An interstate move is really a project with one deadline and a thousand small tasks. Our crews run Queensland to Perth every week, and this is the checklist we share with every customer who books the route.
Four weeks out
- Book your removalist and lock the dates. Container space fills first at the end of each month.
- Start a declutter pass. Every box you don't move is money saved on a cross-country run.
- Notify the essentials: schools, utilities, insurers, Medicare and the electoral roll.
Two weeks out
- Confirm your inventory with your coordinator so the right container and truck are assigned.
- Book cleaners for the old place, and set aside a first-night box: kettle, chargers, sheets, snacks.
- Arrange transit cover confirmation in writing. Ours is included on every kilometre.
Moving week
- Defrost the fridge 48 hours out. Drain the washing machine hoses.
- Photograph valuable items before they're wrapped, it makes everyone's life easier.
- Keep passports, jewellery and documents with you, not in the truck.
Why one sealed load matters
Phoenix runs interstate moves in our own container trucks with trailers: loaded once at your door, sealed, and opened at the other end by the same company. No depots swapping your furniture between carriers, live tracking the whole way across, and one coordinator who owns the move from first call to final box.
Eight weeks out
- Get quotes in writing, based on an itemised inventory rather than a phone estimate. Interstate pricing runs on cubic metres, so the inventory is the quote.
- Decide what is genuinely worth moving 4,000 kilometres. Freight costs by volume, so a wardrobe you do not love is an expensive passenger.
- Check whether your dates line up at both ends. If they do not, price storage now rather than panic later.
Four weeks out
- Book your move and lock the delivery window in writing.
- Start on the garage and the shed. These are always worse than people expect and they are where the volume hides.
- Arrange vehicle transport if your car is not driving over with you.
- Give notice to your landlord or confirm settlement dates.
Two weeks out
- Redirect your mail with Australia Post and start the address change list: bank, insurer, Medicare, electoral roll, super fund, employer.
- Book disconnection and reconnection of power, gas and internet. Internet at the new place is the one people forget, and it is the one with the longest lead time.
- Transfer or cancel your contents insurance, and check whether it covers goods in transit. Usually it does not, which is why transit insurance is separate.
- Arrange school enrolments and transfer medical and dental records.
The week of the move
- Pack an essentials bag for each person: medication, chargers, documents, a change of clothes, and whatever your kids will not sleep without.
- Keep passports, birth certificates, jewellery and cash with you, not on the truck.
- Defrost the fridge at least 24 hours out and drain it properly. A wet fridge in a sealed container for a week is a problem you do not want.
- Run down the pantry and the freezer. Perishables do not travel.
- Photograph anything valuable before it is wrapped, and check your inventory against the list.
What you cannot put on the truck
This catches people out every time, and it is not negotiable. No petrol or diesel, no gas bottles even if empty, no paint, solvents, pool chemicals, aerosols or fireworks, and no ammunition. Drain the fuel from the mower and the whipper snipper. If you are unsure about an item, ask us before packing day rather than on it.
Queensland to Western Australia specifics
Western Australia runs a strict quarantine border. Fresh fruit and vegetables, plants, soil and honey cannot cross, and that includes the pot plants you were hoping to keep. Give away anything growing before you go. It also pays to hose the soil off outdoor furniture and garden tools, because visibly dirty items can be held at the border.
On timing, Brisbane to Perth is roughly 4,300 kilometres and typically takes seven to ten days door to door. Townsville adds a couple more. Plan to live out of suitcases at the other end for a week, and do not book tradespeople for the day after your nominated delivery date.
Delivery day
- Be there, or nominate someone who can make decisions on your behalf.
- Check off the inventory as it comes in rather than signing at the end.
- Tell the crew where things go before they start carrying. Deciding later means moving it twice.
- Note any damage on the paperwork on the day. It is much harder to raise a week later.
One coordinator, the whole way
Interstate moves go wrong on communication far more often than on handling. That is why one Phoenix coordinator owns your move from the first call to the last box, and why you get SMS updates at departure, at the halfway point and the day before delivery, rather than having to chase a general enquiries line.
