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Summary for this route: to move from the UK to Melbourne you ship your household goods by sea container to the Port of Melbourne, clear Australian customs and biosecurity, then a vetted FIDI-certified mover delivers to your door. Plan on roughly 6 to 8 weeks at sea for a full container.
Budget guide: about £1,200 for a small shared load up to £11,000 or more for a four-bedroom 40ft container, indicative and confirmed by your partner mover after a survey. We match you with one mover free of charge; we are not a removal company.
If you are leaving England for Melbourne, the right moving company matters; we match households from anywhere in the United Kingdom with a single FIDI FAIM removalist for Victoria.
Melbourne is Victoria's capital and, for many Britons, the most familiar-feeling city in Australia. Think coffee culture, laneway bars, a packed arts and sport calendar, and a climate that changes by the hour. If you're shipping your home south, this page sets out how the move runs and how to find a mover you can trust.
Here's how we fit in. We're a free matching service, and we are not a removal company. Instead of you chasing quotes from firm after firm, we put you in touch with one vetted, FIDI-certified mover suited to your Melbourne move. They give you a clear written price, and the decision stays yours. The introduction is free and comes with no obligation.
Most goods sail to the Port of Melbourne, the busiest container port in the country, right by the city. Once they've cleared customs and biosecurity, your mover delivers them, whether you're settling in the inner north, the bayside suburbs, the east or further afield.
The journey is by sea. Your belongings are packed in the UK, loaded into a container, and shipped from a port like Southampton or Felixstowe to the Port of Melbourne on the Yarra. Plan for about 6 to 8 weeks afloat, with door to door running a little longer once collection, clearance and delivery are added in.
For a whole home, a sole-use 20ft or 40ft container is the norm, and it moves faster because it sails the moment it's sealed. For a flat or a smaller load, sharing a container costs less, as you pay only for your share of the space, though it can take a little longer waiting to be filled and split at a depot when it arrives.
Melbourne is one of the most-served destinations from the UK, so there's no shortage of sailings to plan around. Many people ship a few weeks ahead of flying out and live light until delivery. Your matched mover maps out a realistic timeline for your route and season.
Two checks meet your shipment at the Port of Melbourne. Customs tends to go easily for movers: goods owned and used for over a year usually clear free of duty and the 10% GST, with your mover handling the B534 statement. Biosecurity is the strict part, so wash anything that's been outside and keep all food, seeds and plant matter out of the boxes. Our full customs and biosecurity guide sets out every step.
Used effects over a year old usually clear free of duty and the 10% GST.
No soil, food or untreated wood. Scrub outdoor items and declare it all.
Your FIDI-certified mover files the B534 and runs the clearance for you.
A rough guide by home size. Treat these as planning figures, not quotes, since price tracks your volume, access and delivery point. For the full picture, head to the cost of removals to Australia page, then get matched for a firm number.
| Move size | Indicative cost | Typical time at sea |
|---|---|---|
| Part-load / shared container (studio or 1-bed) | £1,200 to £4,000 | About 8 to 10 weeks |
| 20ft container (2 to 3-bed home) | £4,500 to £7,500 | About 6 to 8 weeks |
| 40ft container (4-bed and up) | £7,500 to £11,000 | About 6 to 8 weeks |
How we estimate this: the figures start from typical UK to Australia door-to-door removal costs. As a major port with frequent sailings, Melbourne sits at Australia's baseline end. They cover export packing, sea freight, customs clearance and delivery. See the cost of removals to Australia page for the full breakdown.
Melbourne wins people over with its culture and pace. Here's what tends to seal the deal.
A world-class coffee scene and laneways packed with bars and restaurants from every corner of the globe.
Galleries, theatre, live music and festivals all year give the city a strong creative streak.
From the MCG to the tennis and the racing, sport runs deep, and there's always a fixture on.
Leafy suburbs, good trams and a European mood make it an easy place to call home.
Day-to-day life in Melbourne runs on Australian dollars, code AUD, so it's worth sorting the exchange early. Airport desks give the worst value, so set a specialist such as Wise or XE against your bank, and look at opening an AUD account from the UK. As the GBP to AUD rate moves every day, check XE.com close to your transfer. Just so it's clear, we match removals and we have no part in currency exchange.
This guide is maintained by Darren Benjamin, who has run International Removals Companies since it launched in 2010 and has over 20 years in the logistics industry. Since 2013 he has also been Secretary and Manager of a UK removal company, a role verifiable on Companies House. In practice that means matching people moving abroad with the right certified mover for their route, and knowing the customs and shipping detail behind moves like the one to Melbourne.
Our partner movers hold the industry's recognised credentials, including FIDI FAIM Certified (audited by Ernst and Young), BAR Overseas, IAM, EUROMOVERS and FEDEMAC membership. You can read more about who we are and how we vet partners on our about us page.
A Melbourne move usually runs from about £1,200 for a small shared-container load to £11,000 or more for a four-bedroom house in a 40ft container, with a 20ft three-bed around £4,500 to £7,500. As a major port with frequent UK sailings, Melbourne sits at Australia's lower, baseline end. These are indicative market ranges; a free match gives a firm, partner-confirmed price. Our cost of removals to Australia page has the full breakdown.
Reckon on around 6 to 8 weeks at sea to reach Melbourne, plus a little more door to door once you add collection, clearance and delivery. A sole-use container tends to be quicker than a shared one, since it leaves once it's full and sealed rather than waiting on other shipments to fill the space.
Goods arrive at the Port of Melbourne, the largest container port in Australia, on the Yarra near the city. After customs and biosecurity, your mover delivers to your address, be that the inner north, the bayside suburbs, the east, or out towards Geelong and the Mornington Peninsula.
That hinges on how much you're sending. Cartons alone can travel by sea or air courier. A flat or small load shares a container and you pay for the space used. A full home takes its own 20ft or 40ft container, which is faster and cheaper per cubic metre once it's nearly full. Your mover advises after a survey.
Generally not for used household goods. Things you've owned and used beyond a year usually come in free of duty and the 10% GST as personal effects, with the B534 form lodged by your mover. Australia's biosecurity is tough, so anything outdoorsy must be spotless. Our customs and biosecurity guide explains it all.
Melbourne feels the most European of Australia's big cities, with its coffee culture, laneway bars, arts and sport. The weather is changeable, famously four seasons in a day, which many Britons find easy to live with. Popular spots include the inner north, the bayside suburbs and the leafy east. It regularly ranks among the world's most liveable cities.
Yes. After your goods clear the Port of Melbourne, your mover delivers right across Greater Melbourne and beyond, from St Kilda and Brighton to the inner north, the eastern suburbs, Geelong and the Mornington Peninsula. A delivery well outside the city may add a short road leg, priced upfront by your mover.
Yes. As well as your household effects, we cover car shipping to Australia, and we guide you through pet transport, which goes via a specialist agent. We can also match a mover that offers UK storage before you ship. Each has its own page with the costs and rules set out clearly.
We run a free matching service, and we aren't a removal company. You tell us about your Melbourne move, we connect you with one vetted FIDI-certified mover, and they survey and quote. You weigh it up at your own pace. It costs you nothing, and you're never obliged to go ahead.
Each mover we pair you with for Melbourne carries FIDI FAIM, the international moving industry's benchmark for quality, earned through an independent Ernst and Young audit of over 200 criteria and renewed every three years. That means accountable, properly checked firms taking care of your belongings on the long haul to Victoria, rather than a name plucked from a list.
International Removals Companies has matched movers since November 2010, free of charge. DATACONTEXT (UK) LTD, company 07425576, ICO ZB022743. Norman House, Saint Saviours Estate, Abbey Street, London, SE1 3DH. Working Member of AGM Group since 2010.
Looking at other parts of Australia? We match movers from England to these destinations as well:
Send your home size, your UK collection postcode, your Melbourne delivery suburb and your rough dates. We'll pair you with one vetted FIDI-certified mover who surveys the job and gives a firm, written price. It's free, with no obligation to book.
Get Matched FreeOne FIDI-certified mover. DATACONTEXT (UK) LTD, matching movers since November 2010.
We connect removals enquiries for Melbourne with one vetted FIDI-certified partner mover, free of charge. We are not a removal company. DATACONTEXT (UK) LTD, company 07425576, ICO ZB022743. Norman House, Saint Saviours Estate, Abbey Street, London, SE1 3DH. Working Member of AGM Group since 2010.
All costs are indicative. Prices, transit times, customs and insurance are confirmed by your partner mover before booking.