Hi Tim

Myself and my partner have been in Melbourne for just over 2 years now - originally on a temp business visa, now we have PR. We're currently looking at getting our stuff over from the UK as we left it in storage. We opted to keep a lot of our big items. If you're paying for a container, you might as well fill it! We've lived without our stuff for over 2 years (we have bought some bits) but it's not too bad. Might be worth checking out the cost of things here - Ikea has prices on their website - but prices are about the same.

As far as electrical goods go, they will work here. Same voltage (240), but you will either need adapters for the plugs or you can get an electrician here to change the plugs for you as you're not legally allowed to do this yourself.

Regarding paperwork - the consultants do charge a lot, but for a lot of people it means they take all the hassle out of the process, but they have no sway in whether something gets accepted or not. I was lucky as my employer here paid for my PR and the consultant costs. But the forms although lengthy were simple enough. Remember, the consultants won't fill them in for you - they just tell you what to fill in and then check them.

Hope some of that helps.