House removals
Two movers and a truck, charged by the hour, anywhere inside the Melbourne metro ring.
What it costsMelbourne, since 2009
Moving day, without the sinking feeling
Local moves by the hour, interstate by the cubic metre, and a quote in writing before anyone touches your couch.
- AFRA accredited (sample)
- Charged by the hour, 15 minute blocks
- Transit cover arranged
- Free carton collection
$145/hr
2 movers and a truck, 2 hour minimum. Sample rate.
4.9 from 1,284 reviews
Little Wombat Movers by the numbers
6,400+
Melbourne moves since 2009
Sample figure
4.9
Average rating from 1,284 reviews
Google and Facebook
31 m3
Median load we shift in a day
A two bedroom house
0
Call out, fuel or weekend fees
One travel fee, quoted up front
Chapter one
All servicesEight ways we move things
A studio in Carlton and a four bedroom in Doncaster are not the same job. Neither is a piano. Pick the one that sounds like yours.
Interstate removals
Dedicated trucks and shared linehaul on the Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Canberra corridors.
What it costs
Backloading
Share the empty space on a truck that is already heading your way and pay by cubic metre.
What it costs
Office relocations
After hours and weekend moves for small offices, studios and shops that need to trade on Monday.
What it costs
Packing and unpacking
Full pack, partial pack or just the kitchen, using cartons that are made for the job.
What it costs
Furniture removals
One couch, a marketplace bargain, or a share house room, without paying for a full truck.
What it costs
Piano and specialty items
Uprights, grands, pool tables, safes, gym equipment and anything over 150 kilograms.
What it costs
Storage
Modules of 7 cubic metres at our Campbellfield facility when your keys and your truck disagree.
What it costsChapter two
Backloading, and why the departure day matters
A truck that has delivered in Sydney drives home with empty space. Fill it and you pay for cubic metres instead of a whole vehicle. The catch is the timetable: you travel when the truck travels.
30 to 45%
Typical saving against a dedicated truck
8 to 10 m3
Minimum volume on most corridors
2 hr
Arrival slot, confirmed the afternoon before
MelbourneSydney
NSW
- Distance
- 878 km
- Departs
- Mondays and Thursdays
- Backload transit
- 2 to 4 business days
- Dedicated truck
- 1 to 2 business days
- Backload guide
- $95 to $130 per m3
The busiest corridor we run. Two departures a week means a missed settlement rarely costs you more than four days.
Melbourne to Sydney detailMelbourneBrisbane
QLD
- Distance
- 1,680 km
- Departs
- Tuesdays and Fridays
- Backload transit
- 4 to 7 business days
- Dedicated truck
- 2 to 3 business days
- Backload guide
- $140 to $185 per m3
Runs via Sydney with a driver changeover. Queensland has no household quarantine checkpoint, but fire ant zone rules apply to soil and potted plants.
Melbourne to Brisbane detailMelbourneAdelaide
SA
- Distance
- 730 km
- Departs
- Wednesdays and Saturdays
- Backload transit
- 2 to 4 business days
- Dedicated truck
- 1 to 2 business days
- Backload guide
- $90 to $125 per m3
Crosses the South Australian fruit fly exclusion zone. No fresh fruit or fruiting vegetables on the truck, including what is in the fridge.
Melbourne to Adelaide detailMelbourneCanberra
ACT
- Distance
- 660 km
- Departs
- Mondays
- Backload transit
- 2 to 5 business days
- Dedicated truck
- 1 business day
- Backload guide
- $95 to $130 per m3
One departure a week, so book early. Many Canberra apartment buildings require a lift booking and a certificate of currency before delivery.
Melbourne to Canberra detailMelbournePerth
WA
- Distance
- 3,400 km
- Departs
- Every second Friday
- Backload transit
- 7 to 12 business days
- Dedicated truck
- 5 to 7 business days
- Backload guide
- $210 to $280 per m3
Western Australian quarantine is the strictest in the country. Plants, soil, honey and untreated timber are inspected or refused at the Eucla checkpoint.
Ask about this corridorMelbourneHobart
TAS
- Distance
- Sea freight via Devonport
- Departs
- Weekly, Thursday sailing
- Backload transit
- 5 to 9 business days
- Dedicated truck
- 4 to 6 business days
- Backload guide
- $180 to $240 per m3
Goods travel by road to the Spirit of Tasmania and on by truck. Biosecurity Tasmania refuses fresh produce, soil, plants and used beehives.
Ask about this corridorThe list nobody reads until move day
What cannot go on the truck
Some of this is our policy. Most of it is Australian law, enforced at state borders by people with a disposal bin and a penalty book.
Australian states run their own biosecurity checkpoints, and a removal truck is inspected like any other vehicle. What is legal in your Melbourne kitchen can be seized at the border.
- Fresh fruit and fruiting vegetables into South Australia's Riverland fruit fly exclusion zone, including what is left in your fridge
- Potted plants and anything in soil into Western Australia unless they are in sterile media with a permit, inspected at the Eucla checkpoint
- Fresh produce, plants, soil, used beehives and second hand garden equipment into Tasmania under Biosecurity Tasmania rules
- Soil on garden tools, mower decks, pot bases and outdoor furniture feet anywhere west or south of the border
- Firewood and untreated timber, which carry pests such as fire ants out of south east Queensland
Eat or give away produce in the week before uplift, hose and dry every garden item, and gift your potted plants to a neighbour. Declaring a plant is free. Being caught with one is not.
These are refused on every truck in the country, not just ours. They are a fire and asphyxiation risk in a sealed trailer and they void transit cover for everything else on board.
- LPG and gas bottles, including barbecue cylinders, even empty ones, unless purged and tagged by a licensed technician
- Petrol, diesel and two stroke fuel in jerry cans, plus fuel left in mowers, blowers, chainsaws and generators
- Paint, thinners, turpentine, pool chlorine and acids
- Aerosols in bulk, fire extinguishers, oxygen and medical gas cylinders
- Ammunition, firearms, fireworks and flares
- Car and lithium batteries removed from their device
Drain fuel from all small engines the day before and run them dry. Gas bottles can be swapped at a service station. Paint and chemicals go to a Detox Your Home drop off, which is free in Victoria.
A trailer on the Hume in February sits above 45 degrees. Nothing alive or frozen travels well in there, and on an interstate run it can be days rather than hours.
- Frozen and refrigerated food, including the chest freezer contents everyone forgets
- Open liquids, cooking oil and anything that can leak into a carton below
- Pets, fish tanks with water, and reptiles
- Fresh cut flowers and indoor plants on any interstate run
Run the freezer down over the final fortnight, defrost 24 hours out, and book a pet transport service for anything with a heartbeat. Fish tanks travel empty with the gravel bagged and the filter media in tank water.
Not banned, just a bad idea. These items are either excluded from cover or impossible to replace, and they weigh almost nothing in a car boot.
- Cash, jewellery, watches and precious metals
- Passports, birth certificates, titles, wills and tax records
- Laptops, hard drives, phones and anything holding the only copy of something
- Prescription medicines and scripts for the first week
- House keys, garage remotes, and the kettle, mugs and tea bags
Pack one clearly marked carton that rides in your car, and one overnight bag per person. It is the difference between a rough first night and a fine one.
Crossing a border? Read the quarantine rules by state before you pack the fridge.
One move, five weeks of limbo
A customer story
Our settlement fell over twice and we spent a month living out of two suitcases. Little Wombat put the house into six sealed modules, held them for five weeks, and brought everything out on two days notice without charging us a second handling fee. The seal numbers on the inventory matched on the way in and on the way out.
Mei-Ling Chow
- Load size
- 58 m3
- Modules
- 6 sealed
- Stored
- 5 weeks
- Damage claims
- None
Chapter three
Hours, cubic metres or modules
Four ways to shift the same three bedroom house. The right one depends on how much your calendar is worth to you.
Local hourly move
Inside the metro ring
- Priced on
- Time, by the hour
- Typical cost
- $145 to $255 per hour
- Minimum
- 2 to 4 hours
- Your date
- You choose it
- Transit window
- Same day
- Volume limit
- Whatever fits the truck
Best forAnything under about 60 km where you want the keys and the furniture on the same day.
Backload
Shared truck, fixed departure days
- Priced on
- Cubic metres used
- Typical cost
- $90 to $280 per m3
- Minimum
- 8 to 10 m3
- Your date
- Set departure days
- Transit window
- 2 to 12 business days
- Volume limit
- Space left on the run
Best forInterstate moves where the budget matters more than the calendar. Usually 30 to 45 percent cheaper.
Dedicated truck
Your goods, nobody else's
- Priced on
- Volume plus distance
- Typical cost
- From $3,900 Melbourne to Sydney
- Minimum
- About 20 m3 to be worth it
- Your date
- You choose uplift and delivery
- Transit window
- 1 to 7 business days
- Volume limit
- Full truck, 40 or 60 m3
Best forTight settlement dates, a full house, or anything you cannot be without for a week.
Storage module
A pause between two moves
- Priced on
- Modules per week
- Typical cost
- $55 per 7 m3 module per week
- Minimum
- 2 weeks, 1 module
- Your date
- Redelivery on 24 to 48 hours notice
- Transit window
- Out the same or next day
- Volume limit
- As many modules as you need
Best forSettlement gaps, renovations, or an overseas stint where the furniture stays behind.
Sample AUD figures for this demo site. A written quote confirms the volume, the crew and the date.
Before the truck is booked
The access assessment that decides your price
Two identical two bedroom homes can be three hours apart on the clock. The difference is never the furniture. It is the lift, the laneway and the loading dock.
Lift booking and protection
Managed buildings release one lift for a move, usually in a four hour block between 8:00 am and 4:00 pm on weekdays. Book it five to ten business days ahead, and expect the building to require padded lift blankets fitted before the first trolley goes in.
Bond of $300 to $500 is common, refunded after inspection
Certificate of currency
Owners corporations ask for written proof of a removalist's public liability cover before they release the lift or the dock. Ours names $20 million in cover (sample) and we send it straight to the building manager with your booking reference.
No charge, allow two business days
Owners corporation rules
Move windows, which lift, which door, whether the loading bay is shared with the bins, and who to call when the fob does not work. Some CBD and Southbank towers prohibit moves entirely on weekends.
Ask for the rules in writing before you book the truck
Street access and parking permits
Sydney Road, Chapel Street and Brunswick Street have clearways that make a truck illegal between 7:00 am and 9:00 am and again from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm. City of Melbourne and Yarra both let you book a temporary parking bay so the truck is not 60 metres away.
About $60 to $120 per bay per day, five business days notice
Basement clearance
Most residential car parks are signed at 2.1 metres. An 8 tonne pantech stands 3.4 metres. If the only loading point is underground we bring a smaller shuttle vehicle and run between the truck and the building.
Shuttle adds about 45 minutes per 20 m3
Stairs, landings and laneways
We count flights, not steps, and we measure the turn at the landing because that is what stops a three seater. Fitzroy and Carlton laneways often need the truck on the main road with a 40 metre carry.
Long carries are charged as time, not as a fee
What we actually sell
Anyone can carry a couch. What you are paying for is the half hour before it moves, when somebody works out how it gets through the door.
Tama Whitiora, crew leader since 2014
Written by the people on the trucks
All guidesMoving guides that are actually specific
Cubic metres, backloading timetables, border quarantine and high rise lift bookings. No listicles.
Pricing
How many cubic metres is your move? A Melbourne room by room guide
Every interstate quote and every truck size decision starts with one number. Here is how removalists work it out, and how to estimate it yourself before anyone visits.
- InterstateBackloading explained: how shared truck interstate moves actually work18 August 2026 · 7 min read
- InterstateWhat you cannot take across state borders, and what to do instead29 July 2026 · 6 min read
- AccessMoving in a Melbourne high rise: lift bookings, certificates and owners corporation rules11 July 2026 · 6 min read
Before you ask
Questions we answer every week
If yours is not here, call the depot. We would rather answer it now than on move day.
Still unsure?
(03) 5550 1203Monday to Saturday, real people at the Abbotsford depot.
All questions and answersLocal moves are charged by the hour. In our sample pricing, two movers and a 4.5 tonne truck are $145 per hour with a two hour minimum, three movers and an 8 tonne truck are $205 per hour with a three hour minimum, and four movers with a 12 tonne truck are $255 per hour with a four hour minimum. A single 30 minute travel fee is added once, not per trip. Interstate moves are priced per cubic metre instead.
A truck that has delivered a full load in another city has empty space on the way home. A backload fills it. You pay per cubic metre for the space you use, you accept the truck's departure day and a transit window rather than a fixed date, and you usually save 30 to 45 percent against a dedicated truck.
You get a one hour arrival window the afternoon before. First jobs of the day start between 7:00 am and 8:00 am and are the most reliable. Afternoon jobs depend on how the morning ran, and we call you if it slips.
Carrier's liability is included and covers loss or damage caused by our negligence. It is limited and it is not insurance. Restricted transit cover, at about 1.5 percent of declared value, adds accident only protection. Full replacement value cover, at about 2.5 to 4 percent, covers accidental damage and loss. All figures are samples for this demo site.
Two weeks for a weekday move, three to four weeks for a Saturday, and six weeks for the last weekend of any month or anything in December and January. Those are the busiest slots in Melbourne and they fill first.
Often not. South Australia's fruit fly exclusion zone refuses fresh fruit and fruiting vegetables, Western Australia inspects and commonly refuses potted plants and anything in soil, and Biosecurity Tasmania refuses produce, plants and soil. Give plants to a neighbour and empty the fridge before uplift.
No call out fee, no fuel levy, no weekend rate
What a Melbourne move costs by the hour
Pick the crew that matches your cubic metres. The clock starts at your door and stops when the last carton is in the room you asked for.
- The Joey
Studios, one bedders and single item jobs
$145per hour
2 hour minimum
2 movers · 4.5t truck · 20 m3
- Blankets, trolleys and straps included
- Disassembly and reassembly of beds
- One 30 minute travel fee, not per trip
- Free flattened carton collection
- The BurrowMost booked
Two and three bedroom homes, the Melbourne standard
$205per hour
3 hour minimum
3 movers · 8t truck · 40 m3
- Everything in The Joey
- Floor runners and door jamb protection
- Wardrobe cartons on loan for the day
- Placement in the room you label
- The Big Lift
Four and five bedroom homes, or a move with heavy items
$255per hour
4 hour minimum
4 movers · 12t truck · 60 m3
- Everything in The Burrow
- Specialty gear for one heavy item included
- Two trucks on request at no extra rate
- Dedicated move coordinator on the phone
Sample AUD rates including GST for this demo site. One 30 minute depot to depot travel fee is added once per booking. Interstate work is priced per cubic metre instead. Estimate your move.
The clock stops when the last carton lands
Four promises that cover the parts of a removal quote people usually get burned on. They are on every job sheet we hand you.
- Billed in 15 minute blocks
After the minimum, time is charged in quarter hours. Nobody rounds a 4 hour 10 minute job up to 5 hours.
- No call out, fuel or weekend fee
One travel fee of 30 minutes, quoted before you book. Saturday and Sunday are charged at the weekday rate.
- Deposit back up to 72 hours out
The $150 deposit holds your slot and is refunded in full if you cancel more than 72 hours before the booking.
- Damage sorted in 10 business days
If we break it, we repair, replace or settle within 10 business days of the claim, on the terms of the cover you chose.
How many cubic metres is your place?
| Home size | Volume | Truck | Crew | On the clock | Cartons |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio or 1 bedroom unit | 12 to 18 m3 | 4.5t (20 m3) | 2 movers | 2 to 3 hours | 25 to 35 cartons |
| 2 bedroom unit | 20 to 28 m3 | 8t (40 m3) | 2 movers | 3 to 4.5 hours | 45 to 60 cartons |
| 2 bedroom house | 28 to 35 m3 | 8t (40 m3) | 2 to 3 movers | 4 to 6 hours | 55 to 70 cartons |
| 3 bedroom house | 35 to 48 m3 | 8t or 12t | 3 movers | 5 to 7 hours | 80 to 110 cartons |
| 4 bedroom house | 50 to 65 m3 | 12t (60 m3) | 3 to 4 movers | 7 to 9 hours | 110 to 150 cartons |
| 5 bedroom house | 65 to 85 m3 | 12t plus a second run | 4 movers | 9 to 11 hours | 150 to 200 cartons |
Averages from our own job sheets. Garages, sheds and outdoor furniture are where estimates go wrong, so tell us about them.
Accredited, insured, and police checked
The paperwork behind the trucks. Every figure on this strip is sample content for a demo site, and every one of them is a question worth asking a real removalist.
- AFRA accredited
Member #12345 (sample) of the Australian Furniture Removers Association. Accreditation means our depot, vehicles and equipment are audited.
- $20m public liability
Sample cover, with a certificate of currency issued to your building manager on request.
- Police checked crew
Every mover holds a current national police check and a Victorian driver licence or heavy rigid endorsement.
- 4.9 from 1,284 reviews
Across Google and Facebook, sample figures for this demo site, with 92 percent five star.
- Cartons collected free
We pick up your flattened cartons within 21 days and send them back out on the next job.
- Family owned since 2009
Four trucks, fourteen staff, one depot in Abbotsford. No franchise, no call centre.
Ask any removalist for their AFRA membership number and a certificate of currency before you pay a deposit. If either takes more than a day to produce, keep looking.