Shopping and visiting Sydney go hand in hand. In Sydney you can indulge your shopping whims a little or a lot depending on your mood, budget and the sales. So treat yourself to a nice holiday and discover some secret shopping neighbourhoods.

Get those shopping shoes ready, you've got so many malls to visit and so many things to buy!

You will fill your suitcase while shopping in Sydney. Read on and we will tell you all you need to know to get the best deals and learn about the best places to shop in Sydney. If you get hungry during your shopping spree, stop for some finger food or relax in one of the Restaurants in Sydney along Sydney's shopping streets.

Sydney Shopping Guide

With Australian Fashion Week leading the way, our top designers have come up with some great winter fashion. Check out the big departments stores like David Jones and Myer for the best in local and international fashion. Keep an eye out for funky new labels, Mad Cortes and Josh Goot who made a splash at Fashion Week.

Head to Oxford Street in Paddington to check out the latest style leaders like Parlour X and Belinda. It's always worth a quick visit to tiny William Street off Oxford, home to Colette Dinnigan's very Parisian looking boutique. The funky fashion stakes are high in King Street, Newtown where boho meets retro. This strip is famous for its shops specialising in quirky accessories and homewares.

If you like to snap up a great fashion bargain head out to Birkenhead Point Outlet Centre to compare prices at stores like David Jones Warehouse, Marcs and Mambo. Close to Sydney Olympic Park is DFO (Direct Factory Outlet) which is the largest in Sydney with big brand names like Calvin Klein, Oroton and Villeroy and Boch.

Weekend markets are a real way of life now in Sydney so go to Balmain on Saturday for its lively food, clothes and stylish jewellery and Rozelle on either day of the weekend for great food, old books and quirky bric-a-brac. Glebe is the home of hippy chic, bookshops and shops selling scented candles and South American dream catchers. The Saturday market is alive with all the Glebe favourites, great snack food and good music.

Popular Tourist Shopping in Sydney

Akubra hats, colourful jumpers made of handknitted wool, leather articles, opals, Aboriginal art, bush tucker (typical natural food products) and stuffed kangaroos and koalas are the most popular purchases by visitors.

 

Great areas for shopping with many choices are:

- Pitt Street Mall, Harbour Side, Darling Harbour: www.darlingharbour.com.au
- George Street and all its side streets and lanes, The Rocks
- Westfield Shopping Centre at Bondi Junction (brand new, huge, fascinating)
- Oxford Street, Paddington (Saturday is a good day to go)
- Surry Hills for young designers and vintage clothing, mostly on Crowne Street
- Campbell Parade, Bondi Beach for swim and surf wear
- Newtown King Street, inexpensive, young, students, all sorts of possible trends

And don't miss the outdoor markets, with antiques, bric-a-brac, books, vintage clothing and jewellery, arts and crafts and food of course:

- Paddy's Markets: Haymarket, Chinatown, Thursday - Sunday www.paddysmarkets.com.au
- Paddington Market: 395 Oxford Street, Saturday 10am - 5pm www.paddingtonmarkets.com.au
- The Rocks Markets: Northern end of George Street, The Rocks, Saturday and Sunday (under cover) 10am - 5pm
- Balmain Market: grounds of St Andrew's Church, Curtis and Darling Streets, Saturday 8am - 4pm

And if you want to get a tan before hitting the beach, you can buy yourself an instant tan in a self-service tanning cabin, www.mcsun.com.au

Duty Free Shopping in Sydney

You can buy duty free goods on arrival at Sydney airport, before clearing Customs. The large duty free stores like DFS and Downtown Duty Free in the city have a large range of alcohol, perfumes, brand name watches and fashion accessories as well as electronic goods. Upon presentation of your ticket and your passport, you can buy here already several days before leaving the country. However, your purchase has to be kept in a sealed bag, and after passing through Immigration at the airport, you will have to hand in a copy of the invoice, as proof to be taking the goods out of the country.

Tourist Refund Scheme (TRS)

The prices paid in Australia include a tax of 10% (GST). If you buy goods in one store for more than A$300 and no more than 30 days before departure, you are entitled to get a refund of this GST when leaving the country. You will need a tax invoice from the shop, and you will need to carry the goods with you in your carry-on luggage. After Immigration, you will find a sign to the TRS counter, where you can get your refund. The amount of A$300 or more has to be spent in the same store at the same time, but you can buy different articles and get one single tax invoice.
More information can be found at www.customs.gov.au

Grocery shopping in Sydney

Department stores and most shops are open 7 days a week. The two main department stores, David Jones and Myer, have stores in the city centre, as well as in some suburbs. The big and busy Sales last for about two weeks and start in late June, and the Summer Sales just after Christmas. Thursday night is late night shopping (shops open till 9pm). Australia is currently staging a very active campaign to do something about the billions of plastic bags thrown out every year. The 'must-have' bag at present is a bright green eco bag made of cotton, which can be bought for about A$1 at the supermarkets.

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