If you post more than 2kgs to Australia, you will pay dearly for it. The rates from the An Post website are as follows:
Zone 4 - Rest of World
Weight Not Over Letter / Postcard Large Envelope Packet Parcel
50g €0.82 €1.50 €2.70 €22.00
100g €0.82 €1.50 €2.70 €22.00
250g €3.00 €3.50 €22.00
500g €4.25 €4.85 €22.00
1kg €10.40 €22.00
1.5kg €16.60 €28.00
2kg €16.60 €30.00
2.5kg €34.00
3kg €38.00
3.5kg €44.00
4kg €48.50
4.5kg €52.50
5kg €55.00
Each Additional 1kg (max 20kg) €5.00
Far better to spend some of that money more economically by ordering stuff from within Australia. Another poster mentioned a site where you can buy Irish food, and for DVDs you could use
www.cdwow.ie or
www.play.com as both will ship to Australia for free. Bear in mind that Australia is Region 4 for DVDs - check that your friend has a multi-regional player before sending (Ireland is Region 2). Alternatively, there are a couple of places within Australia that sell DVDs online -
www.jbhifi.com.au or http://www.ezydvd.com.au (www.ezydvd.com.au). For bath products, I found to be excellent - you can order pre-packed gift boxes, or choose your own items and have them gift-wrapped. Ooh, and I found this on the Lush website:
Q. What can I use when I am pregnant?
A. All of our products are safe for use, however we do feel that those products milder in their actions are the ones you should choose. If you have any concerns about ingredients, any of the essential oils, for example, we make plenty of alternative products for you to choose from. Recommendations: Our
Therapy Massage Bar is especially lovely for mums to be as you can use it to moisturise your tummy. Our
Butterball Bath Ballistic is a good choice with its soothing vanilla fragrance and pieces of real cocoa butter for moisturising your skin.
Dream Cream hand and body lotion is great for particularly dry skin and
Sympathy For The Skin is a moisturising cream which can be used after a bath or shower to keep your skin soft and supple to help prevent stretch marks.
Ultrabland cleanser and
Celestial facial moisturiser are also ideal choices as they are designed for sensitive skin.
So I would suggest sending a card and a couple of small things from here, but order the rest online - it'll be far cheaper. (Especially if what you send weighs less than 2kg - you can send it at the packet rate so long as the overall dimensions (length + width + height) of the box do not exceed 90cm)