Freight Forwarding Australia

Freight Forwarding Australia — Sea, Air & Customs

Import and export freight forwarding across every major Australian port and airport. We book space, handle documentation, clear customs, and coordinate the final delivery — so cargo flows from origin to your door under one quote.

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Sea + Air

Two modes

All Ports

Nationwide

Licensed

ABF-accredited

Overview

What Is Freight Forwarding?

Freight forwarding is the service that connects an overseas supplier to an Australian receiver. A freight forwarder books cargo space with sea carriers or airlines, prepares and lodges customs documentation, arranges pickup from the origin port, manages the international leg, and coordinates customs clearance and final delivery on arrival.

In practical terms: if you're importing goods from China, Vietnam, the US, or Europe, a freight forwarder handles everything between the factory gate and your warehouse door. Without one, you'd need to separately manage a shipping line, a customs broker, a quarantine agent, and a trucking company. Freight forwarding consolidates all of that under one point of accountability.

At Crest Logistics, freight forwarding is bundled with our road transport service. Your container clears customs, and the truck is already booked to collect it — no handover gaps, no waiting between providers.

What a Freight Forwarder Handles

Booking cargo space with carriers and airlines
Documentation — bills of lading, invoices, permits
Customs clearance and biosecurity coordination
Duty and GST calculation with FTA concessions
Final delivery coordination to your premises

Our Freight Forwarding Services

Three Ways We Move Your Cargo

Sea, air, and customs — each can be booked on its own, or bundled for one quote.

Sea Freight

FCL · LCL · Breakbulk

Full container load (FCL) and less-than-container load (LCL) sea freight from every major trade lane. Most cost-effective option for non-urgent cargo.

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Air Freight

Express · Consolidated · Charter

Time-critical air cargo from every major trade lane. Express, consolidated, and chartered options for urgent shipments and high-value goods.

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Customs Clearance

Import · Export · Biosecurity

Licensed customs brokerage for import and export. Tariff classification, duty calculation, FTA concessions, and biosecurity coordination.

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Deciding

Sea Freight or Air Freight?

The choice comes down to urgency, budget, and cargo type. Most importers use both — sea for bulk, air for urgent.

Choose Sea Freight When…

→ Cargo isn't urgent and can wait 3–6 weeks
→ Volume is large — full container or heavy LCL
→ Cost per kg matters more than speed
→ Goods aren't perishable or time-sensitive
→ You're importing furniture, machinery, raw materials

Choose Air Freight When…

→ Cargo is urgent — days matter, not weeks
→ Volume is small or high-value (electronics, pharma)
→ Goods are perishable or time-sensitive
→ You're restocking before a seasonal peak
→ Production is waiting on a critical part

Simple Process

How Freight Forwarding Works

From supplier to your door in four steps.

Booking & Documentation

We book space with the carrier and prepare documentation — bill of lading, commercial invoice, packing list, permits.

International Transit

Cargo moves by sea or air. You get live tracking and status updates at each milestone.

Customs & Biosecurity

We lodge the customs declaration, pay duty/GST, and coordinate any DAFF inspection or fumigation before release.

Delivery to Your Premises

The container is cleared and the truck is booked. Port-to-door delivery handled by our own road transport team.

Why Crest

Forwarding + Haulage, Under One Quote

Most forwarders stop at the port. We handle the final leg too.

No Handover Gaps

Container clears at 9am, truck collects at 10am. We don't wait for a third party to coordinate.

One Invoice

Freight, clearance, and delivery on one invoice. No surprise fees appearing from three suppliers.

One Phone Number

When the shipment's status matters, you call one person who can see the whole journey.

Other Services

Freight forwarding connects naturally to our road transport services.

🚛 Road Transport

Port-to-premises container haulage — side-loader, drop trailer, out-of-gauge, and more.

📍 Port Botany

Sydney's largest container port — full service coverage for imports and exports.

↗ All Services

See the full range of Crest Logistics services — freight, transport, clearance.

Got Questions?

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a freight forwarder if I already have a customs broker?

Technically you can use them separately — a broker for clearance, a forwarder for space booking. But most importers find it easier to use one provider who handles both, because the handoff between forwarder and broker is exactly where delays happen. We do both in-house.

How long does sea freight take from China to Australia?

Port-to-port transit is typically 18–25 days from Shanghai or Ningbo to Sydney or Melbourne, depending on the carrier and route. Add clearance and inland delivery on top. We confirm exact transit times during the quoting process for your specific origin and destination.

What is the difference between FCL and LCL?

FCL (Full Container Load) means you book the whole container — your cargo is the only cargo. LCL (Less-than-Container Load) means you share a container with other shippers' cargo. FCL is more cost-effective for large volumes, LCL for smaller shipments. We offer both.

Can you arrange pickup from the supplier overseas?

Yes. We arrange origin pickup, consolidation, and loading through our overseas agent network. You provide the supplier's address and we coordinate the rest — including any origin-country export formalities.

How quickly can I get a quote?

Freight forwarding quotes are typically provided within 1–2 business days, depending on origin and complexity. For urgent requests, contact us directly and we'll prioritise your quote.

Need a Freight Forwarding Quote?

Tell us origin, destination, and cargo type — we'll come back with a full quote within 1–2 business days.