Gift ideas

Gift Ideas to Send to Australia From the UK (That Actually Arrive)

Presents to send to Australia, sorted by person: what posts well from the UK, what's better bought there, digital gifts, and which British treats get through.

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Woman on the sofa opening a gift box and reading the card

The short answer

Gift Ideas to Send to Australia From the UK (That Actually Arrive)

The best gifts to send to Australia from the UK are small, light things that mean something: photos, books, a keepsake from home. Post those early. Anything edible, bulky or fragile is better bought inside Australia, where it arrives faster and never goes through customs, and you can send a gift to Australia from the UK that way without leaving the sofa. Here are ideas for everyone, and which way to send each.

Gift box contents with a red heart print

We've sorted them by person (Mum, Dad, a son or daughter, the grandkids, a best mate, a partner), then by type, with a table at the end for the "post it or buy it there?" question that every one of these comes down to.

Post it or buy it there? The quick rule

Posting from the UK is fine for something small that only you can send. Royal Mail's International Tracked costs £19.40 online for a 1kg parcel to Australia and £25.10 for 2kg, with a delivery aim of 5 to 7 working days. Every parcel needs a customs form, and Australian biosecurity checks family gifts like any other mail, so "gift" isn't an acceptable description. You list what's actually in it.

That makes the maths simple. A paperback and some photo prints? Post them. A hamper, a big candle, a bottle of something, a cake? You'll pay more to post it than it's worth, it might melt in December, and part of it may not be allowed in. Buy those in Australia. Our guide to sending a parcel to Australia from the UK covers forms, packing and the cheaper services.

Gift ideas by person

For Mum

Mums in Australia tend to want two things from home: news and proof you're thinking of them. A photo book of the family's year posts well and weighs little. So does a framed print of the village, the beach you went to every summer, or the street she grew up on, made small enough to fit a padded envelope. If she's a reader, send the book you've just finished with your notes in the margins.

For the pamper side, buy it in Australia. The Hug Away From Home Box has a Hand-Poured Soy Candle (poured in Australia), a Botanical Bath Soak, Marc de Champagne Truffles, Candy Kittens Strawberry sweets, a Crochet Comfort Companion and an A3 Matte Art Print. The Gift Box for Her swaps in a Collagen Hydration Mask, a Sculpted Bubble Candle and GNAW Milk Chocolate. Both prints are A3 and unframed, so she'll need a frame or a bit of wall she's happy to stick it to.

For Dad

Dads are easier than they pretend. Post him the programme from a match you went to together, a book about the club, or a local history of his home town. A shirt from his old team posts flat and costs little.

The rest is better bought there: a voucher for his local hardware shop, a round of golf, a pub lunch you've paid for over the phone. Or the Gift Box for Him: Jalapeño & Lime Salt, Australian Shortbread, Honey-Glazed Popcorn (made in Australia), a Pour-Over Coffee Duo, a Crochet Comfort Companion and an A3 Matte Art Print. It has no candle, which most dads will count as a plus.

For your son or daughter

This is the one people overthink. What they want is a bit of home in the post, and a bit of looking after. Post the things that only you have: old photos, the recipe in your handwriting, a letter. Then let the bulky comfort come from inside Australia, where it turns up in days, not weeks. A voucher for a meal near them, paid for from your sofa, does a lot of looking after for very little effort. More ideas on our page of gifts for a son or daughter in Australia.

For the grandkids

Books are the best thing you can post to children in Australia. They're light, they last, and a book with a recorded message from you (a voice note sent separately, or you reading the first page on video) beats anything plastic. Postcards and letters with their name on the envelope are a thrill for under-tens. Bulky toys are cheaper bought there and shipped by an Australian shop. We'll be honest: Same Skies doesn't make a box for little ones, so this is one for the bookshop.

For a best mate

Go for the in-joke. A mug from your local, a terrible souvenir tea towel, a photo of the night you both pretend didn't happen. All of it posts fine. If they're always off on a trip, The Traveller is bought and delivered in Australia: a Hardcover Travel Journal, a Cabana Beach Towel, a Hardwood Pen & Bamboo Case, Honeycomb Chocolate Thins, a Passport Wallet & Tag Set and a Mulberry Silk Sleep Mask. More ideas on our gifts for best friends page.

For a partner

Long distance couples are the people who most need something physical, and the people most likely to send something that gets stuck at a sorting office. Post a handwritten letter, a jumper that smells of you (seriously), or a print of a photo from your last visit. For the day itself, order something delivered there and give it time to arrive, and see our page for long distance couples.

The Gift Box for Her from Same Skies, a gift sent from the UK and delivered inside Australia
The Gift Box for Her, packed in Sydney and delivered inside Australia.

Things that post well from the UK

  • Books. Light, flat, hard to break, and you can write in the front.
  • Photo prints and photo books. Get them printed in the UK so you can check them, then slip them between two bits of card.
  • Small keepsakes from home. A local calendar, a tea towel, a postcard of the high street, a parish magazine with someone they know in it.
  • Letters and cards. Cheap to send and kept for years.
  • Knitwear, at the right time. A jumper in December is a joke in Perth. Australian winter runs June to August, so that's when a hand-knitted scarf lands well, especially in Melbourne or Hobart.

One catch with keepsakes: wooden items need to be free of bark and insect damage, and anything with seeds, soil or straw packing won't get through Australian biosecurity. Pack them in newspaper or foam, never straw or hay.

Things to buy in Australia instead

Food goes first on this list. Some of it is allowed in the post, but chocolate in a December van is a gamble, and fresh, chilled or meat-based food is out entirely. Then anything heavy, anything fragile, flowers, and alcohol. Australian Border Force charges duty on alcohol whatever its value, so a posted bottle can cost the person you love money when it lands.

The workaround is a gift packed and delivered inside the country. Same Skies is one way: Lewis and Jess pack every box by hand in Sydney, Australia Post delivers it, usually 2 to 5 business days after dispatch to most addresses, and delivery is free on every box. It's a domestic Australian delivery, so your gift never goes through customs. Prices are shown in pounds as a guide; you pay in Australian dollars and your bank converts at checkout. The trade-off is choice: you're picking from five boxes, or building your own six or eight gift box in the gift builder, rather than a whole shop. Each box comes with a premium card with a QR code, and your words live behind it: a message, a photo or a video they open with their phone camera. If you'd rather go big on food, browse hampers to Australia.

Post the things only you can send. Buy everything else where they live.

Digital gifts that arrive instantly

When the post is too slow or too dear, digital gets there on the day.

  • An experience near them: a surf lesson, a cooking class, tickets to a gig, a meal out. Book it online and email the confirmation.
  • A subscription they'll actually use: an audiobook app, a streaming service, a magazine from home in digital form.
  • An e-gift card for a shop or café near them. Check it's an Australian card in Australian dollars, so it works there.
  • A video message. Get the whole family to record ten seconds each and stitch them together. Free, and it'll make them cry in a good way.

British things expats miss: easy vs hard to send

Ask a Brit in Australia what they miss and the list is mostly food: proper tea, Cadbury that tastes the way they remember, a particular crisp, real bacon. Some of it posts fine. Some of it gets binned at the border.

  • Easy: plain black tea in its sealed packaging, commercially packaged chocolate, shop-bought biscuits, a cooked Christmas pudding or cake with no meat in it. Sweets depend on what's in them, so check the ingredients. Australia's Department of Agriculture allows all of those for personal use, declared properly.
  • Hard or impossible: bacon, sausages and other uncanned meat, anything fresh or chilled, raw nuts, and Christmas crackers, which Royal Mail won't carry to Australia at all.

The full list, item by item, is in our guide to which food gifts you can send to Australia.

Gift ideas at a glance: post it or buy it in Australia?

Gift Post it yourself or buy in Australia? Why
Books Post it Light, flat, and you can write inside
Photo prints and photo books Post it Only you have them, and they weigh almost nothing
Small keepsakes from home Post it Can't be bought there; skip bark, seeds and straw
Knitwear Post it, for June to August Lands in their winter, not a December heatwave
Tea and packaged chocolate Post it, with care Allowed if commercially packaged and declared; chocolate may melt in summer
Hampers and treats Buy in Australia Heavy to post, and some food won't get in
Candles and pamper gifts Buy in Australia Heavy and breakable; a box packed in Sydney does it in days
Alcohol Buy in Australia Duty applies at any value, so they may pay to receive it
Flowers and bulky toys Buy in Australia Won't survive the trip, or cost more to post than to buy
Experiences, subscriptions, e-gift cards Neither: send it digitally Arrives on the day, no postage

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Build your own

Start with an empty box. Fill it with them.

The real builder, exactly as you'll see it.

Choose every piece from the UK, pick a print that feels like them, then add your letter with a photo or video behind the QR card. We hand-pack it in Sydney and deliver it in Australia.

  • You choose every piece, and the print on the lid
  • Your letter, plus a free photo or video behind the QR card
  • Built from the UK, hand-packed in Sydney, delivered in Australia only
Build your own Or choose one of our five boxes

Questions people ask

What are some good British gifts to send to Australia?

Things they can't get there and that post light: photo prints, books, a local calendar or tea towel from home, a shirt from their old team. Packaged tea and chocolate can go too if they're sealed and declared, though chocolate may melt in the Australian summer.

What gifts can I send from the UK to Australia?

Most non-food gifts are fine. Food has rules: commercially packaged chocolate, shop-bought biscuits and sealed black tea are allowed for personal use, but bacon, sausages, fresh or chilled food and raw nuts aren't, and Royal Mail won't carry Christmas crackers to Australia.

What is the cheapest way to send gifts to Australia from the UK?

For something small, Royal Mail online is the cheapest tracked option: International Tracked costs £19.40 for 1kg and £25.10 for 2kg, with a 5 to 7 working day delivery aim. For anything heavier, buying from a business inside Australia usually costs less than the postage alone.

How long does post from the UK to Australia take?

Royal Mail's delivery aim to Australia is 5 to 7 working days for International Tracked and 6 to 7 for International Standard. Leave extra time before Christmas and birthdays, and allow for customs and biosecurity checks on arrival.

What do Australians like as gifts?

The same as anyone, with the seasons flipped: things for summer from November to February, cosy things from June to August. For someone who moved from the UK, anything personal from home tends to beat anything expensive.

Let the box do the travelling

Order from the UK, we pack it by hand in Sydney, and Australia Post takes it to their door with free delivery. See how to send a gift to Australia from the UK.

send a gift to Australia from the UK

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