Shopping in Melbourne, Australia
With the amount of different products that we see on a trip abroad, it ends up being difficult to control the desire to do some shopping, right? In Melbourne, stores are concentrated in the city center and there are street shops and shopping centers so that no one can fail. In the city, you can find from popular and cheap stores to more refined and high-priced stores.
It must be borne in mind that Australia is not a cheap country, neither for shopping nor for living; but if the dollar exchange rate is favorable and you are lucky to find a good promotion, you can find products with lower prices than in Brazil. Although, sometimes, we are attracted by the small numbers of the shelves, it is necessary to think about the value of that product after the conversion to the real. Is it really worth buying the product? Is it cheaper than in Brazil? Worth the weight in the suitcase? The value may be small in terms of Australia, but it may not be such an advantageous purchase after conversion.
For those who want to shop, we suggest two tours: go to the outlets and explore the city center on foot. Start at the outlets, walk, visit your stores, search for prices and already guarantee the items you find interesting for shopping. The outlet we recommend visiting is the DFO South Wharf, which has stores of national and international brands, including Nike, Puma, Kate Spade and Tommy Hilfiger. Another outlet option, but less promising and with fewer stores, is Harbor Town Melbourne. If you need to choose just one outlet to visit, we suggest DFO. Another tip is to visit it during working days, when the audience is smaller.
After going to the outlet, you will already have an idea of what reasonable prices are for shopping. In the center of Melbourne, there are shops for all tastes, including major international brands. For shopping, be sure to walk Elizabeth Street and Swanston Street, as well as shopping centers like Melbourne Central. Also in the city, stop by two small shopping centers, which have few stores, but have beautiful architecture and can be worth a visit, one is the Block Arcade and the other is the Royal Arcade － if you don’t want to buy, you can at least have a coffee or tea there.
For those who want to buy travel souvenirs and have a huge range of products available, a tip is to go to the Queen Victoria Market, which in addition to food, has an area dedicated to the sale of clothes and other objects, many of Chinese origin. For those who like variety and good prices, another tip is to go to the Japanese store Daiso, a kind of 1.99 store, but which actually has a price of $ 2.80 (it cannot be said that the quality of the products is wonderful, but the quantity of products is incredible).
Tax Refund
When you make a purchase over $ 300 at the same store, you can claim a refund of taxes paid on products purchased up to 60 days before leaving Australia. The process to get this money back starts right at the purchase, when asking the store clerk to give you the invoice specifying the refund amount. When leaving the country, you must go to the airport in possession of the purchased products (it may be necessary to present them) and show the invoices at a service station that is just after the immigration pass. The tax refund inspector usually asks to see the products purchased, but if you have checked them in the luggage that goes in the hold of the plane, just explain this.
The tax return is made very quickly and simply, and you can obtain it through credit on the card of your choice. See here the Tax Free rules and how to get your money back.
Daiso
Daiso is a Japanese store that works like our well-known 1.99 stores; with the difference that, in Australia, the fixed amount applied to products is $ 2.80. Daiso stores are usually huge and offer an impressive amount of products. You will find in them stationery, food, crockery for the home, cleaning articles, makeup, organizers, etc.
The variety of their items is really impressive, and the place is worth it for those who want to spend little. However, it is necessary to know that the quality of what is sold leaves a little to be desired and the purchased merchandise may not last as long as expected.
For those who like trinkets, colorful and cheap products, it’s a great place!
Shop 204, 246 Bourke St, Melbourne – CEP: 3000
Telephone: +61 3 9654 7528
Hours: Mon – Sat: 9: 00–21: 00 Sun: 10: 00–18: 00
DFO South Wharf
For those looking for products at low prices, this is “the place” in Melbourne. DFO is a closed outlet that brings together stores from brands such as Nike, Vans, Strandbags, Asics, Kate Spade, Tommy Hilfiger, Adidas, Calvin Klein, Cotton On, Diadora, Fossil, JB Hi-Fi, Kathmandu, Nine West, Quicksilver Ripcurl… In it, you will find factory stores or products from past collections, with prices lower than those of traditional stores. It is worth spending in place if the intention is to spend little.
Don’t expect Australia to have low prices like the United States. The place has great stores for shopping, yes, but you have to look carefully if the prices are really advantageous. We always recommend converting to real and looking for stores on sale to guarantee better prices. There are things that are cheaper than in Brazil, and there are things that are not so worth it. The important thing is to go to each store and evaluate if the product you want comes out cheaper there.
The mall has a wide variety of stores and, in addition to the variety of brands it offers, it is a good shopping center, as it has an overview of some of the best brands found in Australia.
See the DFO stores here and see if it has what you are looking for.
20 Convention Center Pl, South Wharf – CEP: 3006
Telephone: +61 3 9099 1111
Website: http://www.dfo.com.au/southwharf/
Hours: Mon – Thu, Sat – Sun: 10: 00–18: 00 \ nSex: 10: 00–21: 00 \ n
Melbourne Central
Melbourne Central is a shopping center in the heart of the city and an excellent place for shopping, because in addition to its good location, there are many quality stores. It is a mall with a lot of movement during the day, as it has a supermarket and is connected to the train station.
This shopping center is one of the best places to shop in Melbourne; has a selection of stores that includes Uniqlo, Topshop, Armani Exchange, Bardot, Calvin Klein Jeans, Converse, Cotton On, EB Games, Element, Factorie, Foot Locker, Fossil, GAP, Typo, Kiehl’s, Levi’s, MAC, Lush…
If you want to save money, try to make your purchases during the collection exchange period, in months like January, February, July and August.
See all the stores in the mall here !
211 La Trobe St, Melbourne – CEP: 3000
Telephone: +61 3 9922 1100
Website: http://melbournecentral.com.au
Hours: Mon – Sun: 10: 00–16: 00 \ n
Prahran Market
Another one of the delicious places in Melbourne for food addicts, Prahran Market is an option to find different types of food in the same place. The market is suitable both for those who want to buy fruits or vegetables and for those who want to have a good coffee or buy fast food. The place is super inviting for a stroll and you can end up discovering how Melbourne really is a place of multicultural cuisine.
As in the area of this market there are many families of Greek origin, you can find establishments that sell sweet and savory delicacies typical of the country! There are wonderful stalls with incredible sweets! Our suggestion is to try the baklavas, a kind of pastry made with walnuts!
Go in the morning or at lunchtime, so you can enjoy the tour to have your coffee or have a mouthful, in addition to guaranteeing a snack for later.
191-193 Commercial Rd, South Yarra – CEP: 3141
Telephone: +61 3 9826 2699
Website: http: // https: //www.prahranmarket.com.au
Hours: Mon – Thu: 8: 00–22: 00 \ nSex: 8: 00–20: 00 \ nSat – Sun: 9: 00–17: 00 \ n
Queen Victoria Market
Melbourne’s must-see tourist spot, Queen Victoria Market, or just Vic Market, is a popular market created in 1878. It gathers a surprising amount of products, ranging from gourmet items such as pates and cold cuts, to fruits and vegetables, handicrafts, thrift items, Chinese inventions, travel souvenirs, clothing, household items, etc.
It is a place to find a little bit of everything; to eat well for a nice price and even to find those travel souvenirs from Australia! The market is quite large and, for those who like this type of program, you can spend a good time strolling through their warehouses. The most promising area, we would say, is the delicatessen area, where you will find cheeses, salami, hams, as well as cakes, meats, kebabs, natural juices, hamburgers and other delicacies to eat. To kill hunger, our suggestion is to eat a borek, food of Turkish origin, it is delicious and cheap.
During the summer Wednesdays, an event called Night Market takes place at Vic Market; these days, the market receives several food stalls, live bands, traillers, etc. It’s a great place to grab a bite to eat, sample flavors from around the world and meet friends. This event also takes place during the winter, but under the name Winter Market. Don’t miss out!
513 Elizabeth St, Melbourne – CEP: 3000
Telephone: +61 3 9320 5822
Website: http://www.qvm.com.au
Hours: Tue, Thu: 6: 00–14: 00 \ nSex: 6: 00–17: 00 \ nSat: 6: 00–15: 00 \ nSunday: 9: 00–16: 00 \ n
QOL
QV is a shopping center in Melbourne with shops, restaurants and other services, such as doctors and dentists. It is a large place, with closed and outdoor stores and a great location. It is not a huge mall and full of places to shop, but as it has some interesting establishments, it can be a nice place to stop by or have a meal, since it has several restaurants and cafes.
The San Churro pastry shop and brand stores like Billabong, Shiseido, Ugg and Daiso are among the establishments that are part of the QOL. Check here all your stores.
3 Albert Coates Ln., Melbourne – CEP: 3000
Telephone: +61 3 9658 0100
Website: http://qv.com.au
Hours: Mon – Wed, Sat: 10: 00–18: 00 \ nQui: 10:00 –19: 00 \ nSex: 10: 00–21: 00 \ nSunday: 10: 00–17: 00 \ n
The Block Arcade
Block Arcade is a historic shopping center in Melbourne that began to be built in 1891. It has an “L” shape and an interior rich in details of the architecture of the time, such as colored tiles and the use of steel ornaments.
By today’s standards, the shopping center is small, but we think it is worth visiting for the interior decoration and to get an idea of how charming the shopping centers were in the past. You’ll see few stores in the Block Arcade, but even if you don’t want to shop, pay a visit! Our tip is to stop by Hopetoun Tea Rooms to have a tea or eat a slice of one of their wonderful cakes, it’s worth it!
282 Collins St, Melbourne – CEP: 3000
Website: http://theblockarcade.com.au
The District Docklands
Harbor Town is a chain of outlets in Australia, also present in Melbourne. It is located in the Docklands area and is a good option for anyone looking to shop in the city. The shopping center is in the open (so avoid it on rainy days) and there you can find stores with cheaper products than in conventional stores.
This mall has a lot of Australian stores, so it is not the best option for those looking for outlets of international brands (in this case go to DFO), but it is worth a visit to see and pan products at discounted prices.
Among the stores in the mall are: Forever New, Rebel Sport, Typo, Levi’s, Fila, Factorie, Cotton On and Lonsdale. Next to the mall, there is also the Melbourne Star, a ferris wheel with panoramic views of the city.
Access to the outlet can be done with the free trams that go to Docklands and depart from the city center.
440 Docklands Dr, Docklands – CEP: 3008
Telephone: +61 3 9328 8600
Website: http://www.thedistrictdocklands.com.au
Hours: Mon – Thu, Sat: 10: 00–18: 00 \ nSex: 10:00 –21: 00 \ nSunday: 10: 00–17: 00 \ n
The Royal Arcade
Royal Arcade is one of Melbourne’s oldest shopping centers. Located in the city center, the place has an old style of decoration. Its construction was started in 1869 and finished the following year. It is an iconic place in Melbourne, with some interesting shops; although it no longer has as much space compared to the big malls, it still preserves its refinement.
If you’re already around, it’s a good place to do some shopping or have a hot chocolate.
335 Bourke St. Mall, Melbourne – CEP: 3000
Telephone:
Website: http://royalarcade.com.au