" My wife and I are moving from the US to Sydney within the next 5 months or so. We are getting conflicting information from the experts as to which of our US appliances we should take with us. Does anybody have any advice based on their experiences? Our biggest concerns are the following appliances: 1. Washer, 2. Dryer, 3. TV, 4. VCR, 5. Stereo system We have new good quality systems but wonder if its worth having to buy adapters and transformers, and pay shipping charges, only to find that they don''t work in Australia anyway. I know the TV and VCR are on different systems but what if I just wanted to use them to play back US tapes - would that work? Would the stereo system work with a transformer or are there 50/60hz cycle problems that could make that not work. I would appreciate hearing from anybody who has had to do wrestle with a similar decision and advice is welcome. I am trying not to expend money unnecesarily and so want to do the right thing is this regard. Also are appliances expensive in Sydney relative to US prices? Thanks, Glenn "

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" Glenn, You can bring your TV, VCR, and Stereo. DO NOT get adapters. Get transformers to use with that equipment. I would not bother with the washer/dryer. I''d recommend getting them here. We are also from the States and now living in Sydney. You really don''t need to worry about the 50/60 Hertz issue with your stereo. We didn''t bring our TV since it is very common to find multi-system TV''s and VCRs here. That way you can play your tapes and local tapes from video rental shops and the systems can handle it. Good luck! Mike "

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" Glenn, Another note: If you get multi-system TV and VCR equipment here, you can get it dual voltage and use it without a problem if you move back to the States. Mike "

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Thanks Mike I appreciate your input. WHat is the going rate for a multi-system VCR in Sydney these days? Also why do you say you wouldn''t bother with the washer and dryer - are they relatively cheap in Aus - or what''s your reasoning? Thanks again

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" Glenn, The reason I recommended getting washer/dryer here is that I''d have concerns over the size of the transformer you''d need. I think the washer you have would also be 220V already but it is two phase as opposed to single phase. If you''re moving here forever, it may be worth having them converted. You could check with the manufacturer to see if they sell internationally. If so, they may have the necessary power supply for your washer and dryer and be able to give you the name of a repair shop in Sydney that could do the job. If it''s a temporary assignment, you may just want to put them in storage and get them when you move back again. I think the conversion costs are fairly high, which was also a consideration in my recommendation. VCR prices vary all over the map but I''ll put some links to some that I looked up. Just about all multi-system VCR''s would be dual voltage. The second link is for Dick Smith Electronics which has a pretty wide range (appx A$240-A$1500). http://www.castel.com.au/products/toshiba/vcr_vw57h.htm http://www.dse.com.au/cgi-bin/dse.storefront You can try a couple different search engines for Australia to look up other stores (e.g. http://yahoo.com.au and http://looksmart.com.au ) The Good guys ( http://www.thegoodguys.com.au has VCRs and Washers/Dryers). One thing to know if you''re shopping for a dryer here is that it is common to mount the dryer updside down on the wall. That was a bit confusting to me at first but it is to save space. The reason for mounting upside down is so you can still reach all of the controls. Washers range for A$500- A$1500. Don''t forget that I''m talking about Australian dollars and it''s about 0.52 US$ to the Australian dollar right now. Roughly just more than half. Hope this helps! Again, if you are moving forever, it may be worth investigating with the manufacturers about conversion of power for some appliances. Things like lamps just need new bulbs and change of the plug to work over here. All the best and Merry Christmas! Mike "

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thanks Mike I certainly appreciate all your effort and advice. Makes sense to me. Merry Christmas to you too. Thanks Glenn

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" Glenn, You might also want to consider that if you are going to move into a house with a back yard (which is how the majority of Australians live), you will definitely have a clothesline in your back yard. The weather in Sydney is very mild and many Australians don''t bother with a clothes dryer because they can hang their clothes outside to dry all year round. It will save you a bit of money not to have a dryer and if you find the clothesline inconvenient you can always put up with it until you have covered your initial moving costs and then you can buy the dryer later. "

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Thanks Ruth - I forgot about that option. Problem is I will miss not having to iron our clothes. Thanks again.

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" Posted on behalf of member, Julie: Hi, Glenn. I have been back in the US for five months, but lived in Sydney for over a year with my family. I don''t know much about the electrical stuff, but appliances are very expensive over there. Because of that, the Australians take much better care of things, used appliances are cheaper and usually in good shape, and there are repair stores on every block. I can''t imagine the cost of shipping over a washer and dryer-my advice would be to buy used in Sydney. If I can answer any other questions, let me know. Have a great time-it''s a wonderful place!! Julie "

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Thanks Julie - we are getting ready to leave in a few weeks now and have decided not to take many of our appliances at all. I am buying a transformer for my stereo system but everything else I am leaving behind. Thanks again :> Glenn

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