Must-see shopping in Australia
Ballina Missingham Farmers Market
Byron Bay & Northern NSW
Year-round market full of locally grown and made goodies.
Mission Beach Rotary Monster Market
Townsville & Mission Beach
Wonderful stuff, including handmade log furniture.
Fitzroy, Collingwood & Abbotsford
Crumpler’s bike-courier bags – designed by two former couriers looking for a bag they could hold their beer in while cycling home – are what started it…
Fitzroy, Collingwood & Abbotsford
You'll find some of the most aesthetically beautiful – as well as functional – porcelainware at Australian-designed Mud. Coffee mugs, milk pourers, salad…
Sydney
A local success story with boutiques in New York and Auckland, Sass & Bide is known for its sassy low-cut women’s jeans, body-hugging jackets and well…
Newtown & the Inner West
Here’s where the famous Aussie women’s swimwear label sells its sexy seconds, samples and discontinued lines. As well as bikinis to battle over, there are…
Adelaide
For all your SA map and GPS requirements (and globes – everyone loves a good globe). Plenty of Lonely Planet guides too (not so lonely). A few kilometres…
Adelaide
An international success story, SA’s own Jurlique (made in the Adelaide Hills) sells fragrant skincare products (some Rosewater Balancing Mist, anyone?)…
Sydney
Slink the Sydney night in a long evening gown or ponder a wedding dress. This boutique puts the elegance back in below-the-knee frocks. All you'll need is…
Adelaide
Another SA smash hit, selling boots handmade from single pieces of leather, plus belts, hats and stripy shirts for the dapper pastoralist.
Newtown & the Inner West
This little, off-the-beaten-track, two-storey gallery showcases established and up-and-coming artists from Australia and New Zealand.
Sydney
Sexy, chic, modern clothes for women, designed by Sydney sisters Alexandra and Genevieve Smart.
Newtown & the Inner West
If it’s handmade or Japanese, it has a home in this lovely, handcraft-filled store.
Sydney
Vast. That’s the only word to describe this upmarket shopping mall. Expect to get lost; the space-time continuum does funny things as you explore the 400…
Brisbane
A few ferry stops downriver from New Farm is Portside Wharf, Brisbane’s cruise-ship terminal, which has spawned a shopping-and-eating complex and a copse…
Brisbane
Comprising three big heritage-listed buildings, the Barracks now houses the six-screen Palace Barracks cinema as well as a major supermarket, liquor store…
City Centre & Haymarket
Urban cowboys and country folk can’t get enough of this hard-wearing outback gear. It’s the kind of stuff politicians don when they want to seem ‘fair…
Melbourne
With more than 300 stores, a bowling alley, cinemas, bars, eateries and rooftop glamping, this complex can be fiendishly noisy and confusing, but the…
Melbourne
A French interloper in this most Italian of streets, La Parisienne specialises in authentically Gallic smallgoods and take-home dishes. Boudin blanc and…
Brisbane
Right on Queen St Mall, this multi-level shopping centre is home to almost 200 shops, including a Coles supermarket and the largest Myer department store…
Brisbane
Chilled-out peeps gather at the northern end of the City Botanic Gardens to browse this weekly food and craft market. While it's not somewhere you'd go…
Mid-North Coast
It's free to browse the creations of local furniture maker Bim Morton in this workshop and gallery, which also showcases the creations of fellow homegrown…
City Centre & Haymarket
Run by hobbyists for people who take toys seriously, Hobbyco's aisles fill with excited kids (big and small) effusing over slot cars, Meccano sets, train…
Melbourne
Scanlan Theodore helped define the Melbourne look in the 1980s and, despite the cut-throat nature of local retail, the label is still going strong with…
Surry Hills & Darlinghurst
Not only is Priscilla the queen of the desert, she also has her own boutique – not bad for a cinematic bus. Run by some of the city’s leading drag…
Yarra Valley
There are over 300 wineries in Yarra Valley but only one-third of these open their doors to visitors. This operation in the Alchemy Distillery compound…
City Centre & Haymarket
At seven storeys, Myer (formerly Grace Bros) is one of Sydney’s largest stores and a prime venue for after-Christmas sales. It’s marginally less swanky…
Melbourne
A Carlton stalwart since 1965, tiny Poppy is a riot of intriguing toys, decorative objects and other happy-making paraphernalia. From beautiful…
Hobart
Hobart has its fair share of hippies, and plenty of them shop at wholesome Eumarrah (along with students and the odd health-conscious city suit). Expect…
Adelaide
Beyond central Port Adelaide on a bleak reach of the Port River, this multicultural mart is a top spot for bargain-priced fruit, veg and seafood. The…
City Centre & Haymarket
The old Anthony Horden & Sons department store on this site was demolished in the '80s, and it took 20 years for World Square to emerge in its place. City…
Sydney
Now a successful chain, this colourful toy store originated in this area and this is by far its most charming shop. It's filled with educational,…
Bellarine Peninsula
Along with cheese, nothing better complements a day of wine tasting than olives, and here you can sample estate-grown Kalamatas, along with 10 varieties…
Melbourne
Sydney retailer Incu has set up shop in Melbourne and stocks a range of clothing by contemporary menswear designers: crisp tailored shirts from Weathered,…
Fitzroy, Collingwood & Abbotsford
An excellent place to find a made-in-Melbourne souvenir that won’t end up at the back of the cupboard. Textiles, furniture and other art pieces change…
