Frommer's Australia from $50 a Day 13th Edition - To Parent Directory

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CHAPTER 3 . SYDNEY
shopping, Chatswood for its general shopping centers, the Sydney Fishmarket for
the sake of it, and the various weekend markets (listed below).
Don’t miss the Queen Victoria Building (QVB), on the corner of Market and
George streets. This Victorian shopping arcade is one of the prettiest in the world
and has some 200 boutiques—mostly men’s and women’s fashion—on four levels.
The arcade is open 24 hours, but the shops do business Monday through Saturday
from 9am to 6pm (Thurs to 9pm) and Sunday from 11am to 5pm.
SHOPPING HOURS Regular shopping hours are generally Monday
through Wednesday and Friday from 8:30 or 9am to 6pm, Thursday from 8:30
or 9am to 9pm, Saturday from 9am to 5 or 5:30pm, and Sunday from 10 or
10:30am to 5pm. Exceptions are noted in the store listings below.
In addition to the QVB, several other arcades in the city center also offer good
shopping potential, including the Sydney Central Plaza, beside the Grace
Brothers department store on Pitt Street Mall; and the Skygarden Arcade,
which runs from Pitt Street Mall to Castlereagh Street. The Strand Arcade
(between Pitt Street Mall and George St.) was built in 1892 and is interesting
for its architecture and small boutiques, food stores and cafes, and the Down
Town Duty Free store on the basement level.
On Pitt Street Mall you’ll find record shops, including HMV, a branch of
The Body Shop, and boutiques such as Just Jeans, Jeans West, Katies, and Esprit.
Oxford Street runs from the city to Bondi Junction through Paddington and
Darlinghurst and is home to countless clothing stores for the style conscious.
You could quite easily spend anywhere from 2 hours to a whole day making your
way from one end to the other. Detour down the small William Street once you
get to Paddington to visit the headquarters of celebrated international Australian
designer Collette Dinnigan. On the same street are the trendy boutiques Belinda
and the Corner Store for cutting edge designs, and Pelle and Di Nuovo for luxury
recycled goods.
SYDNEY SHOPPING FROM A TO Z
ABORIGINAL ARTIFACTS & CRAFTS
Aboriginal & Tribal Art Centre This center carries a wide range of desert
paintings and bark paintings, mostly of very high quality. Collectibles such as
didgeridoos, fabrics, books, and boomerangs are on sale, too. Open daily from
10am to 5pm. Amex, Diners Club, MasterCard, and Visa are accepted. 1st floor,
117 George St., The Rocks. & 02/9247 9625. Fax 02/9247 4391.
Coo-ee Aboriginal Art Gallery and Shop The proprietors of Coo-ee collect
artifacts and fine art from more than 30 Aboriginal communities and dozens
of individual artists throughout Australia. The gallery also stocks the largest collection
of limited-edition prints in Australia. There are also plenty of handpainted
fabrics, T-shirts, didgeridoos, boomerangs, sculpture, bark paintings,
jewelry, music, and books. Don’t expect bargain prices, though; you pay for the
quality here. Open Monday through Saturday from 10am to 6pm and Sunday
from 11am to 5pm. 98 Oxford St., Paddington. & 02/9332 1544.
Didj Beat Didjeridoo’s Here you’ll find the most authentic and best-priced
didgeridoos in Sydney. Open daily from 10am to 6:30pm. Shop 2, The Clock Tower
Sq., corner of Argyle and Harrington sts. & 02/9251 4289.
Gavala Aboriginal Art & Cultural Education Centre I’d head here first if
I were in the market for a decent boomerang or didgeridoo. Gavala is entirely
owned and operated by Aborigines, and there are plenty of authentic Aboriginal