Meet the Locals: Surfcoast Movers’ Dean Attard

The Surf Coast stretches from Torquay through Anglesea and Aireys Inlet to Lorne and spans pristine surf beaches and beautiful bushland.

For Dean Attard, it’s the ideal place to raise a family and work.

It’s great to chat, Dean. I understand that you’re the founder and owner of Surfcoast Movers. Do you surf much?

I’m originally from Manchester, and I moved to the Surf Coast area about 10 years ago and haven’t looked back. I love that it has the best of both worlds — the coastline and the bushland. When I started Surfcoast Movers in 2013 I used to surf daily, but now I’m really into mountain biking.

When my wife (girlfriend at the time) and I first moved here we built a house in Caroline Springs, and I used to surf regularly at Southside. We sold the house two years ago and moved to Bambra, where we bought land and built another house. It’s really nice being out in the bush, but also so close to the ocean.

I guess in your line of work you’re moving between the coast and bush most days?

Yes, most of the moves we do are within the Surf Coast area, with the bulk of my work being within Torquay, Jan Juc, Anglesea and Lorne. People are moving for all sorts of reasons, and a lot of the time we have returning customers. Some we move them into rental homes while they are building, then we move them into their newly built homes. I even have regulars who make their wage by living the build-and-sell cycle. I’m moving them every few years.

Who are the people living on the Surf Coast? Has it changed over the years?

What I’ve noticed is that the same types of people who were here 10 years ago are still here now – young families, couples, retirees – but the population has grown. Everything is busier now, with more people moving here, new houses going up quickly and businesses expanding. It’s a really buzzy time to be among it all.

So you’re seeing a surge in people moving to the Surf Coast from further afield? Do you manage those sorts of moves?

If someone is moving here from a distance, or vice versa, we are happy to help. Covid changed the demographics of the area somewhat, with a number of retirees from Melbourne, who were thinking of moving to the Surf Coast anyway, fast-track that decision. The idea of moving was already in motion for this group of people, and when Covid happened they acted. It was really nice to be able to bring them out of the hustle and bustle and down to the coast.

Did business surge at this time?

I have two trucks and generally, both trucks do one move a day, so as a company we do two moves a day and usually work six days per week. I remember working 12 days straight when the first Melbourne lockdown happened, moving people out of Melbourne and into their holiday homes. The phones did not stop ringing, either. There are six of us all together, including my wife who looks after the administration side of things.

It sounds like you are very organised. What about your customers? Do you have any advice on how they can best prepare for a move?

I advise people to pack as much as they can in good quality boxes before we arrive. I also recommended getting rid of anything they don’t want before the move and using the relocation as a time to declutter. The less stuff there is to move, the faster the move will be, and the cheaper it will be. Most of the time people are ready when we get there, although we do occasionally come across someone who is not as organised as they could be.

Can you share a funny or memorable moment in your career?

I remember turning up for a job and a gentleman opened the door and let me in. I was looking around and wondering why nothing was packed. He then asked me why I was a few hours early. It turns out he let in the wrong guy. He was waiting for a new fridge and I was sent to the wrong address.

That’s funny. I hope his fridge turned up… and that you found the guy you were meant to be moving.

Yes, we found the guy and the move went well. I think I even managed to go for a surf after that job, too.

Thanks for the chat, Dean. We’d better let you get back on the move.

Visit Surfcoast Movers for more information about how Dean and his teamwork and to book a move.