if they still work properly. This includes your washing machine, dishwasher, microwave, fridge and oven. If it doesn’t, be sure to refer to your warranties to ascertain whether they can be replaced.
Final Thought
We hope you have found these suggestions of what to add to a ‘things to do’ checklist very helpful.
At the end of the day moving to Brisbane, Sydney or any other city in Australia should be a very exciting proposition for you, as it represents the state of a new phase of your life.
While the act of moving is stressful and can take up a lot of your mental space, if you write yourself a checklist, then it will go some way towards making the move a much more seamless encounter.
