Moving Sydney to Melbourne? Tips to Prepare Moving Interstate Checklist

Moving from Sydney to Melbourne can be a stressful and laborious process. As with all other interstate moves, you need to carefully plan out everything for the move to ensure that you do not leave anything behind and have everything in order on moving day. However, if this is the first time you are moving from Sydney to Melbourne, then you can easily be overwhelmed by the size and complexity of the move.

Due to the long distance that needs to be covered, you cannot afford to make mistakes such as leaving a valuable belonging behind since this will substantially increase costs. At the same time though, you cannot overpack and take everything with you since this will increase the time and cost of the move as well.

Therefore, the key behind a successful and stress-free move is to prepare well for the interstate move from Sydney to Melbourne. One effective approach to this is to prepare a thorough and detailed interstate checklist that you can refer to for the move.

In this blog post, we present tips on how you can prepare your own moving interstate checklist for the move from Sydney to Melbourne.

Keep and maintain a notebook that is dedicated to the move:

This notebook will act as a moving journal that you can use to plan, organize, and control your move. Unlike a simple agenda or to-do-list, this notebook should contain everything from the To-Dos to the schedule and budget breakdown for your move. Attach all receipts that you receive to the notebook and use it to compare the quotations that you receive from various movers.

Within the notebook, you should make use of colored post-its and dividers so that you can easily access and read important sections for your move. It is also recommended that you use a binder that would make it easy to attach and remove important documents such as the receipts for your move.

All in all, keeping a separate moving journal will help you refer to all your moving documents, notes, and writeups whenever you need them. It will help remind you of when you need to take what action and how much budget can to allocate to specific tasks. This notebook will be one of the first steps to your own interstate removals checklist.

If you want to refer to an existing moving checklist to start preparing your own Sydney to Melbourne interstate checklist, then you can download the one available at interstateremovalists.sydney.

Calculate the costs for your move:

One of the most important considerations for preparing your checklist is to learn about the moving costs associated with your move. Without having an estimate for the moving costs, you will not be able to properly allocate a budget for your move. Therefore, it is essential that you include calculations for the cost of your move in your moving interstate checklist.

Prior to starting your preparation for the move, it is necessary that you determine the following:

  • How much are you willing to spend on the move?
  • What are the costs that are associated with your move?
  • Is your budget flexible enough to accommodate extra costs? If not, then you should consider cutting down on your moving costs to allow for this flexibility.

Regardless of whether you are looking to hire a truck and move on your own, or hire a professional service to handle your move, you need to take into account the expenses. Everything that you need comes at a price and unless you have everything planned properly, the expenses can creep up very quickly.

Additionally, if you are moving with the consent of your employer, then there is a chance that your company might offset some costs for you. If that is the case, then learn about how much will your employer allot and how you can adjust it within your budget. Remember to keep all receipts and invoices with you since those can help you earn income tax reductions and grants.

In your moving interstate checklist, it is important that you take into account all the costs for the move and write them down. This will help you understand how you can cut down costs or increase your budget to accommodate the moving costs.

Here is a list of the moving costs that you should consider and include in your moving checklist:

  • Renting a truck for the move or hiring a professional moving service.
  • Packaging supplies such as tape, padding, boxes.
  • Cleaning and preservation supplies for your carpet, furniture, etc.
  • Costs of travel (for you and the family) including tickets, gas, and food.
  • Vehicle maintenance, oil change, and other repairs before the long distance move in the case of vehicle removals.
  • The bills that are due at both your old location and new location.
  • Emergency costs that you might need in the case of an accident or mishap.
  • Costs for any other supplies or needs that you might need to cover during the move.

Research the schools in Sydney:

If you have children who go to school, then you will need to get them admitted to a school in your new state. This is a high priority task since you do not want the move to affect your children’s education. Ideally, you can talk to their current school and ask them if they are based in Sydney. If not, then you should research and make a list of the best schools that are present in your new neighborhood. Add the list of schools to your checklist so that you remember to visit them once you move to your new location.

Research moving companies:

If you have decided to hire a mover for helping you out with the move, then the next step is for you to choose a moving company. It is important that you choose a mover that is trustworthy and reliable. Therefore, the next thing that you need to add to your moving checklist is a list of moving companies that you can choose from. Prepare a comparison table that analyzes various aspects of movers such as their rates, reviews, ratings, and range of services offered. For instance, renowned movers such as interstateremovalists.sydney offer the entire range of moving services like home removals, office removals and packing & unpacking services. You can request a quote from the movers that you are considering for getting a fair idea of how much the move will cost you. Adding the moving companies that you research will help you decide a mover not just for the current relocation project but for future moves as well.

Plan out the packaging process:

An essential part of the moving checklist is to have a list of everything that you need to pack. It is advised that you divide the packaging process into rooms and then further divide the items in each room into two categories: essentials and non-essentials. Planning out the packaging process in this manner helps you keep your move organized and ensures that you do not leave anything behind. In your checklist, it is also advised to add a packaging schedule – you can plan it out room-by-room or according to the importance of the items. For instance, you might decide to pack your bedroom belongings first and your kitchen belongings last. Similarly, you might want to pack non-essential items that you will not be needing at least a week before the move such as books, electronics, and home decoration items first.

Just to give you an idea, this is how the packaging section in your checklist should look like:

Bedroom:

  • (Essential).
  • (Non-Essential).
  • Side-tables. (Non-Essential).
  • (Essential).

Kitchen:

  • Appliances such as blender. (Non-Essential).
  • (Essential).
  • (Essential).

Keep the essentials in mind:

With all the stress that comes with moving, it is easy to forget a number of essential tasks that you should perform before you move. Therefore, we have put together a list of some important, but easily forgotten, activities that you should include in your moving checklist:

  • Transfer of utilities: The utility services include water, gas, electricity, cable, internet, and security system. Before you start the moving process, you should contact the relevant utility companies to let them know you will be moving soon. Inform them about your new address and the date that you will be moving so that they can schedule a transfer of your utilities to the new location.
  • Forward your mail: Even after you have changed the mailing address, you will still receive several mails to your old address, either out of habit or due to a delayed update to the address. One effective way of addressing this issue is to visit your mailing office and set up forwarding. Once you let them know about when you will be moving, they will automatically forward all your mail to the new address rather than delivering it at the old one after that date.
  • Let people know that you are moving! This might seem fairly obvious but there is a good chance that you will forget to convey this necessary information to family, friends, neighbors, and colleagues in all the hurry. A good way to achieve this is to make a list of the people who you regularly meet and collaborate with, including service providers. Whenever you get the chance, let all the people know (either in person, over call, or over email) that you will be moving and any other details that you want to share.
  • Establish domicile: After you have moved to the new location, you will need to establish domicile for tax and other purposes. If you are moving to Sydney permanently then you should consider applying for a domicile in the new state.

Schedule and list down all tasks using a timeline:

Once you have everything in order, the last part of your checklist will include a comprehensive schedule of all the tasks that you need to perform for the move. This will be in the form of a timeline so that you know what tasks you need to perform when to ensure a smooth moving experience.

Two months before the move:

At this time, you will be making the decision about which movers should you choose. At this time, you should be planning the following:

  • Get quotations from movers or truck rentals (in case of a self-move).
  • The floor plan for the new location to help you understand what appliances and furniture you will need to take and what will you need to replace/sell.
  • A ‘moving’ (garage) sale in which you will sell items that you will not be taking to the new location – remember, the fewer items you move, the more economical your move will be.

One month before the move:

After you have finalized a mover for assisting you with the move, you will need to perform the following at least a month before the move:

  • Make travel arrangements for yourself and the family from Melbourne to Sydney.
  • Notify the mailing service, bank, and other service providers about your move and particularly, the new address.
  • Schedule the transfer (and disconnection) of utility services such as gas and electricity.
  • Start packing the non-essential items for your move.

One week before the move:

This is the crunch time of the move and at this time, you will need to do the following:

  • Clear out your freezer and fridge to make sure that there is nothing left behind for waste.
  • Set aside all your belongings that you will need during the drive up to Sydney. These include essential food items, clothes, and sanitary items.
  • Start packing all of your essentials and complete packing all of your non-essentials.

One day before the move:

This is the time to ensure that nothing gets left behind and that you are not starving during the long-distance drive. You should ensure the following at least a day before the move:

  • Ensure that you have cross-checked all packed belongings against the inventory list. Everything should check out now at this point and if you have left anything behind, you can keep it with you in the car.
  • Pack a box of all the items that you will need immediately after reaching your new location. Label this box as “load last” so that the movers know that this needs to be made available right away.
  • If your pets are traveling with you in the car then you should keep an adequate supply of leashes, food, medicines, and travel cages for them.
  • Perform a quick scan of the house before locking it up and moving.

Conclusion:

Moving from Sydney to Melbourne can be a difficult and frustrating task. Without the right planning and execution of the move, the entire move can go south quickly. This is the reason it is important to prepare moving interstate checklist from Sydney to Melbourne. Following this moving checklist will help you ensure that the move is organized and well-planned which will significantly reduce stress. An effective way of preparing this checklist is to first think of all the phases that you need to go through to perform for the move from the planning to the redecoration. For each of these, make a list of tasks that you have to perform and schedule a timeline for them so that you can ensure everything is done on time before moving day. Researching a new school for your children, researching movers, making a list of inventory, planning what to pack and when, and preparing a list of essential tasks such as transferring utilities are all vital components of the moving interstate checklist.