Interstate removals, corridor by corridor
Interstate work is priced per cubic metre and scheduled around fixed departure days. Here is the timetable, the transit windows and what the border will and will not let through.
- From $90 per m3
- 8 to 10 m3 minimum
- Transit cover arranged
Departure days and transit windows
A transit window is a range of business days, not a date. Dedicated trucks get a date instead, and cost roughly 30 to 45 percent more.
| Corridor | Distance | Departs | Backload transit | Dedicated | Sample rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Melbourne to Sydney | 878 km | Mondays and Thursdays | 2 to 4 business days | 1 to 2 business days | $95 to $130 per m3 |
| Melbourne to Brisbane | 1,680 km | Tuesdays and Fridays | 4 to 7 business days | 2 to 3 business days | $140 to $185 per m3 |
| Melbourne to Adelaide | 730 km | Wednesdays and Saturdays | 2 to 4 business days | 1 to 2 business days | $90 to $125 per m3 |
| Melbourne to Canberra | 660 km | Mondays | 2 to 5 business days | 1 business day | $95 to $130 per m3 |
| Melbourne to Perth | 3,400 km | Every second Friday | 7 to 12 business days | 5 to 7 business days | $210 to $280 per m3 |
| Melbourne to Hobart | Sea freight via Devonport | Weekly, Thursday sailing | 5 to 9 business days | 4 to 6 business days | $180 to $240 per m3 |
Sample AUD figures for this demo site. Minimum volumes of 8 to 10 cubic metres apply on most corridors.
- Melbourne to SydneyNSW
The busiest corridor we run. Two departures a week means a missed settlement rarely costs you more than four days.
- Departs
- Mondays and Thursdays
- Backload transit
- 2 to 4 business days
- Sample rate
- $95 to $130 per m3
- Melbourne to BrisbaneQLD
Runs via Sydney with a driver changeover. Queensland has no household quarantine checkpoint, but fire ant zone rules apply to soil and potted plants.
- Departs
- Tuesdays and Fridays
- Backload transit
- 4 to 7 business days
- Sample rate
- $140 to $185 per m3
- Melbourne to AdelaideSA
Crosses the South Australian fruit fly exclusion zone. No fresh fruit or fruiting vegetables on the truck, including what is in the fridge.
- Departs
- Wednesdays and Saturdays
- Backload transit
- 2 to 4 business days
- Sample rate
- $90 to $125 per m3
- Melbourne to CanberraACT
One departure a week, so book early. Many Canberra apartment buildings require a lift booking and a certificate of currency before delivery.
- Departs
- Mondays
- Backload transit
- 2 to 5 business days
- Sample rate
- $95 to $130 per m3
Perth and Hobart
Both run less often and both carry extra rules. Perth is a fortnightly Friday departure with the strictest quarantine checkpoint in the country at Eucla. Hobart travels by road to Devonport and then by sea.
Melbourne to Perth
- Distance
- 3,400 km
- Departs
- Every second Friday
- Transit
- 7 to 12 business days
- Sample rate
- $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.
Melbourne to Hobart
- Distance
- Sea freight via Devonport
- Departs
- Weekly, Thursday sailing
- Transit
- 5 to 9 business days
- Sample rate
- $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.
Quarantine rules by state
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.
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.
- 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
Transit cover, in plain words
Carrier's liability is not insurance. These are the three levels you will be offered on an interstate consignment.
Carrier's liability
Included
What the law gives you without buying anything. It covers loss or damage caused by our negligence, and it is limited. It is not insurance.
- No extra cost
- Negligence only
- Excludes acts of nature
- Excludes owner packed cartons
Restricted transit cover
About 1.5% of declared value
Accident only cover. It pays out if the truck collides, overturns, catches fire, or is caught in a flood or storm. It does not cover a scratch on a sideboard.
- Collision, fire, overturning, flood
- Lower premium
- $500 excess per claim (sample)
- Suits robust, low value loads
Full replacement value
About 2.5% to 4% of declared value
The cover most families choose for an interstate move. You declare a value for the whole consignment and list any single item worth more than $2,000 separately.
- Accidental damage and loss
- Pairs and sets covered
- $500 excess per claim (sample)
- Requires a valued inventory
Sample figures for this demo site. Cover is arranged through a third party insurer and the policy wording sets what is covered.
What people ask before a long move
Volume, timing and what happens when a settlement slips.
Still unsure?
(03) 5550 1203Monday to Saturday, real people at the Abbotsford depot.
All questions and answersA 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.
Our calculator estimates it from your bedroom count, which is accurate to within a few cubic metres for most homes. For a firm interstate quote we do a video walk through, because garages, sheds and outdoor furniture are where estimates go wrong.
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.
A shared linehaul truck carries more than one consignment, and the order of drops sets the delivery day. We give a range of business days, then call you the afternoon before with a two hour arrival slot. A dedicated truck gets a fixed date instead.
Yes, at either end. Tell us before uplift so the consignment is loaded for a depot delivery, and we quote the module handling fee up front.
Get an interstate quote with the volume worked out
Send a room list or book a video walk through. You get cubic metres, a departure day, a transit window and a price per cubic metre in writing.