Chelmer removalists, stair by stair

Chelmer is a small suburb of 1.8 square kilometres, about 9.8 kilometres by road from the Brisbane GPO. The Brisbane River wraps around every side except the south, where Chelmer meets Graceville. It is almost entirely houses. At the 2021 Census, 94.5 per cent of occupied homes were separate houses, and 61.3 per cent had four or more bedrooms, against 38.8 per cent across Queensland.

Many of those houses are large interwar Queenslanders. The University of Queensland's Queensland Places history notes that the most sought-after sat on Laurel Avenue, on the suburb's western side, which was voted Brisbane's best street in 1999. Not everything is timber, though. Council's heritage register lists 29 Longman Terrace, a substantial masonry bungalow built in 1925 with stucco walls, a terracotta tile roof and a large verandah.

A Chelmer quote starts with that variety. We ask about the stairs, the verandah, the heaviest pieces and the ones you'd least like to see marked. The rate is $125 to $169 an hour + GST for a moving truck and two professional movers.

Chelmer's Queenslanders are known for timber verandahs, wide stairways and galvanised iron roofs. Wide stairs help, but every piece still has to go down them one step at a time.

The river adds another layer. In 1893, the area east of the railway line was flooded, and in January 2011 nearly all of Chelmer east of the line was flooded again. After the 2011 flood, Brisbane City Council changed its planning rules so flood-affected homes could be raised to as much as 9.5 metres, up from the previous 8.5-metre limit. A raised house usually means more stairs between the living rooms and the truck.

• Count every flight at both addresses, including external stairs up to a raised living level. Where a stair charge applies, it is $48 including GST per flight.
• Check the turns. Measure the point where the stairs meet the verandah and the front door, not just the stairs themselves.
• Protect the timber. Heavy pieces are wrapped in quilted blankets and carried or moved on trolleys, never dragged across verandah boards or polished floors.
• Dismantle when it's safer. Beds, tables and wardrobes come apart where needed and go back together at the new home. Basic dismantling and reassembly are included.

Large older homes often hold the pieces people care about most: antique cabinets, mirrors, artwork, glassware and sometimes a piano. These need a plan of their own.

• Pack by category. Our packing team can handle just the fragile items, such as ceramics, glassware, framed art and mirrors, while you pack the rest. Bubble wrap and dish paper are supplied on request at no extra charge.
• Wrap for the road. Polished timber, upholstery and glass are covered in quilted blankets, pads and stretch wrap, then strapped in place.
• Pianos. Piano relocation is $149 including GST on top of the hourly rate, subject to an access assessment. Send photos of the stairs and the route to the piano at both homes.
• Heavy pieces. Marble tables, safes and solid cabinets over 90 kg carry a $48 (incl. GST) charge each and are assessed before the day.

If a piece needs specialist handling beyond what our crew and equipment can safely do, we'll tell you before you book rather than take the risk.

Because the river surrounds most of Chelmer, a truck arrives in one of two ways: from the south through Graceville, or from the north across the Walter Taylor Bridge from Indooroopilly. The bridge opened in 1936, is listed on the Queensland Heritage Register and still carries traffic between the two suburbs. In 2026, Brisbane City Council closed it to all vehicles for a series of weekend and Saturday-night closures during renewal works.

• Moving to Indooroopilly, Taringa or St Lucia? Check Council's notices for bridge closures before choosing a date. A closure means the long way round, and on an hourly move that time counts.
• Heading south. Honour Avenue runs from Chelmer through Graceville to Sherwood and is the natural route out of the suburb.
• Kerb space. If the truck needs room outside your gate, let your neighbours know early, and arrange a permit if your street requires one. Parking and permit costs are passed on.
• By rail. Chelmer station is on the Ipswich line, which helps if you're travelling separately from the truck.

Chelmer moves are often short in distance and long on detail.

• Next door. A move to Graceville or Fig Tree Pocket covers little ground, but a Queenslander at one end and a raised or two-storey house at the other can mean stairs on both sides.
• Downsizing. If you're leaving a large house for an apartment, decide early what fits. Our apartment removals team works to the building's lift and loading rules, and junk removal can take what you're not keeping.
• The Gold Coast, either way. We move between Brisbane and the Gold Coast in both directions, with travel confirmed before you book.
• Settling in. Our unpacking service can place furniture, reassemble beds and take the used packing away.

We charge by the hour and list every extra before you book.

• $125 to $169 per hour + GST for a moving truck and two professional movers.
• Included: quilted blankets and furniture pads, flat dollies and hand trolleys, ratchet straps, stretch wrap, bubble wrap and dish paper on request, plus basic dismantling and reassembly.
• $48 incl. GST each, where they apply: stairs per flight, appliances, items over 90 kg, an extra pick-up or drop-off, an extra trip, a truck-inaccessible driveway and hoisting.
• Piano relocation: $149 incl. GST on top of the hourly rate, subject to an access assessment.
• Travel: charged depot-to-depot or as a call-out fee. Parking and permit costs are passed on.

A deposit secures your date, and we ask for 48 hours' notice to cancel or reschedule. See our pricing page for details. When you're ready, request a quote with both addresses, the stairs at each end and a list of your fragile and heavy pieces. Our team aims to call new enquiries back within five minutes during business hours.