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

THE SHOPPING SCENE 239
JOGGING Take any pedestrian/bike path (see “Biking” for information
about where to find a bike map) or head to the City Botanic Gardens and out
along the river.
SPECTATOR SPORTS
Aussie Rules football and cricket are played at “The Gabba,” as Aussies call Brisbane
Cricket Ground, 411 Vulture St. at Stanley Street, Woolloongabba, a 5-
minute drive south of the city. Call Transinfo (& 13 12 30) for details on buses.
AUSTRALIAN RULES FOOTBALL (AFL) The Brisbane Lions are the local
heroes in this uniquely Aussie sport. Tickets are about A$50 (US$33); book
through Ticketmaster (& 13 61 22 in Australia). The season begins in late
March and ends in late August. Most games are played on Saturday night.
CRICKET Boring to some, fascinating to others, cricket is big business in
Australia, and some of the most important national and international matches
are played in Brisbane in the season from October to late February. Most
matches are played midweek and weekends during the day; a few are played at
night. Tickets cost up to about A$70 (US$46). Book through Ticketmaster
(& 13 61 22; www.ticketmaster7.com).
8 The Shopping Scene
Brisbane’s best shopping is centered on Queen Street Mall, which has around
500 stores to choose from. Fronting the mall at 171–209 Queen St., under the
Hilton, is the three-level Wintergarden shopping complex (& 07/3229 9755),
housing upscale jewelers and Aussie fashion designers. Farther up the mall at 91
Queen St. (at Albert St.) is the Myer Centre (& 07/3223 6900), which has Brisbane’s
biggest department store and five levels of moderately priced stores, mostly
fashion. The Brisbane Arcade, 160 Queen Street Mall (& 07/3221 5977), is
lined with the boutiques of local Queensland designers. Just down the mall from
it you will find the Broadway on the Mall arcade (& 07/3229 5233), which
stocks affordable fashion, gifts, and accessories on two levels. Across from the
Edward Street end of the mall is a smart new fashion and lifestyle shopping
precinct, MacArthur Central, right next door to the GPO and taking up the
block between Queen and Elizabeth streets. This is where you’ll find top name
designer labels, Swiss watches, galleries, and accessory shops. Bookworms will
find everything they need in Albert Street, which boasts several wonderful independent
bookstores as well as a massive Borders bookshop.
The trendy suburb of Paddington, a couple of kilometers from the city by
cab (or take bus no. 144 to Bardon), is where to go for antiques, books, art,
crafts, one-of-a-kind clothing, and gifts. The shops—colorfully painted Queenslander
cottages—line the main street, Given Terrace, which becomes Latrobe
Terrace. Don’t miss the second wave of shops around the bend.
You will find some elegant houseware and fashion boutiques, galleries, one or
two antiques shops, and cafes and restaurants on Park Road, linking Coronation
Drive and Milton Road in Milton. Parking is difficult, so take the Ipswich
train from Central or Roma Street station to Milton station. Park Road is
around the corner from the station.
SHOPPING HOURS Shops are open from 8:30am to 5:30pm Monday
through Friday, 8:30am to 5pm on Saturday, and 10:30am to 4pm on Sunday.
They stay open until 9pm Friday in the city, when the Queen Street Mall is
abuzz with cinemagoers and revelers, and Thursday in Paddington.