This post about gifts for someone moving to Australia has been updated!
I decided to write this post to help people come up with ideas of gifts for people going to Australia. The post was inspired by our last Christmas in the UK before we moved to Australia – it was SO difficult knowing what to buy each other. We knew that we had to choose gifts to take to Australia from the UK in our shipping container, so they needed to be portable and practical presents.
Our wider family also had trouble deciding on what Christmas gifts to get us too – we ended up with mostly chocolates and booze as people knew we’d be able to consume those before we left the country.
A few months later came our leaving party and people really struggled again to know what moving to Australia gifts to get us. We ended up with so many bottles of wine and boxes of chocolates as emigration gifts – we had a feast during our last few days in the country but we had to give away so much as we couldn’t finish it all.
I thought I’d create a post filled with emigration gift ideas that could work as Christmas gifts, birthday gifts or Australia bon voyage gifts for families who are about to move abroad to Australia. I wanted to make it flexible for all ages and include all kinds of presents for someone going to Australia so that you can come up with emigration gift ideas that are much more thoughtful (and memorable) than a box of chocolates. I hope you find it helpful!
Interested in this subject? I also have a podcast episode about it too! Listen to episode 11: Christmas gifting when you move to Australia!
Table of Contents
What do you buy for someone who is moving to Australia soon?
Over the last couple of years, I’ve been asked the same questions many times: What to buy someone going to Australia? Do you have any gift ideas for someone emigrating to Australia? What bon voyage gifts do you wish you’d received before you moved to Australia? Which are the best gifts for people travelling to Australia on holiday or to stay for a year?
As I kept being asked for ideas about gifts for people moving to Australia over and over again, I decided to keep updating the post every year and adding new ideas of gifts for someone going to Australia. These should give you lots of ideas of emigrating presents for an Australia leaving party or Christmas or birthday gifts in the months before someone leaves the country for all ages and price ranges.
If you’re feeling stuck about what to buy someone moving to Australia soon, don’t worry – I’ve got you covered. You don’t need to resort to buying food and drink emigrating gifts – there are loads of amazing, memorable gifts you can give to somebody moving to Australia that they can take with them in their suitcase or shipping container.
This emigration present ideas guide includes suggestions for the whole family. It includes gifts for someone travelling to Australia on holiday and gifts for someone moving to Australia, no matter what their age or interests (if you’re looking at buying gifts for Australia-based family members from overseas, I’ve got you covered in this separate post about online Australia gift ideas – it is packed with experience gift ideas of things you can buy online instantly so you can avoid hefty international postage fees). There are so many gift ideas for someone emigrating to Australia to suit all budgets.
These are all emigration gifts that we’d have loved to have received. They’re gifts for someone leaving the country that don’t take up too much space and things that can be taken on future adventures – I’ve tried to make sure my emigration gift ideas were things people would treasure and get lots of use out of as I think it’s really lovely if your Australia leaving gifts can be something to remember you by. You might also enjoy reading this post about books to inspire your move to Australia too as some of these make incredible, inexpensive gifts for someone moving abroad too.
This post about gifts for someone moving to Australia contains affiliate links which means I receive a commission for any purchases you make using these links at no extra cost to you. My full disclosure policy is available in the footer.
Christmas gifts or leaving presents for someone moving to Australia
If you’re looking for a special emigration gift for someone moving to Australia, here are some moving to Australia gift ideas for grown-ups. Whether you’re looking for gifts for a friend leaving the country or for a family member who is leaving the country to travel or live abroad, this section is filled with ideas about what to get someone who is leaving as a bon voyage gift or special occasion gift.
Bon voyage Australia gifts for adults
Now on to my top picks of gift ideas for the grown ups who are emigrating to Australia or gifts for someone going travelling to Australia…
Bose Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones
These Bose noise-cancelling headphones are amazing (I was lucky enough to get a pair in my stocking one Christmas, so I speak from personal experience and you will often see me wearing them in Instagram photos as I take my daily walk)! They’re a great moving to Australia gift as you can use them on the plane, and they’re awesome for listening to music or podcasts (or even just to turn them to silent so you can get some peace and quiet – they definitely help me concentrate on work when all of the kids are at home making a lot of noise). They aren’t very big so are easy enough to take in your hand luggage. They’re a long-lasting, quality item and they make a great main Christmas gift, birthday gift or moving present for your other half. It’s an emigration gift that somebody will be able to keep and use for many years to come.
They’re the kind of present for someone moving to Australia that will get continued use out of well beyond the move. I use mine when I exercise, when I need some quiet time to work and when I travel. They’re also a great idea of what to buy for someone travelling to Australia as they’re small enough to pack in hand luggage and they come in handy for listening to music and podcasts while travelling.
>> Shop for Bose headphones on Amazon
GoPro
This tough little GoPro camera is one of my favourite moving to Australia gifts as it will come in so handy for someone leaving to Australia to start a new adventure. What makes it such a great gift for someone moving to Australia? It’s tiny, hard-wearing and great for taking into the water as you learn to surf or paddleboard. You can also add an accessory kit as a little extra and you have the most perfect emigrating presents!
It’s a really practical gift for someone travelling to Australia or moving to Australia to capture those special moments. When you move to Australia, you’re more likely to try some new adventurous activities – snorkelling, ocean swimming, surfing, water sports, hiking, cycling…A Go Pro is the perfect gift for someone going to Australia to live or just to travel in Australia as it helps them capture all of those incredible experiences.
Travel wallet
I don’t know why but I’ve always wanted a travel wallet and passport holder. It’s not something I need so I’ve never bought one for myself, but then this is a luxury gift rather than a necessity! I love this vibrant flamingo design plus it has RFID blocking for added security.
Somebody who is emigrating (or travelling) to Australia is going to do more travel in future (even if it’s just coming back for visits), so it’s a really practical emigrating present that will get plenty of ongoing use. It’s one of those gifts for someone emigrating that is luxurious AND practical. I love getting travel accessories as presents as they’re things I wouldn’t tend to buy for myself.
(If you want some more ideas about travel accessories that make great gifts for someone emigrating to Australia, have a read of this post about my favourite travel accessories!)
>> Shop for travel wallets on Amazon
Apple watch
A watch is a lovely keepsake emigrating gift, and an Apple watch comes in really handy to stay in touch, track steps and sleep and all kinds of extras. I got a regular watch as my main Christmas gift from my husband just before we moved and I think it’s one of the best gifts for people emigrating, but now an Apple watch is an even better gift for someone going to Australia. It’s a portable gift, making it an ideal bon voyage gift for someone moving to Australia, plus it allows you to stay connected with messages and emails so you can stay in contact with the people you love easily.
A watch also makes a great leaving present in a work situation where a team club together to buy a present for a colleague who is leaving – it’s a lasting reminder
If you really want to push the boat out and buy a really memorable gift for a friend moving to Australia or a loved one, I think an Apple watch is a fantastic choice (I finally joined the revolution recently as I’d resisted for years as I loved my regular watch so much but I absolutely adore my Apple watch now!) A watch is a really lovely gift idea for someone moving to Australia permanently so they can remember you and also so they can stay connected too.
>> Shop for Apple watches on Amazon
Compact camera
Getting a good compact camera as a present for someone emigrating is a great investment. It will inspire that person to share some of their photos when they land too! My husband and I invested in a new compact camera as a joint present for each other on our final Christmas in the UK. It meant we had a way of capturing our leaving party too!
Getting a camera with Wi-Fi is really handy to allow photos to be easily shared to Instagram as well. Whether you’re buying it for your partner, yourself or you’re looking for a present for someone going to Australia – a camera is a really solid emigration gift that everyone will appreciate and get a lot of use out of. As we make photo books every year as Christmas gifts for family in the UK, our camera has come in so handy.
>> Shop for Sony Cameras on Amazon
Lonely Planet Australia guide book
Everyone who is moving to Australia needs a great Australia guide book! I know some people think books are dead and you can do everything online, but I LOVE books and think they make great gifts for someone travelling to Australia or moving there.
Lonely Planet Australia helps people plan their future holidays within Australia. It makes a great gift for an Australia trip for someone who is coming over to Australia travelling, but is just as handy as a gift for someone emigrating permanently – I still often refer to my Australia travel books before we go on holiday here. Trust me, it makes an awesome gift if your friend is moving to Australia and you want to buy them something they will get continued use out of – plus every time they open the book they will think of you!
>> Shop for Lonely Planet Australia on Amazon
Australia language and culture book
Books about Australian culture are a fabulous gift to give as Christmas or moving gifts. They are a really useful present for someone going to Australia to live or travel. This book is actually one of the most popular items my readers buy through Amazon!
This is a fun little stocking filler or bon voyage gift for Australia. Someone actually bought this one for me as a farewell gift!
>> Shop for Australia language and culture book on Amazon
Selfie stick and tripod
A good selfie stick is a handy gift for someone travelling in Australia and this one comes with a tripod and bluetooth remote. It’s a practical gift for someone travelling around Australia on their own backpacking as they will want to be in their own photos. It really does make a difference if you have a way to take your own photos without needing to ask people all the time.
A tripod also comes in handy for capturing moments like sunsets and sunrises where you need to be really still to get a clear image.
>> Shop for selfie sticks with tripods on Amazon
Electrical cable organiser
A cable organiser may sound like a boring present for someone travelling to Australia, but don’t underestimate how handy it is! It makes travel so much easier if you can keep all of your electrical gear and chargers in a safe place when travelling. I wish we’d had one of these when we were backpacking around Australia, and having just gone back to the UK for a big six-week trip, this would have been so incredibly handy! I’ll definitely be investing in one before we do any more big holidays.
It may not be the most exciting of moving gift ideas but, trust me, anyone leaving for Australia is going to have stacks of cables, plugs, cards, adapters etc. to take with them so it’s a really handy emigrating gift and one I’d have been happy to receive. It’s also super handy as a gift for someone travelling to Australia on holiday or someone going backpacking so they can keep their cables organised in their hand luggage. There is nothing worse than having a bag full of loose cables while backpacking around Australia (I speak from experience as I’ve done it!) It makes a handy stocking filler as a Christmas moving to Australia gift.
>> Shop for electrical cable organisers on Amazon
Kindle
I LOVE books so much, but they take up so much weight in your case so for travelling they aren’t very practical so I usually only travel with one book in my hand luggage if I can help it and maybe one or two more in my hold luggage. A Kindle makes travelling with books so much easier though. When we emigrated, we actually got rid of so many of our books at car boot sales and I made sure that I loaded some fresh content onto my Kindle so I had a stack of books to read on the plane and when we arrived in Australia (not that there is much time to read when you travel with little ones!)
A Kindle is one of those amazing gifts for going to Australia as you’re giving the gift of reading without needing to cart a stack of books around. I love that they have the kind of screen you can read on the beach too! We’ve just bought Kindles for our kids and they love them!
iPad
An iPad is a handy, portable gift for someone to take to Australia from the UK or where ever in the world. You can load it with movies, favourite TV shows and games so you’re ready for any airport delays and your kids can be happy knowing their familiar TV isn’t far away. New technology is coming out all the time, so if you’re considering Australia travel gifts or leaving gift ideas, a new iPad can be a great investment – there is no point taking out-of-date about-to-expire tech with you.
iPads are so handy when you have kids both for the journey to Australia and also to entertain the kids while you’re setting up all of your accounts and things when you arrive.
Skincare: Sunscreen
A really important gift for someone moving abroad to a hot country like Australia is some high-quality skincare products to protect skin from the sun’s rays.
If you’re buying a sunscreen, look for UVA and UVB protection. You can read this helpful post about zinc sunscreens to get some more ideas, but I like to buy reef-safe zinc sunscreens. Invisible Zinc is a fabulous Australian brand of sunscreen and it makes a great present for someone moving abroad.
>> Shop for Invisible Zinc from Amazon
Beach towel
A sand-free beach towel make a great gift for a friend moving abroad to Australia. It’s the kind of present for someone emigrating that will make them think of you every time they hit the beach!
A beach towel is the kind of item that will get so much use in Australia, and a top-quality, sand-free one will last for years and years. It’s a practical yet luxury gift for a friend leaving the country and it’s an item that really isn’t too expensive making it a great going away gift for a friend moving overseas.
>> Shop for beach towels from Amazon
Looking for Father’s Day gift ideas in Australia? Find out my top picks for Father’s Day here.
Moving gift ideas for kids emigrating to Australia
If you’re looking for moving to Australia gifts for kids for either Christmas presents, birthday gifts or bon voyage gifts, here are some ideas below. (If the kids are particularly obsessed with wildlife like mine are, then this post is worth a read too as it includes some wildlife-related books which make useful educational emigration gifts.)
Check out my top Christmas gifts for kids who are moving to Australia below…
Crayola colouring set
Emigrating families looking for fun things for the kids to do during the long-haul flight will love this kit. This Crayola Dry Erase set is mess-free and lightweight enough to pack in the hand luggage. It’s an awesome gift idea for kids who are leaving for Australia soon.
Colouring is also relaxing so if children are feeling nervous about the move or the flight, this will help them focus on something else for a while.
>> Shop for Crayola colouring sets on Amazon
Kids’ travel journal
Encourage kids to log their migration journey and keep track of their feelings in a travel journal. It’s a very practical gift for someone emigrating – it gives kids some control to write down what is going on in their lives, as well as giving them an outlet to explore how the whole move is making them feel which will help them cope with the big move.
It’s a very useful leaving for Australia present that can help young people deal with the big emotions involved in emigrating.
>> Shop for travel journals on Amazon
Kids’ travel pillow/travel bed for the plane
This travel bed/foot rest makes a great leaving present for someone emigrating to Australia. This gadget means kids will hopefully get a good sleep on the long flight!
The case is on wheels which makes it easy to transport through the airport, and once onboard it folds out into a bed so little ones can stretch out. It will make the flight to Australia way more fun and comfortable for little ones so it makes a great travel gift idea. There are all kinds of inflatable foot pillows, foot hammocks or bed boxes to choose from.
Read this post if you want some more inspiration about these travel sleep solutions for kids.
>> Shop for travel sleep solutions on Amazon
Australia facts book
Kids who are moving abroad to Australia will love this book by Lonely Planet. It’s super fun and will tell them everything they need to know about their new home in Australia! It’s a really fun present for someone moving abroad.
Scooter suitcase
Kids will love whizzing around the airport on a scooter suitcase (if I’m honest, I think I’d quite like one myself! How cool does this one look?).
A scooter suitcase would certainly make the journey overseas a lot more fun as well as being a useful leaving present for kids as they will be able to use it over and over again on their return visits. If my kids had received scooter suitcases as bon voyage gifts, I think they’d ask to leave the country all the time so they could use them! It’s the ultimate kids present to take to Australia.
>> Shop for scooter suitcases on Amazon
Want to ship suitcases to Australia to keep your move as simple as possible? Check out this post about Send My Bag that includes a 5% discount link.
Consumable gift ideas for someone who is moving to Australia
If you’re wondering what to get someone moving to Australia as a leaving present or Christmas or birthday gift and they have a some time before they jet off, food and drink can be an option. Remember to only buy these as a leaving present for someone emigrating to Australia if they are going to have time to enjoy it though – there is nothing worse than being given yummy food and drink as emigrating gifts and then having to leave them behind as you don’t have time to finish them before you emigrate! I speak from experience as we received lots of food and drink as emigrating gifts and we really struggled to get through them!
Even if you’ve decided a food gift is the most practical idea, don’t feel like you have to give a boring box of chocolates as a moving to Australia leaving gift though – there are some incredible, thoughtful luxury gift hampers out there to choose from as a last Christmas gift or a leaving present for someone emigrating to Australia:
Tea time treats hamper
Give a hamper of treats that can be enjoyed in the moment.
>> Shop for tea time treats from Amazon
Chocolate hamper
Now this is something I’d be very happy to find under my Christmas tree (just remember that the wicker hamper won’t be able to travel to Australia due to shipping restrictions!)
>> Shop for chocolate hampers from Edible Blooms
If you’ve got family living in Australia already and need to send a gift to them, check out this post about luxury Australian gift hampers or this one about sending flowers online.
Gifts for someone moving to Australia: Give experiences this Christmas
In my opinion, giving experiences as gifts is so much better than giving presents just for the sake of it. When we got married back in 2005, I devised an experience gift list before I even knew it was a thing! We took a Caribbean cruise for our honeymoon so I made up experiences people could buy for us (a beach picnic, cocktails on the deck at sunset, an island tour etc.) as I really didn’t want to end up with ten oven dishes and some crockery! Memories and experiences are everything to me.
Now that we’re in Australia, our family usually give us cash for Christmas and birthdays and they ask us to buy gifts for our kids from them (then I use a transfer service to move the money over to Australia as cheaply as possible). If we still lived in the UK, the kids would end up swamped in plastic toys that would be broken by the end of the holidays. Now that we buy most of their gifts from people, we usually get the kids a few key presents and some stocking fillers and then put the rest of the money towards experiences like wildlife park passes or days out.
Our parents don’t like shopping online in Australia from the UK – they don’t know the stores and postage is so expensive if they send Christmas gifts to Australia from the UK. Buying all of the gifts from EVERYONE and wrapping all of it for three kids is an awful lot on my shoulders. There is an alternative though if your family want to keep things simple and thoughtful – they can send you experience gifts booked online. That allows them to choose tickets and tours for you and give you an amazing memory. Alternately, if you get cash from your family, you can use the gifting sites to buy experiences or tours yourself.
There are some great experience gift websites! I’ve used all of these before myself…
So whether you want to send Christmas presents to Australia (but are worried about the high cost of postage) or you’re thinking about what to buy someone who is moving overseas to Australia, the above gifting sites are a really practical idea as they can be used towards all kinds of experiences that will create lifelong memories.
Gifts for someone moving to Australia: Buy tour gifts Australia
With these experience gift sites you can buy specific experiences or tour or attraction tickets in a specific city or you can buy you gift vouchers that can be used towards an experience. Ideas for gifts include a Brisbane Story Bridge Climb or a hot air balloon ride in Sydney – there are so many options! This is also awesome if you’re looking for gifts for someone going travelling to Australia as it means you can buy them something special to do when they get to Australia. I know when we were backpacking in Australia we were on a tight budget so we’d have loved it if somebody had bought us some gift experiences or tour tickets in Australia as a pre travelling gift.
If you are the one who is moving, make sure you share the site with your relatives!
Leaving presents for someone emigrating to Australia
There are so many portable gifts for people moving to Australia – from designer sunglasses to snazzy beach rugs, from colourful sandals to buying your other half a Kindle Unlimited subscription to give them an endless catalogue of ebooks on their Kindle (which is inexpensive but SO SO good!). There are SO MANY moving abroad gifts that won’t take up space in the moving container, so please don’t feel you have to give cash or chocolates when it comes to immigration gift ideas!
Whether you’re looking for Christmas gifts for anyone, or you’re shopping for a leaving party gift for someone moving abroad, there are loads of ideas out there. Most of these are also great gift ideas for someone travelling to Australia too as they are all portable gifts that will fit in a backpack. I hope this article about what to buy someone moving overseas has helped you to think outside the box when it comes to gifts for someone who is leaving the country.
If you think these suggestions are helpful gift ideas for someone emigrating to Australia, it would be great if you’d give the post a share. Buying gifts for people moving to Australia is really tough, so give your family and friends a hand otherwise you might end up with lots of boxes of chocolates and bottles of gin like we did!
(This post contains affiliate links which means I receive a commission for any purchases you make using these links at no extra cost to you.)
Still at the start of your migration journey and trying to figure out how to make your move a reality? Check out this guide to emigrating to Australia to help make your move easier.
Enjoyed this post about gifts for someone moving to Australia? Read these next:
Order last-minute online Australia gifts
Send flowers to Australia
Order hampers in Australia
6 Reasons to send Christmas flowers to Australia
