If you're after one-stop undercover shopping complexes containing hundreds of shops ranging from large international chains to independently owned businesses, then there's plenty to choose from in Victoria.
Shopping centres in Melbourne's CBD and surrounds
- Melbourne Central - www.melbournecentral.com.au
- If you're in the city centre, check out Melbourne Central. Easy to find, it is located right above the Melbourne Central train station. Along with over 300 stores and cafes, Melbourne Central also has a cinema and a bowling alley. The buildings themselves are an awesome combination of old and new, encompassing an old shot tower and other striking architectural features which have been faithfully restored and tastefully incorporated into the modern buildings. Whatever you're looking to purchase, chances are you'll find it at Melbourne Central, from the latest fashion, to electronics, books, gifts and jewellery. Other essential services are also well accommodated, such as banks and there are also plenty of eateries and even health services, such as massages and beauty treatments, where you can take time out from your shopping spree for a bit of personal pampering.
- QV www.qv.com.au
- QV, located between Swanston and Russell Streets, and Lonsdale and Little Lonsdale Streets, features high-end fashion and lifestyle retailers. You'll also find fabulous cafes, restaurants and bars situated in a European style piazza - very suave.
- Melbourne's GPO - www.melbournesgpo.com
- Melbourne General Post Office (GPO) was reinvented as a shopping centre in 2004 and now houses over 60 excellent stores selling fashion items, jewellery, bags, books and CDs.
- Harbour Town - www.harbourtownmelbourne.com.au
- Melbourne's Docklands is a relatively new shopping and residential precinct. Harbour Town is located in the Waterfront City precinct on the north side of Victoria Harbour with retail outlets including fashion, homewares, leisure as well as restaurants, cafes and bars. The centre has an interesting "tourism lounge" which provides out of town visitors with complimentary refreshments, a comfortable lounge area and a luggage minding service.
- Southgate Plaza - www.southgate-melbourne.com.au
- Southgate Plaza is a wonderful place to explore the many shopping opportunities available in Melbourne. Located across the arched footbridge behind Flinders Street Station, Southgate shops include Potoroo Fine Australian Craft Gallery which sells 100% Australian made art and craft and Redrock Gallery, reputed to be one of the finest Aboriginal Art galleries in Australia.
Shopping centres in Melbourne's suburbs
Out in the suburbs, you'll find Melbourne has shopping centres and malls to rival those found anywhere in the world. They boast hundreds of shops from large international chains to independently owned businesses.
- Chadstone Shopping Centre - www.chadstoneshopping.com.au
- Chadstone, located around 15 kilometres south-east of the city centre, was the first of the freestanding regional shopping centres to spring up in Victoria, opening in 1960. Now with over 530 stores, it is the biggest shopping centre in the Southern Hemisphere and home to 12 world class luxury brands. Chadstone offers "visitor passports" if you are a visitor from overseas, interstate or even just reside 50 kilometres or more from Chadstone. These passports let you save up to 30% on purchases from selected Chadstone stores. Grab yourself one of these before you hit the shops. Chadstone is home to 50 Australian and international designer boutiques including Alannah Hill, Anthea Crawford, A/X Armani Exchange, Carla Zampatti, Calvin Klein, David Lawrence, Hugo Boss, Jimmy Choo, Karen Millen, Lisa Ho, Prada, Sass & Bide, Ted Baker, White Suede and Louis Vuitton. If you love shoes, you'll adore Chadstone, as you'll find the most amazing shoe fashions, some pairs selling for in excess of $1,000. You'll also find the large department stores, plenty of banks and other financial institutions, and a fine selection of food in small cafes and two international food courts.
- Westfield Doncaster - www.westfield.com.au/doncaster
- Located in Melbourne's affluent eastern suburbs, around 16 kilometres from the city centre, Westfield Doncaster provides visitors with over 400 shops and large department stores including Myer, David Jones and Big W. Premium services include valet parking, personal stylists and a butler service.
- Knox City - www.knoxshoppingcentre.com.au
- Knox City is another of the biggies as far as Melbourne shopping goes. Located around 17 kilometres east of Melbourne in Wantirna South and with over 350 specialty retailers, you could wander around Knox all day. Knox also has a Village 15-screen state of the art cinema complex allowing you to rest those weary feet for a few hours between shops. Or, if you're feeling energetic, or have kids with energy to burn, Knox O-Zone has an AMF Bowling Centre, a Timezone and a Fitness First gym.
- Highpoint - www.highpoint.com.au
- Highpoint Shopping Centre is located about 10 kilometres west of the Melbourne CBD in Maribyrnong. Along with over 400 awesome shops to explore, Highpoint also offers fantastic entertainment by buskers, an IMAX cinema and "Playtime" for games.
- Westfield Southland - www.westfield.com.au/southland
- Westfield Southland has over 400 stores and is situated 19 kilometres south of the city at Cheltenham. Southland is a great choice for all the major fashion brands as well as bookstores, food, gifts and other specialty shops.
Shopping centres in regional Victoria
Geelong has a
Westfield Shopping Centre in Malop Street. It has a bunch of stores, including both the large chains and little independents, as well as the usual services and food outlets. Then there's also
Market Square, right opposite, where you can spend a whole heap of time browsing some fantastic stores over two levels.
Ballarat was one of Victoria's early gold rush towns and is now one of Australia's largest inland cities. Ballarat presents a plethora of shopping opportunities including shopping centres, art galleries, antique shops, craft and gift shops, as well as arts and crafts markets and fantastic wineries to enjoy. Central Square Shopping Centre, located at Armstrong Street South, has over forty specialty shops as well as some of the biggies like Myer, Target and a Rivers Super Store. It also has places to eat and banks to restock the wallet. Bridge Mall is right smack bang in the middle of Ballarat. It has 112 retailers selling fashion, food, books, music, hardware, childrens wear and soft furnishings. It's also conveniently located right near some of the major chains such as Big W, Coles and Safeway, Sam's Warehouse, Dan Murphy, Rebel Sports and JB Hi-Fi. Stockland Wendouree, in Ballarat's north-western suburbs, has over 80 specialty stores, including home wares, fashion, food and some usual services like an Australia Post shop. It's also home to the Wendouree branch library which provides internet access so you can touch base with folks back home.
Mid Valley is the largest Shopping Centre in the Gippsland region, located in the heart of the La Trobe Valley at Morwell. You can shop at Big W, Target, Coles or Safeway as well as browse some great specialty stores for fashion, home wares, sports, kids gear, health, beauty and entertainment.
Factory outlet shopping centres
Victoria is well known for its direct factory outlets and you'll find they're springing up all over the place as you travel around.
- DFO - www.dfo.com.au
- The motto of these centres is "big brands, big bargains and big savings". While the amount of money you can save at a DFO varies, you can expect to score some awesome bargains at up to 70% off the regular retail price! Cheltenham has one of the bigger DFO complexes, with over 120 factory outlet stores under the one roof, located right next to Moorabbin Airport. Other DFOs are located at Essendon Airport and South Wharf, right next to the Melbourne Convention Centre and Southbank.
- Brand Smart - www.brandsmartmelbourne.com.au
- In Nunawading, 20 kilometres east of the city centre, you'll find Brand Smart. It consists of over 50 factory outlet stores, all premium brands, including fashion labels such as Laura Ashley, David Laurence and Mitch Dowd, Sheridan and Adairs for homewares and Pumpkin Patch for the kids. All offer substantial discounts ranging from 10-70% off the regular retail prices.
