Townsville to Darwin Backloading

The cost for your local move will depend on how long your move takes. Some dishonest moving companies quote very cheap hourly or half-hourly rates to get your job, and then work slowly on the day or surprise you with additional charges in order to make more money.

Unless they are running a limited special offer, most honest removal companies need to charge at least $45 per half hour or more in order to pay their staff (two people usually come to load and unload the truck for you), pay their insurances, and make sure their trucks are serviced regularly.

Reading reviews is a great way to determine if a removalist is the right one for you. Platforms like Google, Product Review or Muval are great for this because they have built-in mechanisms to ensure reviews are from genuine people that have actually interacted with that business.

However, we advise to be cautions of moving companies with hundres of reviews and a perfect 5 star rating on these platforms as reviews unfortunately can be faked. Don't get us wrong: honest companies with a perfect 5 star rating do exist and they are excellent (we have a few on our platform!). But, given the nature of furniture removalist work, something, at some point, is bound to go wrong. Maybe the truck breaks down and is late for a job. Maybe someone accidentally trips and some items in a box are damaged. Whatever it is, accidents unfortunately do happen and these sorts of occassions rarely attract a 5 star rating.

Because of this, companies with a 4.5 or above rating are often just as good as a company with a perfect 5. So, we suggest, instead of looking for all 5-star reviews, take a look at a companies worst reviews and pay special attention to how they responded to the issue. Were they sympathetic? Did they respond promptly? Did they offer a resolution? Were they contactable for the customer to voice their concerns? These are the sorts of things that separate the best removalists from those who don't deliver a high level of service.

Read more about how to avoid dodgy removalists here.

Packing and unpacking boxes for your house is not usually included by default when you book a removalist. This is a service that needs to be booked separately (you can do this through Muval) or done yourself, and is best arranged for a day or two before your removalist is scheduled to do your uplift.

In our experience, people always dramatically under estimate the time it takes to pack their house, and it's usually one of the most burdensome tasks of moving! If you're packing yourself, make sure you start early and do a couple of boxes a day. Otherwise, save yourself the hassle and book packing services through Muval. Your future self will thank you.

It is preferred if you or your representative to be present at the pickup and drop off.

The earlier you book your move the more confident you can be that the date you wish to move will be available. However, the time in advance that you should book is heavily dependent on the time of year. Between October and March we recommend booking at least 3-4 weeks in advance of when you want to move. From March - September you can leave it a little later, booking 2-3 weeks out.

If you change your list of items or space required to an increased amount, the removalist will adjust the price accordingly. It is advisable to inform Muval as soon as you know that your moving volume has increased. This way, we can plan to avoid any items being left behind on the move day. Please contact Muval about two days before your move once you have finished packing; this way, we can give the correct information to the removalist company before the day. 

All furniture items will be wrapped in heavy removalist quilted padding to best protect your furniture; Some removalists will also use shrink wrap as well.

The best way to ensure a successful move day is to be prepared. One way to do this is to notify your removalist about any very heavy or awkward-to-move items before move day. It can never hurt to double-check with them that they understand that you have these items, even if you have also submitted an inventory list. These sorts of items include:

• Grand / Baby grand piano
• Pizza oven
• Concrete furniture
• Pool / snooker tables (particularly slate)
• Many pot plants / large pot plants