Shopping precincts - Travel Victoria: accommodation & visitor guide

Victoria offers some of the most exciting shopping experiences in the world, while Melbourne is well known by Australians as the country's shopping capital.

Shopping experiences in Melbourne's CBD

Block Arcade: Block Arcade is a fantastic example of a 19th century shopping arcade, built in 1891. Featuring a massive etched glass roof and intricate mosaic floors, The Block is famously modelled on the shopping arcades of London, Paris and Milan.
Bourke Street Mall: The Bourke Street Mall lies in the heart of the city, between Elizabeth Street and Swanston Street. This attractive pedestrian and tram only precinct is flanked by shops and features two of Melbourne's major department stores - Myer and David Jones. An annual tradition is the decoration of Myer's shopfront windows with a Christmas theme. On the Elizabeth Street corner is Melbourne's former GPO which was constructed on various stages from 1859 and has now been refurbished and turned into a sophisticated shopping centre. Visitors to the Bourke Street Mall are regularly entertained by a plethora of talented and very original buskers and street performers. It's a great place to really experience cosmopolitan life in Australia.
Chinatown - www.chinatownmelbourne.com.au: Chinatown Melbourne is a fine example of the multicultural diversity which makes up the population of this magnificent city. It also helps to keep alive a little of our history from the early gold rush era of the 1850's and 1860's. Situated on Little Bourke Street, Chinatown features authentic Asian cafes and grocery stores along with shops offering Chinese medicine, gold and jeweller as well as unique and exotic gifts.
Collins Street - www.collinsstreet.com.au: Lined with fantastic examples of Victorian era architecture, leafy Collins Street is home to luxury designer fashion retailers, exclusive jewellers, upmarket hotels and several churches.
Federation Square - www.fedsquare.com: Federation Square, on the corner of Swanston and Flinders Streets, is well worth a visit when looking for that quintessential Aussie-made treasure to take home with you. Outlets at Federation Square offer contemporary Australian Artwork and Australian gifts and souvenirs, including glassware, timber products and sculptures. This is also the starting point for many of Melbourne's river and sightseeing tours.
Georges on Collins - www.georgesoncollins.com.au: For a very swish shopping experience, where you can indulge yourself and take in a bit of Australian history at the same time, swagger into Georges on Collins. Reputed to be the finest place to shop in Melbourne, Georges opened in 1880, and is a Melbourne institution and the place to be seen for Melbourne's style conscious consumers. Georges is home to Dolci Firme, Leona Edmiston, Linda Britten, Kumquat by Sky, Bossini and Zoa Dasoda. You'll also find master tailors, handcrafted homewares and several restaurants.
Royal Arcade - www.royalarcade.com.au: Royal Arcade is a Melbourne icon. Built in 1869, it is the city's oldest shopping arcade. Located on Bourke Street, this is an elegant arcade with old world features which make you feel as though you've travelled back in time. The Royal Arcade houses some of the most beautiful shops in Melbourne making for a very special shopping experience.

Shopping experiences in Melbourne's inner suburbs

You don't always need to head into Melbourne's CBD to discover a great selection of shopping experiences. Many of Melbourne's established inner suburbs have large shopping strips along historic thoroughfares with some shopfronts preserving the architecture of yesteryear.

Bridge Road - www.bridgerd.com.au: If your budget is tight, take a short tram ride from the Melbourne CBD and you'll discover Bridge Road in Richmond. It is renowned by both Melburnians and interstaters alike for its fashion factory outlets. Here you can pick up designer clothes and shoes at massive discounts off the full price. You can happily spend hours here and be delighted with the range and quality of the products on offer and the bargains available.
Chapel Street - www.chapelstreet.com.au: Melbourne's Chapel Street is famous for its fashion. Spanning two kilometres through South Yarra, Prahran and Windsor, and comprising over 1000 shops, it's a shopaholic's heaven.
High Street - www.highstreetarmadale.com.au: High Street in Armadale is another favourite shopping precinct for Melburnians. With a long established history, it has some of Australia's best art and antique galleries and leading Australian and international fashion labels.
Smith Street: Smith Street is almost 2 kilometres in length and forms the border between inner-city Fitzroy and Collingwood. It is one of Melbourne's oldest suburban shopping strips and features a vibrant collection of restaurants, bars and cafes along with clothing and factory outlets.
Something Aussie - www.somethingaussie.com.au: If you're seeking uniquely Australian products, then pay a visit to Something Aussie in North Melbourne. It offers products ranging from Aboriginal art and craft, Aussie foods, beauty and skincare products, books, jewellery to dinky-di Aussie souvenirs - some of which are not for the faint hearted, especially if you happen to be a kangaroo!
Sydney Road - www.sydneyroad.com.au: Sydney Road, in the inner northern Melbourne suburb of Brunswick, consists of a 2 kilometre strip of over 700 shops showcasing cultural diversity. Sample food from all over the world at Sydney Road's renowned restaurants and cafes, or visit some of the boutique fashion houses which are dotted along the street.
Toorak Road - www.toorakroadsouthyarra.com.au: Toorak Road in South Yarra is Melbourne's answer to Rodeo Drive. The Toorak Road shops and boutiques offer both Australian and international designers and feature many one-offs and original designs in fashion, shoes and accessories - make sure you've topped up your credit card!

Melbourne shopping tours

If all of Melbourne's shopping options are just too daunting for you, a Melbourne shopping tour might be what you need.

	Melbourne Shopping Tours	Join a coach tour and shop at Melbourne's best factory outlets and sniff out all of Melbourne's best bargains. Group and individual tours available.
	Meridian Tours	Offering a deluxe shopping tour of Melbourne which visits stylish stores and boutiques for fashion, accessories, homewares and art
	Outlet Shopping Tours	Enjoy a relaxed and fun day of discount retail therapy without the worry of carrying bags or finding your way. Discover Melbourne's famous discount clothing outlets, accessories, bag and shoe shops, and those hard to find warehouse sales.
	Savvy Shop Tours	For a personalised tour, try Savvy Shop Tours, where you can enjoy a chauffeur driven shopping tour tailored to suit your taste, whether it be fashion, homewares, gardenwares, crafts, or unusual gifts

Shopping experiences in regional Victoria

For antiques and collectibles, the Goldfields region is a good place to head. The centres of Castlemaine and Maldon have excellent antique, collectibles and fine art shops. While in Castlemaine and needing some retail therapy, check out Fashion Central. With an eclectic range of shops selling everything from clothing to books, gifts and jewellery, Fashion Central is "where there is always something happening".

If you're into pottery, visit Bendigo Pottery on the outskirts of Bendigo where you can purchase from an extensive range of hand made and hand painted pottery. At Creswick there is Springmount Pottery which specialises in Australian ceramics, Ashware, jewellery, fine art, wildlife paintings and the famous Springmount Pottery range. In Beechworth, One Tree Hill Pottery feature works from over 20 Australian potters.

Also at Creswick is Creswick Woollen Mills which was founded in 1947 and produces luxurious woollen products from their fabulous Australian merino, alpaca, cashmere, cotton and even bamboo.

If you fancy yourself as a bit of a beachcomber, check out Surf City Plaza on the Surf Coast Highway at Torquay. Totally devoted to all things surfing, you'll spend many happy hours trying on new gear from all the big names, including Rip Curl, Billabong and Quiksilver - some at awesomely discounted prices. Make sure you check out the near by Surf World to get the whole picture on Aussie surfing and beach culture. They also have a gift shop where you can grab yourself some beaut souvenirs, books, posters, DVDs and other surfing gear.

If you don't have any luck in the gold mines then get yourself over to The Mining Exchange Gold Shop in Ballarat. It has hundreds of natural gold nuggets to choose from, as well as gold souvenirs that won't break the bank.

While in Ballarat, visit Alexa's Treasures. They have been selling exquisite jewellery and beautiful antiques and collectables since 2001 with a massive range of antique, pre-loved and brand new gold, silver, marcasite and costume jewellery.

Also in Ballarat, Antiques, Goods & Chattels is also a super place to check out the diverse and interesting array of old stuff Aussies have stashed away over the years. They also have an awesome range of Royal Dalton and Wedgewood, Wemyss Porcelain and Martin Brothers glassware. You could even pick up a nice bit of Australian Pottery, some old Aussie postcards, or other bric-a-brac.

In Heathcote is Darcy's Model Cars which stock an impressive range of all sorts of model cars and related literature.

If you're visiting Beechworth, then you've come to the right town if you want to immerse yourself in retail heaven. Those with a sweet tooth will want to visit the Beechworth Sweet Company which supplies the finest quality chocolates and sweets and is reputed to be the best sweet shop in Australia. With a number of awards behind them, you're bound to be in for a treat. You can take a tour and purchase sweets, either individually or in tins or hampers. Nearby at Beechworth Honey there is great tasting local honey to purchase and a live bee display, a honey tour and tastings available. Just along at Ardent Alpaca, you'll see Australia's largest range of Australian and imported alpaca products and garments including a superb range of ladies and mens knitwear, coats, yarn and accessories. Another lovely outlet to check out if you're into fine fibres is Dalcheri, offering ethically produced products from manufacturers such as Eco Wear, Pure Pod, Emu and Tani. For lovers of fine vintage, Beechworth Antiques & Wine offers fantastic wines, including Giaconda from the Beechworth region, as well as high quality European antiques and period garden furniture.

In the Alpine tourist town of Bright there is Country Heart & Home which offer delightful folk art, dolls, teddy bears, candles and gifts. See also High Country Forge which creates unique ironwork using both traditional as well as modern techniques.

Stop in Echuca and make time for a stroll along the northern end of High Street as there are plenty of gift and souvenir shops there. In Hare Street you'll find current fashions, book shops and music stores as well as department stores and gift shops.

If you're feeling a bit peckish, check out SPC Ardmona, Australia's largest food factory outlet. Located in Shepparton, SPC Ardmona offers top Aussie food brands at up to 70% off normal prices. Pick up your favourite staples while you're there, including baked beans, spaghetti, fruit, veggies, sauces, chips and snack food.

If you're heading for the snow, you'll need to get decked out in the correct gear. Ray's Ski Shop at Myrtleford is probably one of the most famous, supplying ski gear for those journeying up to Mt Buffalo, Mt Hotham, Falls Creek and Dinner Plain. If you're off to Mt Buller, then Pullins Ski Shop in Mansfield is another cool place to get set up with everything you need to hit the slopes, whether you're after skis, snowboards, or boots.