Journeyman Movers · Sunshine Coast Regional Council, QLD
Removalist in Hunchy: Long Driveways and Full Sheds
The Removalist in Hunchy Who Asks About the Shed First
592 people across 11.9 square kilometres of small farms, with no town centre and no shops, which means no kerbs, and nothing a standard removals quote assumes.
Moving in Hunchy
Hunchy is a rural locality of about 592 people spread across 11.9 square kilometres of small farms in the Blackall Range foothills, and it has no town centre, no shops and no school. Almost nothing about it matches what a standard removals quote assumes. Driveways are long, frequently unsealed and often steep; the load is bigger than the bedroom count suggests because a working block accumulates a shed; and the ground that carried a truck in September may not carry one in February. Journeyman Movers works out of Palmwoods, about ten minutes down the hill, and quotes a Hunchy move on the property (the driveway, the turnaround, the shed) rather than on the floor plan.
Depot
Palmwoods, Sunshine Coast QLD 4555
Phone
Hours
The suburb
What a move in Hunchy actually involves
People move to Hunchy for land. It has been farmed since the first settlers arrived in the late 1880s, when the locality was still called Hunchback, and it is still a district of small holdings: dairy cattle historically, and crops including avocados, lychees, pineapples, bananas and citrus. Homes sit on individual blocks along the range roads rather than on streets, and there is no commercial centre at all.
That is precisely what makes moving out of one a different job from a suburban shift. There is more to carry, much further to carry it, and a good deal of it is not furniture: workbenches, a ride-on mower, feed bins, tools and whatever else a working block collects.
Local conditions
Why a local crew is priced differently
Hunchy sits 12.5 km south-west of Nambour and 18.6 km north-east of Maleny, on narrow winding range roads with no through traffic. Most removal companies have simply never driven it. Journeyman Movers' depot is at Palmwoods, one locality down the hill, and the rate card charges full travel from and to that depot, so on an acreage job the short travel leg is not a marketing line. It is the difference between two chargeable hours and twenty minutes.
Proximity buys something more valuable than the travel saving, though. It makes an on-site assessment practical, and on a rural block that is the single most useful thing a removalist can do before quoting. A gradient, a gate width and a turning circle are almost impossible to describe accurately over the phone, and getting any of them wrong is expensive. It also makes a second run on the same day genuinely possible when an acreage load turns out larger than described, which is common, rather than leaving furniture on the grass at dusk.
The other half of the argument is the truck itself. Journeyman Movers runs rigid trucks in seven sizes from 4.5 to 16.5 tonnes, and on a Hunchy block that range is the point: the vehicle is chosen for what the driveway can carry as well as for what the house holds. Where a full-size truck genuinely cannot reach the house, the answer is to stage it on firm ground and shuttle, and to have priced that in before the day rather than discovering it at the gate.
Run sheet
Three things that decide the day in Hunchy
01
Driveways measured in hundreds of metres, not car lengths
Why it happens
Hunchy has no town grid. Homes sit well back on individual blocks along the range roads, so the access track is part of the property, and it is often unsealed, often steep, and sometimes the only flat ground is the turnaround at the house.
Why it matters
If the truck cannot reach the house, the crew carries, and on an hourly rate, carrying two hundred metres of furniture turns an eight-hour day into a twelve-hour one. An under-specified truck that grounds out or bogs damages both the vehicle and your track, and there is no easy recovery on a narrow range road.
How we help
We establish driveway length, surface, gradient, gate width and whether there is a turnaround at the house before we quote. If access is marginal we stage a full-size truck on firm ground and shuttle to it with a smaller vehicle, and that plan is in the estimate, so the cost is known before the day rather than at your front gate.
02
The shed is often a bigger job than the house
Why it happens
A small-farm block accumulates what a working property needs: tool chests, workbenches, a ride-on mower, a generator, feed bins, garden equipment. None of it is household furniture, so none of it is in a bedroom count.
Why it matters
Shed contents are the most common reason an acreage quote turns out low. They are heavy, dirty, awkwardly shaped, and they take the volume straight past whatever truck was booked on the floor plan.
How we help
On a Hunchy property we assume there is a shed until told otherwise, and we ask what is in it at the quoting stage. Shed and machinery items are loaded separately from household goods so oil and dirt stay away from the lounge, and they are in the estimate from the start rather than added to it.
03
Foothill rain arriving between the quote and the booking
Why it happens
Hunchy sits in the foothills of the Blackall Range, which catch heavy summer rainfall. A gravel or grassed access track that carried a loaded truck comfortably in the dry can become unsafe within hours.
Why it matters
A bogged or grounded truck on a private track is a problem for the vehicle, the driveway and the day. On a hillside it is also a safety problem, not just an inconvenience.
How we help
We plan for the surface, not just the address. If it is wet we shuttle from firm ground, lay boards where they are needed, and schedule the heaviest items for the driest window of the day. If conditions would genuinely risk bogging a loaded truck on your track, we will recommend a different date rather than damage it.
What we do
Services booked most often in Hunchy
01
Acreage house removals
The full household from a farmhouse or lifestyle block, planned around a long driveway and a load that is bigger than the bedroom count suggests, with the truck staged where the ground is firm and the job worked in runs.
On a Hunchy block the truck is chosen for what the track can carry: the rigid fleet runs from a 15 m³ 4.5-tonne up to a 75 m³ 16.5-tonne, and the driveway often decides which.
02
Shed, workshop and machinery moves
Benches, tool chests, ride-on mowers, generators, feed bins and the rest of the shed: heavy, dirty and awkward, loaded separately from household goods so nothing gets marked.
Routinely left out of other quotes, and the most common reason an acreage move runs over. On this page it is a service, not an afterthought.
03
Packing for rural and long-distance moves
Gravel and range roads shake a load harder than a suburban street, so glassware, artwork and anything on castors is packed and wrapped for the trip down rather than for a ten-minute drive.
The descent from the foothills to Palmwoods is the roughest part of most Hunchy moves, and it happens with the truck fully loaded.
04
Storage transfers
Moving into or out of storage with the inventory kept straight, and returned in the order you need it when the next property is ready.
Many Hunchy sales settle before the next place is finished, and a staged move through storage is often the only way the dates work.
05
Internal and on-property moves
Shifting a household between a main house and a second dwelling, clearing a room for re-flooring, or repositioning heavy furniture during a renovation, without a truck ever leaving the property.
On a block with a long driveway, an on-property move avoids the access problem entirely, which usually makes it the cheapest job on this list.
06
Interstate relocations
Selling the block and leaving the region: packed, inventoried and transported to Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Mackay or Cairns to a long-haul standard, with the same company at both ends.
Beyond the local Sunshine Coast area an extra $10 per hour applies for each 100 km travelled, and it does not apply at the $165 per hour rate or above.
The business
Who turns up, and what stands behind it
Journeyman Movers was launched in 2016 by founder and owner-operator Jason White, and remains a small family-run business. It is ABN and GST registered and provides Goods in Transit Insurance and Public Liability Insurance at no charge to the customer. All published hourly rates are GST inclusive, there is no minimum-hours charge, and time is billed in the actual hours and minutes worked rather than rounded up in 15- or 30-minute increments, which matters more on a long rural day than on a short suburban one.
Getting to you
How Hunchy is serviced
There is no Journeyman Movers address in Hunchy, and no commercial premises of any kind exist in the locality. Hunchy is serviced from the Palmwoods depot, roughly ten minutes down the hill, and the rate card charges full travel from and to that depot.
Rates
What is quoted, and how
- Local delivery, one crew with a 4.5 tonne 15 m³ truck at $99.00 per hour $99.00/hr
- Micro move or one-bedroom unit, two crew with a 4.5 tonne 15 m³ truck at $132.00 per hour $132.00/hr
- Two-bedroom unit move, two crew with a 6 tonne 25 m³ truck at $143.00 per hour $143.00/hr
- Two to three bedroom house move, two crew with an 8 tonne 30 m³ truck at $154.00 per hour $154.00/hr
- Three to four bedroom house move, two crew with a 10.5 tonne 50 m³ truck at $165.00 per hour $165.00/hr
- Four to five bedroom house move, two crew with a 15 tonne 65 m³ truck at $176.00 per hour $176.00/hr
- Five to six bedroom house move, two crew with a 16.5 tonne 75 m³ truck at $187.00 per hour $187.00/hr
- Additional crew member at $55.00 per hour $55.00/hr
Questions
Frequently asked questions
My driveway is long, steep and unsealed. Can a truck get up it?
Often yes, but we would rather confirm it than assume it. Tell us the approximate length, the surface, how steep it is and whether there is somewhere to turn near the house. If a full-size truck is not safe on it, we park on firm ground and shuttle loads up with a smaller vehicle. That plan goes into the quote, so you know the cost before the day rather than at your front gate. On a Hunchy block this is also the strongest case for an on-site assessment, which Journeyman Movers offers.
Do you move shed contents and machinery?
Yes, and on a Hunchy property we assume there is a shed until you tell us otherwise. Tool chests, workbenches, ride-on mowers, generators, feed bins and garden equipment all get moved, loaded separately from household goods so oil and dirt stay away from your furniture. Give us a rough idea of what is in there when you enquire. Shed contents are the most common reason an acreage quote turns out low.
How is a Hunchy move priced?
Hourly, against a published rate card, with the truck size setting the rate: $154 per hour for a 30 m³ 8-tonne, $165 for a 50 m³ 10.5-tonne, $176 for a 65 m³ 15-tonne and $187 for a 75 m³ 16.5-tonne, all GST inclusive. An additional crew member is $55 per hour. What lifts the hours on an acreage job is carry distance and shed volume, not floor area. A rural block with a two-hundred-metre driveway and a full shed genuinely takes longer than a house of the same size in town, and we would rather explain that up front than surprise you with it.
Does rain affect an acreage move?
More than it does in town. The foothills catch heavy summer rainfall, and a gravel or grassed track that carried a truck in the dry can become unsafe within hours. If it is wet we shuttle from firm ground, lay boards where needed, and move the heaviest items during the driest window. If conditions would risk bogging a loaded truck on your driveway, we will recommend rescheduling rather than damage the track. That is a cheaper conversation than a recovery on a narrow range road.
Is there a minimum charge for a job this far out?
No. Journeyman Movers does not charge minimum hours and does not round time up in 15- or 30-minute increments. You pay for the hours and minutes worked. Full travel is charged from and to the Palmwoods depot, which on a Hunchy job is a short leg, and some of it may be negotiated. Saturday work adds $20 per hour and Sunday or public holiday work $30 per hour, so a weekday is normally the cheaper choice for a long acreage day.
Can you move me from Hunchy up to Montville or down to the coast?
Both are routine. Hunchy up to Montville is a short winding climb, so we strap and pad more heavily than we would for a flat run. Hunchy down through Palmwoods to Woombye, Nambour or the coastal suburbs is generally a straightforward single-day job. Either way it is the same crew at both ends, and for a move out of the region entirely we handle it as an interstate relocation with a different packing standard.
Next step
Book a Hunchy move
For an acreage move, the useful conversation is about access before it is about furniture: driveway length, surface and gradient, gate width, whether there is a turnaround at the house, and what is in the shed. Tell us those and we will give you an hour range against a published rate. Call the crew on 0478 796 575, email contact@journeymanmovers.com.au, or ask for an on-site assessment. On a Hunchy block, it is usually worth the visit.
Depot, not a Hunchy office
Journeyman Movers
Address
Palmwoods, Sunshine Coast QLD 4555
Phone
Area served
Hunchy, Sunshine Coast Regional Council, QLD
Hours
Parent page
Nearby areas
Related services
Sources
Wikipedia: Hunchy, Queensland2021 Census population 592; area 11.9 km²; 12.5 km south-west of Nambour, 18.6 km north-east of Maleny, 107 km north of Brisbane; postcode 4555; first called Hunchback; first settlers arrived in the late 1880s; a community of small farms, mostly dairy cattle, with crops including pineapples, lychees, bananas, citrus and avocado; no schools, town centre or shops in the locality; bounded by Dulong, West Woombye, Flaxton, Palmwoods and Montville
Journeyman Movers: Rates and servicesThe published hourly rates and truck sizes from 4.5 to 16.5 tonnes; $55 per hour additional crew; $10 p/h per 100 km beyond the local Sunshine Coast area and that it does not apply at $165 p/h and above; Saturday +$20 p/h and Sunday/public holiday +$30 p/h; full travel charged from and to the Palmwoods depot and that it may be negotiated or waived; no minimum hours and no rounding in 15- or 30-minute increments; GST-inclusive pricing; Goods in Transit and Public Liability insurance at no charge
Journeyman Movers: About usFounded 2016 by Jason White, founder and owner-operator; small family-run business; on-site assessment offered; Palmwoods service-area address and contact details