Every Brisbane move, planned first

Brisbane is a city of very different moves. The City of Brisbane is the most populous local government area in Australia, and its homes range from highset Queenslanders on steep inner-city streets to apartment towers along the river. At the 2021 Census, 62.6 per cent of the city's occupied homes were separate houses, 11.3 per cent were townhouses, terraces or semi-detached homes, and 25.6 per cent were flats or apartments. Across Queensland, apartments made up just 12.5 per cent.

Each of those homes asks something different of a removalist, and so does every workplace. That is why we plan each job around the property, not the postcode. Brisbane Moving Company moves households, offices, studios and warehouses across every Brisbane metropolitan area, and covers the Gold Coast, Logan, Ipswich, Redlands and Moreton Bay as well.

We are based in Slacks Creek, in the City of Logan, about 22 kilometres south-south-east of the Brisbane CBD in a straight line. The rate is simple: $125 to $169 an hour + GST for a moving truck, two professional movers and all standard equipment. Additional movers and larger trucks are available when the job calls for them, and every charge is confirmed before you book.

If you're comparing movers in Brisbane, ask each one the same three questions. What does the hourly rate include? How is travel charged? Which extras could apply at your addresses? We answer all three before you book, so the price you agree reflects the move you actually have.

Many Brisbane houses were built for the climate, not for removalists. Highset Queenslanders sit up on stumps, with front stairs, a verandah to cross and hallways that turn tightly. Paddington and Bardon sit in the foothills of Mount Coot-tha, where the main roads follow the ridges and the streets between them are steep. Newer homes bring their own questions: oversized sofas, stone-topped tables and garages full of gym gear and garden tools.

So a house move starts with how everything leaves the building:

• The route out. We ask about front stairs, side gates, the verandah turn and how close the truck can park. Large pieces are dismantled when that is the safer way through, then reassembled at the new home.
• Protection on every piece. Quilted blankets, furniture pads and stretch wrap are included at no extra charge, along with flat dollies, hand trolleys and ratchet straps.
• Stairs priced openly. Where a stair charge applies, it is $48 including GST per flight, confirmed before you book. Appliances and items over 90 kg carry the same charge per item.
• Specialist items assessed first. Piano relocation is $149 including GST on top of the hourly rate, subject to an access assessment. Safes, marble tables and other heavy or bulky items are assessed individually.

Our house removals pair well with full or partial packing, including fragile and high-care items, and with unpacking at the other end, so cartons land in the right rooms and the used packing goes with us.

A quarter of Brisbane's homes are flats or apartments, and in some inner suburbs they are the clear majority. In New Farm, on a bend of the river 2 kilometres east of the CBD, apartments and units account for more than 70 per cent of dwellings. In Teneriffe, wool stores and factories have been converted into apartments, turning a riverside industrial hub into a mostly high-density neighbourhood.

In an apartment move, the building sets the pace. Before moving day:

• Book the lift and loading area with building management at both ends, and ask about permitted move times and lift protection.
• Find out where a truck can stand. Brisbane City Council lets a commercial vehicle that is loading or unloading goods use a commercial loading zone for up to 20 minutes without a permit. That rarely covers a whole move, so a loading dock, a driveway or a permit usually needs to be part of the plan. Parking and permit costs are passed on.
• Count the stairs in walk-ups. Tell us how many flights there are at each address, so the crew, timing and price reflect the real job.

Our apartment removals follow your building's rules. Moving a single room or a few pieces? Furniture and small moves get the same care as a full apartment.

Townhouses sit somewhere in between: internal stairs, a single garage and a driveway shared with the rest of the complex. Mention the stairs inside as well as the steps at the front door, and check any body corporate rules on where a truck can park.

Commercial moves are a priority for us. An office relocation runs to a lease date, a building's rules and a team that needs to be working again quickly, so we plan it in that order. Brisbane's CBD sits on a peninsula of the river, about 15 kilometres from its mouth, and its towers often mean booked goods lifts, loading docks and set work windows. Suburban business parks and strata offices bring their own rules on parking and shared driveways.

• After-hours, weekend and public holiday moves, subject to availability, so the move happens outside your trading hours.
• Staged moves by floor or department, so the rest of the business keeps working.
• Furniture placed to your floor plan, by zone or desk number, with desks and tables reassembled.
• Clear limits. IT disconnection, network setup and licensed trade work sit outside the moving service. Your IT provider and trades handle those; we wrap, move and place the equipment once it is disconnected.

Our office removals page explains how we plan a business relocation, from the first scoping questions to the first morning in the new space.

Brisbane's industrial land is spread across the city. Australia TradeCoast, the economic development area centred on the Port of Brisbane and Brisbane Airport, brings together transport and logistics, aviation, marine and manufacturing businesses. South of the river, Acacia Ridge, about 15 kilometres south of the CBD, has a heavy industrial area and one of Queensland's largest railway freight yards.

A warehouse move needs the same discipline as an office move, with heavier lifting. We scope stock, workbenches, office furniture and equipment together, then sequence the move so the new site can receive everything in a sensible order. Heavy or oversized items are assessed individually, so the right crew, equipment and vehicle are on site. If something can't be moved safely with our equipment, we'll tell you at quoting rather than on the day.

Most relocations also turn up things that shouldn't make the trip. Junk removal takes old office furniture, equipment, boxes and clutter to a transfer station or, where practical, to recycling. Disposal is charged by weight and type, with a minimum of $95 including GST. Moving stock or archives in or out of a storage unit? We handle storage pick-ups and deliveries too.

Brisbane is informally divided into the northside and the southside, and the dividing line is the Brisbane River. The river winds through the city in steep curves, so two addresses that look close on a map can be a long way apart by road. That shapes how we plan a cross-river move:

• Not every bridge takes a truck. The Eleanor Schonell Bridge, linking the University of Queensland's St Lucia campus with Dutton Park, carries only buses, pedestrians and bicycles. The Goodwill and Kurilpa bridges in the city are for pedestrians and cyclists.
• Some suburbs have a single road link. Between Indooroopilly and Chelmer, the heritage-listed Walter Taylor Bridge is the only road crossing. The others carry trains, pedestrians and cyclists.
• Tunnels change the route. The Clem Jones Tunnel, opened in 2010, was the river's first underground road crossing. North of the river, Legacy Way links the Western Freeway at Toowong with the Inner City Bypass at Kelvin Grove.

For local detail, start with our Northside removalists page, covering suburbs such as Ascot, Hamilton, Clayfield and Indooroopilly, or our Southside removalists page, covering Bulimba, Hawthorne, Camp Hill and West End. Going further? We move between Brisbane and the Gold Coast in both directions, and handle long-distance and interstate moves.

Beyond the three questions above, a few more details separate one quote from another when you're choosing a removalist in Brisbane.

• Crew and truck. How many movers does the rate cover, and is a larger crew recommended for your home? Ours covers a moving truck and two professional movers. Additional movers and larger trucks are available, and we'll say at quoting if we think the job needs them.
• What sits outside the service. Licensed trade work, IT and network setup, and hazardous goods are excluded. Book plumbers, electricians and IT support separately, and use up or dispose of gas bottles and chemicals before the day.
• Who arranges access. You book lifts, loading zones and parking permits at both addresses, and we tell you the truck, crew and timing to request.

Before you book a moving company in Brisbane, brief everyone on your shortlist the same way, with the same inventory, access notes and dates. When all the movers in Brisbane you're considering price the same job, their quotes are much easier to compare.

We charge by the hour and set out the numbers before you book.

• $125 to $169 per hour + GST for a moving truck, two professional movers and all standard equipment. Additional movers and larger trucks are available, with the cost confirmed first.
• Included at no extra charge: quilted blankets and furniture pads, flat dollies and hand trolleys, ratchet straps, stretch wrap, bubble wrap and dish paper on request, and basic dismantling and reassembly.
• $48 incl. GST each, where they apply: appliances, items over 90 kg, stairs per flight, an extra pick-up or drop-off, an extra trip, a truck-inaccessible driveway and hoisting.
• Travel: charged depot-to-depot or as a call-out fee, with any outer-area charges confirmed before booking. Parking and permit costs are passed on, and waiting time is chargeable.

One local note: from November to March, thunderstorms are common over Brisbane. If you're moving in summer, tell us about any covered area near the loading point. Our blankets and stretch wrap keep furniture protected between the door and the truck.

A deposit secures your date, with the balance due on completion, and we ask for 48 hours' notice to cancel or reschedule. See the full breakdown on our pricing page, then request a quote with both addresses, the access at each end and anything heavy or fragile. Our team aims to call new enquiries back within five minutes during business hours, 8am to 6pm Monday to Saturday.