How to move to Tasmania: tips, timelines & planning
Working out how to move to Tasmania takes a bit more planning than your average interstate move, mostly because there's a stretch of water called the Bass Strait sitting between you and your new home. That doesn't mean it's complicated; it just means the usual checklist (book a truck, pack some boxes, cross your fingers) needs a few extra lines added to it.
Whether you're chasing a slower pace of life, cheaper property, or just love the idea of living somewhere with more wombats than traffic lights, here's what actually goes into planning a move to Tasmania, from the logistics of getting your furniture there to what you're allowed to bring across the water in the first place.
Getting yourself and your possessions to Tasmania
There are really only two ways to get to Tasmania: by air or by sea. Flying is quick and there are direct routes from most major cities, but you're limited to what fits in checked luggage, which isn't much use when you've got a three-bedroom house to relocate. If you want to bring your own car, a trailer, or you'd rather not fly with pets, the Spirit of Tasmania ferry between Geelong (just outside Melbourne) and Devonport is the only way to go. The crossing takes somewhere between nine and eleven hours depending on whether you sail overnight or during the day, and both your car and your household goods can travel with you.
Two new ships, Spirit of Tasmania IV and V, are due to start sailing this route from October 2026, with more space, better facilities, and dedicated pet-friendly cabins. It's worth checking the current schedule before you lock anything in, since sailing frequency and departure times can shift around a refit or a new vessel coming online.
If you're coming from further afield, like Queensland, you won't be driving to Geelong for the ferry with a full house of belongings in the back of your car. This is where a professional removalist earns their keep, and it's also where the timing gets interesting, which we'll get to shortly.
Why interstate removalists make the crossing easier
If you're moving from the Sunshine State, Brisbane to Tasmania interstate removalists deal with this exact route often enough that they've ironed out the wrinkles you wouldn't have thought of. That's the whole point of hiring one rather than trying to DIY a move that involves multiple states and a ferry booking. A good removalist will consolidate your goods into a purpose-built truck or shipping container, manage the mainland leg of the journey, book the ferry crossing for your belongings, and coordinate delivery once everything lands in Tasmania.
The other advantage of using experienced Brisbane to Tasmania interstate removalists is that they already understand Tasmania's biosecurity requirements (more on that below), so your goods are packed and documented in a way that won't get flagged or held up at Devonport. That's a genuinely useful thing to outsource, because getting it wrong can mean delays, extra inspections, or in worst cases, having items confiscated.
Should you bring everything, or buy it when you get there?
This is one of the first big questions worth considering before you book anything. Tasmania isn't lacking in shops. Hobart and Launceston both have all the usual retailers, and smaller towns have enough to cover the basics. But it is an island and so freight costs get passed on to consumers, and some items (furniture, appliances, specialty goods) can be noticeably pricier than on the mainland, or simply take longer to arrive if ordered online. The bottom line is that the cost of living can be higher as a result of the freight aspect.
A decent rule of thumb: bring anything valuable, sentimental, or expensive to replace, like your bed, your good furniture, and anything custom-made. Consider leaving behind low-value, bulky items that cost more to freight across than to rebuy, like flatpack furniture on its last legs, old garden tools, or that spare fridge that's seen better days. It's also a good moment to be honest about how much you actually use the stuff sitting in your garage. Consider the 3 R’s of moving house, reduce, recycle, reuse. Fewer cubic metres on the truck means a cheaper move, more money in your pocket, and a lighter start in your new home.
What you can and can't bring into Tasmania
Tasmania has its own biosecurity rules on top of the normal interstate ones, aimed at keeping out pests and diseases that could damage the state's agriculture and unique environment. Biosecurity Tasmania inspects certain items on arrival and makes the final call on whether something is allowed in, so if you're ever in doubt, the safest option is to leave it behind.
Broadly, the items that get stopped at the border include fresh fruit and vegetables, fresh herbs, garlic, ginger and onion, unless they've been cooked, baked, hard frozen, canned, preserved, commercially dried or freeze dried. Live plants, soil, seeds, and untreated timber or firewood are also tightly controlled, along with certain seafood and animal products.
None of this is really aimed at household movers specifically, it's the same rules that apply to anyone crossing into Tasmania, but it's easy to forget when you're mid-move and just trying to empty the pantry before the truck arrives. If you're unsure about something, Biosecurity Tasmania's website has detailed guides, and there are amnesty bins at arrival points if you realise too late that something needs to go.
Bringing plants and garden pots
Given the rules above, moving your garden with you is trickier than moving your lounge suite. Live plants, cuttings, and soil are generally not allowed across the border without specific permits, which rules out simply loading up your favourite potted natives and hoping for the best. If your garden matters to you, it's worth researching Tasmanian nurseries ahead of time, since the climate and growing conditions can be quite different from the mainland anyway. Starting fresh with plants suited to local conditions often works out better long term. Empty pots, planters and garden furniture, on the other hand, travel just fine, so there's no need to leave those behind, but ensure they are properly cleaned before travel.
Moving pets across the Bass Strait
Tasmania is one of the trickier states of Australia to bring your pet into, simply because of the water in the way. Flying with pets domestically is limited and not all airlines accommodate them so easily, so most people travelling with dogs, cats, or other animals opt for the Spirit of Tasmania. Pets travel in kennels on a ventilated vehicle deck rather than in the cabin with you (assistance animals are the exception), and kennel bookings are limited, so reserve one as early as possible.
One important detail: dogs need a vet certificate confirming they've been treated for hydatid tapeworm within a set window before travel, in addition to having been checked for ticks, so book that vet visit into your moving timeline rather than leaving it to the last minute. It's a small thing, but it's the kind of requirement that can derail a booking if you find out about it the week you're meant to sail.
Timing your car, your removalist and your own arrival
This is where a lot of people get their planning a little tangled, so it's worth spelling it out. You've essentially got three moving parts: your household goods (with the removalist), your car (either driven or shipped on the ferry), and you (flying or sailing). They don't all need to arrive on the same day, and honestly, they often shouldn't.
A common approach is to fly ahead of your goods so you can collect keys, do a final check of your new place, and be ready and waiting when the removal truck rolls up. Your car can either travel with you on the ferry if you're driving the whole way, or go separately with a vehicle transport service if you'd rather fly and have the car arrive later. If you're using Brisbane to Tasmania interstate removalists, ask them for a realistic delivery window early on, since the mainland drive plus a Bass Strait crossing means transit times are longer than a standard interstate move, and delays from weather or ferry scheduling aren't unheard of. Building in a few days of buffer, rather than assuming everything arrives on the dot, will save you a lot of stress and is more realistic too.
Booking before you've found a place to live
It's a fair question: do you need a confirmed address before you book removalists or a ferry crossing? Not necessarily, but there's a practical reason to get moving on bookings early regardless. Ferry crossings, especially around peak periods like summer holidays, get booked out well in advance, and popular removalist companies fill their calendars too. If you wait until you've signed a lease or settled on a property before booking anything, you might find your ideal moving dates simply aren't available.
A reasonable approach is to lock in your removalist and ferry dates based on your target move window, even if the exact address isn't finalised yet. Additionally, another factor that may come into play is your career options and the timing of your start of work. Most removalists can hold or adjust a booking with reasonable notice, and many people organise short-term accommodation in Tasmania for the first week or two while they finalise a permanent place, with goods going into storage either on the mainland or once they land in Tasmania. It's an extra step, but it beats missing your moving window entirely because the ferry was full.
Bringing it all together
Moving to Tasmania isn't difficult, it just has a few more moving parts than a standard interstate move, largely thanks to that stretch of water and the state's understandably strict biosecurity rules. Get your ferry and interstate removalists bookings sorted early, be realistic about what's worth shipping versus buying fresh, sort out pet and plant logistics well ahead of time, and build a bit of slack into your arrival timeline. Do that, and the crossing itself becomes the easy part, and possibly even the most enjoyable few hours of the whole move in addition to the excitement of this new adventure you and your family are about to embark upon.
Happy Moving!
