If you’re moving interstate, especially on a long haul like Wollongong to Brisbane, the single biggest thing I’ve learned after years as a removalist is this: most people don’t overpay because the trucks are expensive. They overpay because they pay to move things that aren’t worth moving. I’ve watched it happen on hundreds of jobs, and it’s almost always avoidable.
So instead of another generic checklist, I want to walk you through what I actually tell my own clients before a big move. It’s honest, it’s a bit blunt, and it’ll probably save you more money than any “book early” tip ever will. If you want the practical logistics too, our interstate removalists guide covers the nuts and bolts.
Why people overpay when moving interstate
Long-distance removals are priced mostly on space and weight. The more cubic metres you fill in the truck, the more you pay. That sounds obvious, but here’s where it bites: people fill that truck with big, heavy, low-value stuff out of habit, not because it makes sense. According to MoneySmart, moving costs are one of the most commonly underestimated expenses in a household budget — and bulky furniture is a big reason why.
The classic example I see all the time is old furniture. Moving a worn-out three-seater from Wollongong to Brisbane might run $6,000 to $7,000 by the time it’s wrapped, loaded, hauled 900-odd kilometres, and carried back off the truck at the other end. That’s the cost of the move, not the value of the lounge. The lounge might be worth a couple of hundred dollars on a good day.
When I lay it out like that, the penny usually drops. You’re not paying to keep your couch. You’re paying a small fortune to relocate something you’d happily replace. That’s the trap of moving interstate that nobody warns you about.
Sell the old stuff, buy fresh when you arrive
My advice is almost always the same. Sell those old items, get some cash — maybe $1,500 across a few pieces — and then use that money to buy new furniture once you arrive. You arrive in Brisbane lighter, your moving quote drops, and you get to set up the new place with furniture that actually fits it.
The items where this matters most are the big, bulky ones:
- Fridges — heavy, awkward, and often cheaper to replace than to freight interstate.
- Lounges — they eat up truck space and rarely survive a long move looking new.
- Coffee tables and other bulky timber pieces — low value, high hassle.
For big, bulky items like fridges, lounges, or coffee tables, it’s usually smarter to sell them here and buy fresh once you arrive. Run the numbers on each piece: if the move costs more than replacing it, let it go. A quick browse of Gumtree or Facebook Marketplace will tell you what your old gear is really worth.
Keep what truly matters
Now, I’m not telling you to sell everything and start from scratch like a robot. If something has real sentimental value, keep it. A piece your grandparents gave you, the dining table where the kids grew up, an heirloom you’d never replace — those go on the truck, no question. Sentiment is a perfectly good reason to pay to move something. “It’s still kind of okay” is not.
The trick is being honest with yourself about which is which. Most of us have a few genuine keepers and a lot of “I might as well bring it” items. It’s that second pile that quietly inflates your moving interstate bill.
Don’t bring every piece of clothing you own
Here’s another one I see constantly. People pack every single thing they own, especially clothes. They fill box after box, pay to move it all, and then I hear the same story later: once they get to the new house, it’s too much, and they end up throwing things out anyway.
So my advice is to really think about what you need — only bring clothes you’ll actually wear. Be ruthless before you pack, not after you unpack. If you haven’t worn it in a year, you’re not going to start wearing it in Brisbane. Donate it, sell it, or bin it before moving day, and you’ll cut down on boxes, weight, and cost. Our packing tips will help you do this the smart way.
A simple way to decide what goes on the truck
When clients feel stuck, I give them three quick questions to ask about every big or bulky item before moving interstate:
- Is it worth more than it costs to move? If not, sell it locally.
- Does it have real sentimental value? If yes, keep it regardless of cost.
- Will I actually use it in the new place? If you’re not sure, that’s usually a no.
Go through the house with those three questions and you’ll naturally end up with a lighter, cheaper, smarter load. That’s the whole game.
Get Quoted on Cubic Metres, Not Tonnes
If you take one thing from this page, take this. Interstate removalists price on space, not weight, and the fastest way to end up overpaying is to compare quotes without knowing how much truck each one includes.
Ask every mover the same two questions: how many cubic metres does your truck hold, and how many cubic metres have you allowed for my job? Now you are comparing like with like. A cheaper hourly rate on a 15 cubic metre truck is not cheaper than a slightly dearer rate on a 20 cubic metre truck if the smaller one has to make a second trip. That second trip is where the bill blows out, and it is the single most common way people get stung.
Rough numbers from our side of the truck: a one-bedroom unit is usually 15 to 20 cubic metres, a two-bedroom home 20 to 30, and a three-bedroom house 30 to 45. Add the garage and the shed honestly. Nearly every underestimate we have seen started with someone forgetting the garage.
Fixed Price or Hourly? For Interstate, Insist on Fixed
Local moves work fine on an hourly rate. Interstate does not. Once a truck is on the highway there is nothing you can do to influence how long the job takes, so an hourly interstate quote hands all the risk to you and none to the mover.
Get a fixed price against a defined volume, in writing, and ask directly what happens if the volume turns out bigger on the day. A mover who has genuinely measured your job will give you a straight answer and a clear per-cubic-metre rate for the difference. A mover who has lowballed to win the booking will get vague, and that vagueness is the bill you have not seen yet. We would rather overestimate your job and come in under than write a pretty number now and hand you a surprise on delivery.
Move on a Quiet Date If You Possibly Can
Interstate pricing moves with demand the same way airfares do. The end of the month, the weeks either side of Christmas, and school holiday changeovers are the busiest and dearest windows in the country, because that is when leases end and families move.
Mid-month, mid-week and mid-winter are the quiet ones. If your dates have even a few days of give in them, ask whether shifting by a week changes the price. It very often does, and it costs you nothing to ask. Combine a flexible date with a shared backload and you are getting the genuinely cheap version of the same move. Our guide to moving house in winter covers why the off season is worth considering.
Pack Everything. Loose Items Are What Cost You
Here is the honest truth after years on the trucks. The number one thing that costs people money on a long move is loose items. Every lamp, every pot plant, every half-full laundry basket that has not been boxed has to be handled on its own, wrapped on its own, and squeezed into the load on its own. Loose gear slows the crew down, wastes space you are paying for, and gets damaged far more often than anything in a box.
Box absolutely everything. Same-size boxes stack square and fill a truck properly — odd shapes and open tubs leave air gaps, and on an interstate job you are paying for that air. Fill every void while you are at it: drawers, the washing machine drum, the space under the table. If you would rather not do it yourself, our packing services in Wollongong can do a house in a day, and the space a properly packed load claws back often covers the cost. Our step-by-step guide on how to pack for a move runs through the method room by room.
Do Not Skip the Transit Cover
Saving 200 dollars by declining transit cover on a 900 kilometre highway run is not a saving, it is a bet. Most of the time you win it. The time you do not, you are replacing a household.
Read what the cover actually includes before you decide. Owner-packed cartons are often treated differently to professionally packed ones, and there is usually an excess. Ask what happens in the case of a road accident versus ordinary handling damage, because they are frequently covered differently. Our page on interstate removalists explains how we handle cover on long-distance jobs, and the government MoneySmart guide to managing moving house costs is a sensible read on budgeting for the whole move rather than just the truck.
Budget for the Costs That Are Not the Truck
People compare removalist quotes down to the last dollar and then get caught by everything around them. On an interstate move, allow for the bits that always turn up: overlapping rent or a night in a motel if the delivery window does not line up perfectly, connection and disconnection fees for power, gas and internet, bond cleaning at the old place, and short-term furniture storage if there is a gap between the two houses. Storage is cheap compared to paying a truck to wait, and knowing you have that option takes a lot of the panic out of a delivery window.
The bottom line on moving interstate without overpaying
A long-distance move like Wollongong to Brisbane is always going to cost something — that’s fair enough, it’s a big job done properly. But you control a huge chunk of that price by deciding what gets on the truck. Sell the tired, bulky, low-value gear, pocket the cash, and travel light. Keep the things that genuinely matter to you, and only the clothes you’ll really wear.
Do that, and you’ll spend less, arrive with less clutter, and start your new chapter fresh. After all the moves I’ve done, that’s the advice I’d give my own family — and it’s the advice I’m giving you. If you’re planning a move and want an honest quote, get in touch and we’ll help you work out what’s actually worth taking.
Frequently asked questions
How can I avoid overpaying when moving interstate?
Get quoted on cubic metres rather than tonnes, insist on a fixed price for a defined volume, cull hard before you get quoted, pack everything in boxes yourself, and move on a mid-month weekday if you can. Do those five things and most people save more than they expect.
Is backloading really cheaper for an interstate move?
Usually, yes, and often by a lot. You are paying for the space your goods take up on a truck that is already making the trip rather than hiring the whole truck. The trade-off is a delivery window of a few days instead of a fixed delivery day. If your dates are flexible it is the best value going. If you need everything there on a set date, pay for a dedicated truck.
Should I sell my furniture and buy new instead of moving it?
Do the sums per item. Anything cheap, flat-pack or bulky is often not worth the cubic metres it eats — a 90 dollar bookshelf taking half a cubic metre of interstate truck space rarely stacks up. Solid timber, anything with genuine value, and anything you actually love should come with you.
How far ahead should I book an interstate move?
Four to six weeks is comfortable. Booking late does not just risk missing out, it removes your ability to negotiate on dates, and the flexible date is exactly where the savings are. If you are moving at the end of a month or over school holidays, make it longer.
Talk to Us Before You Book Anything
If you are moving interstate out of Wollongong and want to know honestly whether a backload or a dedicated truck will cost you less, give us a ring on 1300 015 050. Tell us roughly what you have and how flexible your dates are, and we will give you the straight answer — even when the straight answer is that a different option suits you better. Or fill in the form below and we will come back to you.
Related services from Premier Removalist
Another smart way to cut the cost of a long-distance move is backloading — you share the truck space and only pay for the room your goods take up.
