West Coast to Sydney and Melbourne Movers

Planning a move from the West Coast to Sydney or Melbourne? Chipman Relocation & Logistics is the full-service moving company for your Australia relocation. Since 1939, we've helped thousands of families and executives relocate across the country and across the Pacific. Whether you're settling on Sydney Harbour, moving into a terrace house in Melbourne's inner north, or shipping a full household to a coastal suburb, Chipman puts nearly nine decades of experience to work so your Australia move is coordinated and calm from pack-out through delivery at your Australian address.

Whether you're leaving California, Oregon, or Washington, our crews handle every step at origin and our FIDI-accredited destination partner handles clearance, biosecurity, and delivery in Sydney or Melbourne. Request a quote to get started today.

Why Choose Chipman for Your Move to Australia?

• History of Success: dependable moving services since 1939.

• Licensed Mover in CA, OR, & WA: moving families since 1927, with the resources and coverage of the most trusted networks in North American relocation.

• FIDI-Accredited International Partner Network: Chipman's FIDI membership connects your move to vetted destination agents in Sydney and Melbourne who handle customs clearance, biosecurity, and final delivery.

• Award-Winning Customer Service Coordination: your personal move manager, dedicated to arranging every detail of your Australia move from US pack-out through Australian delivery.

• Qualified and Safe Crews: every crew member is background checked, drug screened, and health checked prior to every move.

Your Trusted Movers for Australia Relocations

Moving to Australia is not the same as moving across the country. Your household shipment travels by ocean container across the Pacific, clears Australian Border Force customs, passes Australia's strict biosecurity inspection, and then delivers into a home that runs on 240-volt power and right-hand-drive traffic. Chipman coordinates all of it. As an award winning mover, and as a FIDI-accredited international member, we tap a global partner network that covers both Sydney and Melbourne, so your West Coast origin move and your Australian delivery are managed as one project rather than a hand-off between disconnected carriers.

Our local service centers handle origin work directly, so the crew who packs your home anywhere on the west coast is our trusted teammember, not a subcontractor. From there we book the ocean leg (LCL for smaller shipments, FCL for a full house), coordinate customs paperwork with our destination partner, and manage the biosecurity inspection process so your goods clear the port on the planned timetable.

Transit time is measured in weeks, not days. Plan on four to six weeks door-to-door for FCL to the Australian east coast, and five to eight weeks for LCL consolidated shipments.

What to Know Before Moving to Australia

Australian customs and biosecurity rules are among the strictest in the world, and the details drive most of the surprises Chipman customers run into.

Customs paperwork. Household goods enter Australia under the Unaccompanied Personal Effects (UPE) provisions administered by the Australian Border Force. Movers file the B534 Unaccompanied Personal Effects Statement on your behalf. If you've owned and used the goods for at least twelve months and meet the other UPE conditions, most household items enter duty-free and GST-free.

Biosecurity is where most delays happen. The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry inspects incoming personal effects at the port. Timber items (untreated wood furniture, wicker, bamboo), items with visible soil (bikes, garden equipment, outdoor furniture, hiking boots, lawn mowers), and any plant matter or animal-derived materials get flagged. Flagged items are inspected, often treated (fumigation, steam cleaning, or gamma irradiation), and sometimes destroyed. The department publishes guidance for arriving residents at agriculture.gov.au. Clean everything outdoor-related to bare metal or plastic before it goes in the container. It saves days and dollars.

Pets are a multi-step process. Cats and dogs from the US must complete a rabies neutralising antibody titre test, a set of pre-export treatments, and a minimum 10-day post-entry quarantine stay at the government's Post Entry Quarantine facility in Mickleham, near Melbourne. Preparation typically starts six to seven months before travel.

Cars are usually left behind. Australia requires an import approval before a vehicle can be shipped, and non-compliant vehicles need modification to meet Australian Design Rules. Most Chipman customers leave the car in the US and buy locally, because combined shipping, duty, GST, luxury car tax, and compliance costs usually exceed what a similar car costs on the Australian market.

Power and driving. Australia runs on 230 to 240 volts at 50 Hz with Type I plugs, so most large 120V appliances (washers, dryers, kitchen items with heating elements) aren't worth shipping. Cars drive on the left.

International Moving Services

From wherever you start on the west coast to wherever you settle in Australia, Chipman provides complete international relocation services. Every move is unique, and we'll provide a free quote detailing every aspect so you know what to expect.

Ocean Freight, FCL and LCL

Full container loads (20-foot and 40-foot) give you exclusive use of a sealed container from origin to destination, typically sailing out of Long Beach, the Port of Oakland, or the Sea-Tac area for Northwest customers. Less-than-container-load shipments are the right fit for smaller households and cost less, with the tradeoff of longer transit and shared handling.

Air Freight for Priority Items

For essential belongings you need on arrival, air freight to Sydney or Melbourne runs one to two weeks door-to-door. Our coordinators help you decide which items justify the cost.

Customs and Biosecurity Coordination

Our destination partner files the B534 UPE Statement with the Australian Border Force, presents your shipment to biosecurity inspectors, and manages any required treatments.

Packing and Unpacking

Our trained packing crews can pack as little or as much as you need. On the Australian end, our destination partner can unpack, place, and remove packing debris.

Full-Value Shipment Protection

Chipman offers a Full-Value Protection Plan with every international move.

Full-Service International Moves

Chipman provides flexible, full-service international relocations. A short list of what our team can handle:

• Appliance Disconnect at Origin: professional preparation of washers, dryers, refrigerators, and other appliances at your west coast home. Australian voltage and plug standards differ, so most large American appliances are best sold or donated before the move.

• Specialty Crating: crating for high-value artwork, glass table tops, chandeliers, and other items that need extra protection for an ocean crossing.

• TV Disconnect: removal of wall-mounted televisions at origin. Reinstallation in Australia is arranged through our destination partner.

• Home Electronics: disassembly and packing of entertainment systems and personal computers. 120V-only devices without an internal transformer will need a step-down transformer to run in Australia.

• Auto Transport: available for customers who have secured Australian import approval. Most residential customers opt not to ship the car; we'll help you weigh the numbers.

• Destination Unpacking: unpacking, placement, and debris removal at your new Sydney or Melbourne home, coordinated through our FIDI-accredited destination agent.

International Relocations Since 1939

Since 1939, Chipman Relocation & Logistics has been the trusted moving partner for US families relocating across the country and across the Pacific. Our Australia moves have delivered households to Bondi apartments, Mosman family homes, Balmain terraces, Manly beach houses, South Yarra flats, Brighton bayside homes, Fitzroy warehouse conversions, and Port Melbourne waterfront places. Every one of those moves is different, and we plan every one of them from the ground up, with a single point of contact from pack day through the last box unpacked in Australia.

Ready to Plan Your Move to Australia?

The right partner turns a US-to-Australia move from a paperwork maze into an organized handoff between coasts and continents. Chipman Relocation & Logistics has been helping West Coast families relocate since 1939, with the coordination, protection, and FIDI-backed destination expertise your Australia move deserves. When you're ready to start planning, request a residential quote and we'll build your move plan around your origin city and your Australian destination.