Most rental properties in Australia are unfurnished, which may mean there is no furniture and no white goods such as fridge or washing machine included. If you are not bringing your furniture with you, or need to add to what you have your options are:

• New Furniture General: Try Ikea (www.ikea.com.au ) and Freedom Furniture (www.freedom.com.au) for household basics. For kitchen essentials and household accessories such as sheets, towels, plates, cutlery etc go to Target (www.target.com.au) or Kmart (www.kmart.com.au). If you are looking for mid range stylish furniture try Domain (www.domain.com.au ). For top end designer furniture might try Coco Republic (www.cocorepublic.com.au)
• White Goods: For electrical appliances try Harvey Norman (www.harveynorman.com.au) or The Good Guys (www.thegoodguys.com.au) Bing Lee (www.binglee.com.au) or 2nds world for Factory 2nds at reduced prices (www.2ndsworld.com.au).
• Rental Furniture You can rent individual items of furniture as required (such as a fridge or outdoor setting) or you can rent a 2,4, or 6 person furniture package that will include everything you need in one go. The longer you rent for the cheaper the weekly price becomes. You will usually need to pay a months rental in advance, a security deposit refundable on return and will be charged a delivery fee. Go to our rental furniture section for more info.
• Second Hand Furniture Many people resell their furniture, at a fraction of the cost, when they leave Australia. Try www.gumtree.com.au ( a website with free listings of everything from jobs wanted to furniture for sale), ebay (www.ebay.com.au) or the local charity stores (www.vinnies.org.au) to find a bargain near you.