Department Stores, Sydney

Gowings has been trading since 1868 when two would-be farmers opened their first (and still open!) store on Oxford St, and its stores contain a veritable cornucopia of goods for everyone!

It is primarily an Australian Clothing store, stocking such household names (in OZ!) as Bonds, RM Williams, Speedo, Drizabone, Blundstone and Akubra. It stocks everything from own brand business shirts, to the latest in outdoors all weather gear.

Self touted as a 'Blokeatorium', this is a mecca for males of all ages!

What to buy: Excellent quality Australian brands, Clothes of all types, Outdoor camping gear, travel books, toys, interior decorations, hardware goods - haircuts!

What to pay: There is something for everyone here from Wombat roadsign fridge magnets - to sub-arctic sleeping bags!

Everything is reasonably priced, including the excellent store brand business shirts and there are always sales of some kind going on! In fact in winter Gowings has a massive sale where EVERYTHING in the store is at least 25% off - I was able to buy a weatherproof Columbia jacket for just under 50% RRP then!

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Meyer's is an Australian department store much like Macy's in the US. Meyer's has everything from clothing, cosmetics, jewelry, music, books, home items and seasonal gifts. My wife and I admired their Christmas windows and decided to have a look inside. The department store is very large and nicely designed. We wandered through the levels of merchandise when we came upon their Christmas department. That was it my wife was in heaven; perusing the Christmas ornaments and decorations. We both came upon a display of "Charlie" Bears. These were the store's Christmas Bear for the season (much like Harrod's has their yearly Christmas Bear). Since my wife has a collection of Harrod's Christmas Bears I thought she should add Charlie to the bunch.

Charlie is a rather soft bear dressed in a green sweater and striped scarf. We went to the register to pay for our purchases and to our surprise Charlie was on sale. So for $22 my wife has another Christmas Bear for her collection.

We were very happy to find the Woolworths during our stay. We came across two of them. One in Town Hall Square. The other was easily found just around the corner and a block away from Simpson’s in Potts Point. The one in Potts Point is where we actually did some shopping.

With the costs of food and drink in Sydney so high especially with a very weak US dollar, we would stop in here and pick up some snacks. We were also able to find a few products on sale that we do not often find back here. Apricot jam and also some of the Cadbury hot chocolate mix, both of which found a few into our cases.

The woolworth shop opposite to Town hall in Sydney city has an amazing range of soveniers and gifts that you may want to buy.I have not seen some of these items in other places,or other woolworth stores in australia itself.The price as always in woolworths is reasonable.

What to buy: Chains for girls/ladies with Australian 'gold coin' pendant or with a little piece of opal on kangaroos/kualas;table mats in the shape of the australian map;the kitchen towel and wall hangings with aboriginal prints is very unique and good here.

Paris has Galleries LaFayette, Au Printemps, La Samaritaine & Le Bon Marche, The U.S. has its various dept' stores. Here in Sydney we really only have two. The used to be Grace Brothers, but now Myers & my long time favourite, David Jones.

David Jones is Sydney's oldest department store and one of the world's only department stores still trading under its original name. After refurbishing the George Street store in 1877, David Jones boasted the city's first hydraulic lift and now stocked furniture and furnishings. Today the store still stands by its founder's original commitment, to sell "the best and most exclusive goods" and to carry "a stock that embraces the everyday wants of mankind at large."
Now we have a little of the history out of the way, what about today.
Today sees not one, but two stores. The DJ's website refers to their Elizabeth Street store as their Flagship Store. I usually visit the Market Street Store for reasons that will be explained below, but yesterday I happened to be in the Elizabeth St Store (which actually has an address of Castlereagh St) where I snapped the attached photo. Please enlarge it to see their Christmas decorations hanging from the ceiling of the street level of the store.

What to buy: Well there aren't really any specific special items I'd recommend for the prospective shopperholic from either of the stores because DJ's stocks so many high quality brands.

The Elizabeth St Store has 8 floors of high class shopping particularly for women with 4 floors of fashion which includes the 7th floor of import designer labels (bit rich for me & that's an understatement). Also a floor of cosmetics. You'll find me in this store on the lower ground level shopping for books particularly, but sometimes also DVD's or CD's & also Confectionery (yes chocccies. Yum!).

Normally you'd find me in the Market St Store which you will find on the diagonally opposite corner to the Elizabeth St Store. It can also be accessed from the Centrepoint (AMP) Tower shopping complex's lower ground floor. Now the beauty of accessing it from there is that you come straight into their Gourmet FoodHall. Not to mention all the little eating places in there:-
The Oyster Bar,Panini Bar, Cheese & Antipasto Bar, Gelato & Juice Bar, Noodle Bar,Sushi Bar, Grill Bar, The Espresso Bar,
Coffee shop & Café Rodini. Now having said that I'm rarely lucky enough to find a spare seat!!!! I hope you have better luck than I usually do so come & try it out.
But I neglect to tell you about the Ground floor & above. I don't think you as a traveller will be interested in the Furniture,Homewares, Soft Furnishings
Television and Sound or Bedroom Furniture to take home as souvenirs of your trip to Sydney. However, if the man is like me & forgets his hat & belt on a hot day like I did the other week, feel free to buy a lovely Hat (see my Portobello Cafe Restaurant tip for the hat being in the photo with the Harbour Bridge in the background) like I did on the street level in the NE corner of that level & the Trent Nathan black belt to prevent me from continually having to hitch my shorts up.

What to pay: Their certainly are many high ticket items at both of the DJ's Stores, but you really don't have to break the bank. I bought the above two items for under $80 (Australian). You can spend much much more than that one just one item so it depends on what you want & waht you can afford (Yes like so much in life he sighs!!!)

Pitt Street becomes a pedestrian-only mall. two major department stores, Myer-Grace Bros and nearby, David Jones. David Jones is worth visiting for its fabulous Food Hall with its exceptional oyster bar and exclusive delicacies to take away.

Chatswood is a nice suburb in northern Sydney. There are 2 shopping centres and a number of stores in the area. It's a nice diversion from the CBD of Sydney. I bought some soft wool Australian socks for a very good price at Target (so what, some may say, but it's a kind of souvenir that I can wear and remember everyday).

Walk up and down george street and pitt st. and all the possible malls are located right there. U can pick up anything you want.