Melbourne to Adelaide removalists for moves into SA

Melbourne to Adelaide
Road distance	726 km, central Melbourne to the Adelaide GPO
Driving time	About 9 hours in a car with no stops
Main roads	Western Freeway and Western Highway in Victoria, the Dukes Highway in SA, then the South Eastern Freeway down through the Adelaide Hills
At the border	South Australia’s fruit fly rules apply to produce and plants coming in
How your home travels	By road or rail freight, as your quote sets out

Removalists Melbourne to Adelaide: how the move runs

1. The quote. Moveall’s customer care team asks about the bedrooms and living areas in your Melbourne home, the access there and at the Adelaide home, and any heavy or bulky items, then emails a quote made for your move.
2. Packing. You pack, or Moveall’s Wrap & Pack service supplies the boxes and materials and packs your approved household items, fragile pieces, TVs and artwork included.
3. Loading. Furniture is wrapped in moving blankets and loaded to Moveall’s strict handling and packaging procedures.
4. The trip. Your home travels to Adelaide by road or rail freight, as the quote sets out.
5. Delivery. Furniture and cartons are carried into your Adelaide home and set in the rooms you name.

Fruit fly rules: what not to bring from Victoria

South Australia guards against fruit fly at its borders, and the rules apply to removal loads and to the car you drive in. PIRSA, South Australia’s primary industries department, says some fruit, vegetables, plants, plant products and other items cannot be brought into South Australia from interstate, and that the requirements differ by produce type and by the state you come from. Victoria has its own list on PIRSA’s page.

• Eat it or leave it. PIRSA says you must eat or dispose of fruit and vegetables at risk from fruit fly before entering South Australia or the Riverland.
• Fines are real. PIRSA says people are fined if caught with restricted items at Yamba quarantine station, or at random roadblocks set up after the disposal bins.
• Plants too. Pot plants, cuttings and plant products can be restricted. Check PIRSA’s list for Victoria before packing any.
• Help is a call away. PIRSA runs a Fruit Fly Hotline around the clock for questions about a particular item.

Where in Adelaide are you landing?

Moveall serves 28 Adelaide suburbs, grouped the way Moveall groups them. If you are still choosing where to live, this is the area Moveall delivers to day to day:

Area	Suburbs on Moveall’s list
Adelaide City	Adelaide City
Northern suburbs	Prospect, Walkerville, Mawson Lakes, Salisbury, Elizabeth, Paradise, Modbury, Golden Grove, Tea Tree Gully
Eastern suburbs	Norwood, Payneham, Magill, Campbelltown, Burnside
Southern suburbs	Unley, Goodwood, Mitcham, Blackwood, Marion
Western suburbs and beaches	Glenelg, Brighton, Plympton, Henley Beach, West Lakes, Semaphore, Port Adelaide
Adelaide Hills	Mount Barker

Coming from Melbourne on the South Eastern Freeway, the first part of greater Adelaide you reach is the Hills, around Mount Barker. Moveall’s interstate service also names the Adelaide Hills, the Fleurieu Peninsula, Mount Gambier, Port Lincoln and Kangaroo Island in regional South Australia. The guide to moving to Adelaide has more on the city and its suburbs.

Delivering into an Adelaide home

Moveall asks about the access at both homes before it quotes. At the Adelaide end, tell us about:

• Hills driveways. Steep or narrow driveways in the Hills and some eastern suburbs change where the truck can stop.
• City apartments. Lifts, loading docks and the building’s booking rules. In the city, we check parking and loading rules with the building and the council before moving day.
• Rundle Mall. Vehicles are not allowed in the mall at set hours: Monday to Thursday 9:00 am to 6:00 pm, Friday 9:00 am to 9:15 pm and weekends 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, under City of Adelaide rules. A home with no other access point needs planning around them.
• Stairs and doors. Upstairs bedrooms, narrow halls and tight turns in older homes.

Packing up in Melbourne

Whoever packs, the load has to hold together for 726 km and arrive in a state you can unpack room by room. If you pack yourself, use strong cartons of a few sizes, fill each so it cannot crush, keep books and tools in small boxes, and write the Adelaide room on every carton, not the Melbourne one. Moveall’s terms ask that loose items are packed in cartons and that furniture is emptied of loose items before moving day.

If you would rather not, Moveall’s Wrap & Pack service wraps and packs your approved household items and brings the boxes and materials, with purpose-made packing for clothes, books, heavy items, fragile items, TVs and artwork. Moveall says customers can head out for the day and come back to a house ready for the truck. Many people moving to Adelaide pack the everyday things themselves and leave the glassware, mirrors and artwork to the packers.

Getting to Adelaide ahead of the truck

Most people moving from Melbourne drive across in a day, or fly and pick up the keys, and arrive before their furniture. A removal truck covers the road more slowly than a car, and heavy vehicle drivers must take rest breaks, so ask for the delivery window when you book. In the meantime:

• line up power, water and internet at the Adelaide home before you arrive;
• bring bedding, towels, a kettle and a change of clothes in the car;
• keep documents, medicines and chargers with you;
• tape a room name to each door of the new home to match the carton labels.

Your first weeks in South Australia

Once the cartons are in, a few South Australian rules start their clocks:

• Licence: 3 months. Service SA says you must transfer to a South Australian licence within 3 months of moving here. It is done at a Service SA centre, with a photo taken, and the card comes by post.
• Registration: 3 months. A car with interstate registration can be driven in SA for up to 90 days; after moving here you need to register it in SA within 3 months.
• Enrolment. Update your enrolment with the AEC once you have lived at the new address for a month.

The article on licence, rego and address changes after moving to SA goes through each step.

Paying and insurance

Moveall’s own guide says full payment for an interstate move is made on the day of the move. Moveall holds $20 million public liability cover; that is not insurance for your belongings in transit, so ask us about transit insurance for your belongings when you get your quote.

More on interstate moves

For how Moveall plans every interstate move, read interstate removalists in Adelaide. Heading the other way? See Adelaide to Melbourne removalists. Moving from Sydney instead? Read Sydney to Adelaide removalists.

Questions people ask