Best shopping

To be found in Melbourne and Sydney. Melbourne is home to a large portion of the Australian fashion industry — making it the country's shopping capital. The major Australian department store chains (David Jones, Meyer and Grace Brothers) are in the city, while most of the interesting boutiques and cool shops are in the suburbs of Toorak, Prahan, Richmond, South Yarra and St Kilda.

Being the cosmopolitan city it is, Sydney's shopping caters to all tastes, budgets and fashion fads. The city centre has lots of designer stores and arcades. The Rocks, Paddington, Newtown and Glebe are known for their unique shops. The beach suburbs of Bondi, Maroubra and Manly have dozens of surf shops with the latest gear.

Department Stores and shopping centres

David Jones and Myer are biggest department store chains and you can find a store in most parts of Australia. In these stores you can buy everything from clothes to electronics.

Westfield is a shopping centre that can be found all over Australia as well. Westfield offers a big variety of different stores where you can buy clothes, electronics and accessories.

Aboriginal Art

Artwork produced by some of the many talented Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islanders is a popular souvenir. You'll find more local, original work as you head further north towards the Top End.

How do I know it’s authentic? Most work from small country shops and cultural centres will be authentic. In larger stores and tourist shops be sure to look for an attached Label of Authenticity.

Cheap shopping in Sydney

From op-shops, to markets, to factory outlets, you don’t need to spend big to find something cute in Sydney.

Op-shops (or Opportunity Shops) sell unique second-hand items for ridiculously low prices. Usually run by charities, op-shops are brimming with everything from clothes and accessories to books and even kitchen utensils or other items for the home. You’ll find op-shops in most shopping precincts, and generally, more ‘style-conscious’ areas such as Paddington and Rozelle stock funkier items. Paddington also has a few second-hand or vintage stores that are not run by charities. These shops still offer good deals, stores such as Cash Converters are also worth a visit if you are looking to buy quality second-hand goods. 

Sydney also has a variety of markets to explore as well.

Factory outlet shopping

Alexandria and Surry Hills have an assorted range of factory outlets. Here you can pick up quality, designer goods for less cash. To visit a shopping mall that is full of factory outlets, head to Direct Factory Outlet (DFO) at Homebush Bay. Direct Factory Outlet (DFO) is where you can find cheap clothes, shoes and homeware. There are up to 70% discounts in DFO outlets.

DFO basically consists of quality stock that is either discontinued, from the previous season, or just special stock. Birkenhead Point Outlet Centre is a similar option. Located at Birkenhead Point in Drummoyne, this outlet centre is brimming with heavily discounted designer goods.