Moving House Checklist for Australia

Moving house in Australia involves a handful of genuinely separate tracks — removalists, utilities, bond/lease, insurance, and admin — that are easy to leave until they collide in the same final week. Here's the big picture, in roughly the order it actually needs doing.

Moving to Australia from overseas?

This checklist assumes you're already living in Australia. If you're relocating here internationally, there's a handful of extra steps it doesn't cover — sorting your visa or entry status, arranging your pet's biosecurity clearance if you're bringing one, setting up currency exchange, arranging international shipping for your belongings, and checking your Australian tax residency status. Everything below still applies once you've landed.

6-8 weeks before

If your move is interstate or falls in a peak period — weekends, or the start or end of the month — and your dates aren't flexible, start removalist planning earlier than this: long-haul and peak-period availability books out well ahead.

• Start getting removalist quotes, especially if you're moving interstate — long-haul routes run on schedules and book out well ahead. See our guide on removalist costs.
• If you're renting, give notice according to your lease terms.
• Start researching your new area — electricity market rules, council services, and school zones all vary by state and even by council.

3-4 weeks before

• Book your removalist once quotes are compared.
• Arrange your electricity, gas, and internet connection for the new address — see our guide on connecting utilities when you move, since the process (and whether you can even switch retailer) depends on which state you're moving to.
• Set up Australia Post mail redirection, timed to start on your actual move date.
• Start decluttering and packing non-essentials — see our room-by-room packing checklist.

1-2 weeks before

• Confirm your removalist booking and access arrangements at both properties.
• Update your address with myGov, the AEC, and Centrelink if relevant — see our full change-of-address checklist for the complete list and legal deadlines.
• Book pet transport if you're flying an animal interstate, since airline cargo capacity is limited — see our guide on moving with pets.
• Confirm your new home or contents insurance starts on the right day.

Moving week

• Finish packing everything except daily essentials.
• Do your final clean if you're leaving a rental, and take dated photos before you hand back the keys — see our guide on end-of-lease cleaning and bond.
• Pack an open-first box with essentials for the first night.
• Keep pets contained and away from open doors on moving day itself.

After you've moved

• Update your driver's licence and vehicle registration with your new state's transport authority if you've moved interstate — this one has real, state-specific deadlines. See our guide on moving interstate.
• Register with a new GP, and enrol children at a new school if needed.
• Do a final sweep a month later for anything still going to your old address.

Common mistakes

• Leaving the electricity/internet connection until the final week, when a technician visit (if needed) often can't be booked in time.
• Treating vehicle registration and driver's licence as a "get to it eventually" task after an interstate move — several states have deadlines as short as two weeks.
• Assuming the same checklist applies regardless of state — bond authorities, electricity markets, and registration deadlines are genuinely different depending on where you're moving to and from.

This is a general overview — see the linked guides above for the full detail on each stage, and check your own lease, insurer, and state authority for anything specific to your situation.