Interstate furniture removalists in Adelaide, wrapped for the long haul

This page is about the furniture on that trip: how it is wrapped for a long haul, how the load is secured, what to ask about insurance, and the border rules that affect what you can pack. Furniture Removalists Adelaide is a service of Moveall Australia Pty Ltd, the Adelaide removalist behind Moveall Interstate.

Interstate furniture removals: how the quote works

Moveall’s interstate quotes start with a free in-home quote. The customer care team asks about the bedrooms and living areas, the access at both homes, and any heavy or bulky items, then emails a quote made for your move. There is no one-size price for an interstate move because no two loads are alike: a three-bedroom house with a piano and a garage full of tools needs a different truck, crew and freight plan from a two-bedroom apartment.

The way you pay is different too. For local moves Moveall takes a deposit to confirm the booking and the balance a day or two after the move. For interstate moves, full payment is made on the day of the move. Major credit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay and Afterpay are all accepted.

Road or rail freight

Moveall names both road and rail freight for interstate moves. Which one suits a move depends on the load, the destination and your dates, and the quote explains the choice. Either way the furniture is handled at least twice more than on a local move: loaded at your old home, and unloaded at the new one, with any transfer in between. That extra handling is the reason interstate furniture is wrapped more thoroughly than furniture crossing town.

Wrapping furniture for a long haul

• Blankets on every piece, all the way round. On a long trip, a bare corner rubbing against the next piece for a thousand kilometres leaves a mark. Every surface is covered.
• Wrap over the blanket, not on the timber. Stretch wrap holds the blanket in place and keeps doors and drawers shut. Straight on a polished finish, in a hot truck, it can mark the surface.
• Glass out and on edge. Glass shelves, table tops and cabinet doors that lift off are removed, wrapped and travel upright.
• Mattresses in covers. They stay clean and dry from door to door.
• Legs and fittings bagged. Anything that unscrews comes off, goes in a labelled bag and is taped to its piece, so nothing goes missing between two states.
• Televisions and artwork boxed. Moveall’s Wrap & Pack uses purpose-made boxes and wrapping for TVs and artwork.

If you want the whole house packed for the trip, not only the furniture wrapped, Moveall’s Wrap & Pack team supplies the boxes and materials and does the packing. See furniture packing and moving in Adelaide.

How the load is secured

A local load that shifts a few centimetres on Greenhill Road is a nuisance. An interstate load that shifts on the Eyre Highway can break furniture. A long-haul load is built from the floor up: the heaviest and squarest pieces (whitegoods, wardrobes, chests of drawers) against the front wall, tables and beds stood and packed between them, boxes filling the gaps so nothing has room to move, and fragile pieces on top or in protected spaces. The load is tied off in sections as it is built, so each section stays put when the next one goes in.

How far your furniture travels

These are road distances from the Adelaide GPO to each city centre, worked out on OpenStreetMap road data. Driving times are for a car with no stops: removal trucks are slower, and heavy vehicle drivers must take rest breaks under the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator’s fatigue rules. Moveall does not publish transit times, so ask for the delivery window that applies to your move when you get your quote.

From Adelaide to	Road distance	Car driving time, no stops	Main roads
Melbourne	726 km	about 9 hours	Dukes Highway in SA, Western Highway in Victoria
Canberra	1,161 km	about 14 hours	Sturt Highway, Hume Motorway
Sydney	1,374 km	about 16.5 hours	Sturt Highway, Hume Motorway
Brisbane	about 2,000 km	about 25 hours	via Hay, Dubbo and Goondiwindi on the Newell Highway
Perth	about 2,700 km	about 31.5 hours	Eyre Highway across the Nullarbor, then the Great Eastern Highway
Darwin	3,022 km	about 32.5 hours	Stuart Highway

Border rules that change what you pack

Moving furniture to Western Australia

Western Australia checks what comes in. The WA Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development asks people moving to WA to complete the ‘Declaration for movement of personal goods into WA’ with their removals company, which should lodge it on their behalf. Honey is prohibited unless it comes with a health certificate, and used beekeeping equipment is prohibited except by permit. Fruit and vegetables must be free of sprouting growth, soil, pests and disease, and high-risk plants may not be allowed in. Quarantine checkpoints operate 24 hours at the WA and SA border at Eucla on the Eyre Highway.

For the furniture itself, the practical advice is simple. Clean soil off outdoor furniture, pot plant stands, bikes and garden tools before they are wrapped, and do not pack anything in used fruit boxes.

Moving furniture into South Australia

If you are moving home to Adelaide from another state, fruit fly rules apply. PIRSA says some fruit, vegetables, plants and plant products cannot be brought into South Australia from interstate, and the rules differ by produce type and the state you come from. Do not pack fresh fruit, vegetables or plants for a move into SA: Yamba quarantine station checks vehicles, and PIRSA says you will be fined if you are caught with restricted items.

Once you arrive, South Australia gives you three months to transfer an interstate driver’s licence to an SA licence and to register an interstate vehicle in SA (Service SA).

Insurance questions to ask

Moveall holds $20 million public liability cover. Cover for your own furniture while it is in transit is a separate matter, and on an interstate move it is worth settling before the truck is loaded. Ask us about transit insurance for your belongings when you book, read the terms that come with your quote, and keep a list of any pieces of high value. Australian Consumer Law also says a service must be provided with due care and skill (ACCC).

Regional South Australia

Not every long move leaves the state. Moveall Interstate also names regional South Australia among the places it serves: the Adelaide Hills, the Fleurieu Peninsula, Mount Gambier (434 km from Adelaide by road), Port Lincoln (651 km) and Kangaroo Island. The same long-haul wrapping applies. For moves across Adelaide itself, see furniture removalists in Adelaide and house furniture removals in Adelaide.

If your new home interstate is not ready when you leave, read furniture removal and storage in Adelaide. For pianos, pool tables and antiques in an interstate load, read antique and heavy furniture.

Questions people ask