Sydney Shopping
Sydney has a massive variety of shopping from department stores to small boutiques.Take a stroll along Pitt Street you'll find Glasshouse, Imperial Arcade , Piccadilly, Sydney Central Plaza, the Strand Arcade and Westfield Centre point .
David Jones and Myers are the two largest department stores. Most high-end shops in Australia have a program where foreign visitors can get the sales tax refunded upon leaving, but beware--some shops only let you submit your bundled sales slips once (such as David Jones) so don't go to the Customer Service Dept. for the paperwork until you're truly shopped out.
The Strand Arcade is a Victorian shopping Arcade well worth visiting, for the best range of top Australian designers, such as Zimmerman, known for their stylish swim-wear and Victoria Buckley Jewelery, a contemporary designer who is known for her unique engraved gold pieces.
For more specialties shopping you can't surpass the stunning Queen Victoria Building (right across the street from the Hilton Hotel) with lovely small boutiques shops selling merchandise of all fine accessories located directly opposite The Galleries Victoria.
In Castlereagh Street, you will find MLC Center and an array of international brands (including Channel, Gucci, Georg Jensen) to tempt you. It's an elegant street just to walk down with tempting world-class shops such as Tiffany's, but also little coffee shops tucked into alcoves along the way. While more world famous stores can be found at the elegant Chifley Plaza(for example, Max Mara), bring your bankcard with you, these shops are pricey , but Chifley Plaza is also home to a terrific food court which is reasonable.
No 1 Martin Place in Martin Place is a beautifully restored landmark building offering special wining, dining and shopping.
More stylish shopping areas include Double Bay , Paddington, with antiques found at Woollahra,particularly in the area around Sotheby's. The inner courtyard also has a great little lunch café. This area, which used to be home to dozens of antique shops, now houses only about half its former total, rental costs putting a number of the smaller shops out of business.
If you're looking for less costly antiques, you're better off visiting Sydney Antique Centreat 531 South Dowling Street in Surry Hills.This huge building houses about 50 smaller antique 'shops' in a small antique shopping centre and offers everything from antique buttons to mammoth teeth carvings and Chinese vases. Market City in Haymarket, offers some fantastic bargains, along with the diverse shops found in Balmain, Darlinghurst Oxford Street, Glebe and Newtown. Mosman is a fabulous trendy area to shop specializing in small boutique European and top label brands.
There is also a wonderful shopping centre at Harbourside in Darling Harbour. If you are looking for something rather unique and special then head to Circular Quay and The Rockswhere you will find many wonderful boutiques and Australiania items.
Wholesale shopping can be found at Birkenhead Pointa large complex offering discount prices on clothes such as Country Road, Marcs and Events.Other areas where you can pick up bargains is Redfern, Surry Hills and Alexandra all these areas are where the serious bargain shoppers go on weekends.
weekend Markets
BONDI PUBLIC SCHOOL - 9am-4pm Sunday (bus 380 or 333)
Campbell Parade
GLEBE PUBLIC SCHOOL-10am-4pm Saturday (bus 431 - 434)
Glebe Point road
ST. ANDREWS CHURCH ( A great way to explore Balmain on a Saturday afternoon (bus 433, 434, 442)
Darling Street, Balmain
Other shopping areas in Sydney is Chatswood Westfield Shopping Centre and Chatswood Chase. A huge shopping center with department stores and endless arcades and shops.Catch the train from Wyndard Station to Chatswood Station and walk down Victoria Street. Bondi Junction Shopping Centrealso offers the same quality type of shopping with its department stores and boutique shops. Catch the bus (380 or 333) to Bondi Junction from Circular Quay or the train.
Parramatta shoppingcomplex is enormous and has about everything, catch the rivercat or bus L20 from bus stand C on Alfred Street, Circular Quay and see some sights along the way. Eastgardens Shopping Centre, Pagewood also houses a large complex, situated in the south-eastern suburbs. It is served by many public bus routes (301 302 310 316 317 353 391 392 400).
Warringah Mall is another large shopping complex along the northern beaches. It is situated before Dee Why and can be reached by bus (156 169) from near or at Manly Ferry Wharf. You can catch the bus ( L88 or L90) from Lee Street, Railway Square or Carrington Street, Wynyard (opposite Menzies Hotel). The bus frequency is every 30 minutes on weekdays and 30+ minutes on weekends.
