Malls., Sydney

Rich in history and architecturally splendid, the Queen Victoria Building (QVB) occupies an entire block on Sydney's George Street, and has over 180 of Sydney's finest fashion boutiques, jewellery shops and homewares, accompanied by delightful cafes and restaurants.

The grand building, built in the 1890s was erected as a Municipal Market on the scale of a Cathedral. The QVB was beautifully restored and re-opened in 1986, and quickly became Sydney's most popular and prestigious shopping centre.

The dominant feature is the mighty centre dome, which during the Christmas period is occupied by a giant Christmas tree, a must see for any visitor. Glorious stained glass windows and splendid architecture endure throughout the building and an original 19th century staircase sits alongside the dome.

What to buy: cloths like jeans

What to pay: 100 dolares

Westfield Burwood when it opened was a nice shopping centre, and then it all went downhill from there including the rebranding of the wonderful Grace Bros. store to a Myer. The Myer store became very tacky and as such, ran out of money and closed. Hence, Burwood now has a wonderful brand new David Jones spanning 3 levels. Now, because of the new David Jones whic is one of the most successful in Sydney, there is a range of high quality stores aimed at all ages. There is an entertainment precinct near Burwood Road which consists of a large Greater Union cinema complex, teenager aimed fashion stores and a food court on the 2nd level with views of Burwood Park. The 3rd level is mainly aimed at homewares and discount stores including a Kmart and Woolworths. The 2nd level is mainly focussed on quality goods including many quality fashion stores and a Target. The 1st level focusses on entertainment, teenage fashion and fresh food and it consists of Coles and Greater Union cinemas. The centre is currently not doing well dure to the new stringent parking arrangements.

Three days in Sydney and we still haven’t bought souvenirs. So, Jaime immediately drove us to Market City in Chinatown. Sydney’s Chinatown is similar to Ongpin. Why, they even have similar friendship arches. The only difference is that Sydney’s Chinatown is cleaner than Ongpin. When we got inside Market City, I was reminded of the old Virra Mall in Greenhills. There is a store there that sells souvenirs that are less expensive than those sold in the Sydney Aquarium. For example, a T-shirt at the Sydney Aquarium would cost AUS $30, but in Market City you can buy it for AUS $15. I bought a lot of gifts there for my family, friends and officemates.

It’s really difficult when you’re spending in foreign currency. Since you’re so used to buying in Philippine peso, you fail to recognize the dollar sign in the price tags; thus, you think the items are cheap. It is only after I have bought AUS $150 worth of gifts that I realized I have spent P6,000! That’s why I can only close my eyes when John Lloyd bought a pair of Gucci shades worth AUS $300 (P12,000).

If you are intested in shopping, this is the place to be. During my second trip I got an appartment in Parramatta, home to the alledgedly largest shopping mall of the southern hemisphere. It covers 6 stories and covers a few hectares of ground.....

Ranging from animal shops to Target, K-mart, Coles and anything you can imagine, the Westfield has it all. A cinema is of course included as well as restaurants and several food courts.

Good luck in not getting lost.

This is a pretty big shopping centre....5 levels of shops. From fresh food to the latest fashions and trends.

What to buy: Loads of Jewellery stores, from fashion jewellery to the real deal.

Hairdressers galore.... ladies fashion, mens fashion, accessories. Major department stores .... David Jones, Myer, Target, Kmart.

What to pay: Its a shopping centre.... so as little or as much as the budget or credit card can take. :)

Every major city in Australia has a street dedicated to the art of shopping. In Sydney, it's Pitt Street Mall. I brought my mum and sis here and let them loose. Buzzing; people crisscrossed your path; packed with locals and visitors alike. Arcades aplenty; bursting with branded goods boutiques, clothing chains, restaurants & cafes, chocolate shops, bookshops, CD shops etc etc. One of the arcades, Centrepoint which houses over 130 specialty stores, forms the foyer to the 305 metre high AMP tower.

Just walk, look, amuse and buy!

What to buy: Most things, as long as you have money to spend and the will to spend it!

Westfield is the big shopping mall in Australia, and although each one is a bit different in size - they all have large department stores, specialty stores and services.

I have visited Westfields in various locations around Sydney, Brisbane, Darwin and Canberra and they have all been clean and well looked after.

You can almost always find whatever you are after at a Westfield.

The shops at most Westfields include stores like:

David Jones
K-Mart
Big W (sorta like Wal-Mart - but not the same)
Target
Coles, Franklins or Woolies (supermarkets)
Chemists (like a pharmacy)
News Agents (the place where you buy your magazines, school supplies, greeting cards and your daily newspaper)
Book Stores
Shoe stores
Sport shops
Beauty salons
Computer related shops
Jewelry shops
Mobile phone shops
Coffee shops
and of course fast food restaurants - many you will recognize
.....and ..... lots more!

Bondi Junction has a big, new, pleasant shopping mall. Completed in late 2004, the mall is new, well air-conditioned and a great place to escape on a hot, humid day. It also has plenty of parking, which is free for 3hrs.

Usually it is not too busy and not stressy like most malls can be. There is little that is not sold here, but particularly worth a mention are the Home Furnishing and Design stores. Some really beautiful items here.

There is also a Greater Union Cinema and a Fitness First gym. Not to mention supermarket, foodhall (I can recommend the crepes)!

To mention only a few of the many stores in this complex, Max Mara, Mango, Karen Millen, Bettina Liano, L'Occitane, General Pants, Country Road, Japan City, Kikki.K (beautiful stationary, office items & gifts!), Georg Jensen, Top 3 by Design (beautiful homewares and gifts, perfume as well), Wayne Cooper, Zimmermann, Morrissey, FCUK, Hugo Boss, Versace, Glue (good 20-something yr old mens clothing) & Calibre (a very stylish mens clothing store with beautifully cut suits and shirts with a bit of funk, but not unaffordable for most).

What to buy: What to Buy question? More appropriately what NOT to buy?!

What to pay: You get what you pay for. Same prices here as anywhere else in Sydney stores.

Westfield Shopping town is located in most sydney suburbs. It houses many stores along with the big department stores. Many locals shop here for everyday things. All Shopping centres in Sydney have a food court and are readily accessible for the disabled.
Stores range from Department Stores to individually gift shops. You can not open a store in a Westfield Shopping town if your business is not well know, therefore you only get mostly the "Brand" named stores.

What to buy: Everything and Anything

The Centre Point Shopping Centre, which is located directly below the Tower, has over 170 specialty shops. You will find something for everybody.

What to buy: We, for example, found some nice souvenirs for the coming Sydney Olympics of 2000.

What to pay: It's was a bit expensive and can say that it is above average for in Sydney.