But what does the shipping company tell them/you, that you don't already know? They won't unpack a container that is sitting somewhere to be shipped to Australia or somewhere in Australia, just to find your package...and the sender has to be on the phone to them for a couple of hours just to get through...to get exactly this answer.
I recently received a letter (normal thin paper letter) from Austria via Priority/Airmail - 7 weeks. It was a bill to be paid within 14 days
My recent experience with FedEx: Pick up Leeds Thursday afternoon local time (late night Australia) - via London, Memphis, Honolulu, Auckland to Sydney - arrived there the same Sunday 9pm local time - I know this, because tracking the FedEx plane.
It was for the first time scanned in Sydney on Tuesday evening...and I picked it up from their depot in Adelaide on Friday after basically begging to get it.
Anyway all first world problems here...in Australia currently 7-10 days for a normal parcel, before I start to get worried. From overseas I'd expect nothing for at least 6 weeks and wouldn't even bother to contact anyone before 2 months