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City Guide - Sydney - Shopping | ||
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Shopping Sydney may not be as chic as its eternal rival Melbourne, but thanks to a recent influx of international fashion names it is rapidly catching up. An impressive homegrown stable of fashion designers has established Sydney as a regional fashion capital, reaching both the Asian and the US markets. Among the most popular designers are Collette Dinnigan, 39 William Street, and Lisa Ho, 2a-6a Queen Street. What Sydney may lack in style it makes up for in sheer diversity. The most exquisite gourmet foods can be found at Simon Johnson Quality Foods, 181 Harris Street, aboriginal artefacts at Coo-ee Aboriginal Emporium & Art Gallery, 98 Oxford Street, and the trendiest of board gear at Surfection, 308 Oxford Street. The city's flagship department stores are David Jones, 86-108 Castlereagh Street; the gentleman's emporium Gowing Brothers (on the corner of Market Street and George Street) which dates back to 1868; and the down-to-earth Grace Bros, 436 George Street. Castlereagh Street is considered Sydney's designer row, although this does not take account of prestige stores in Chifley Plaza, 2 Chifley Square, and the MLC Centre, 19-29 Martin Place. There are shopping malls galore, and two splendid Victorian arcades at the Strand, 412-414 George Street, and the palatial Queen Victoria Building, 455 George Street, also known as QVB. It is worth exploring the length of Oxford Street just to experience the variety of shopping genres, from the camp end at Darlinghurst, past the small fashion stores of Paddington, through Edgecliff and on into Woollahra, and the top-of-the-range antique shops in and around Queen Street. Darling Harbour, Chinatown and the historic Rocks district are teeming with souvenir and craft shops, and The Rocks is also the place to pick up gems from the major Australian opal fields. The Rocks Opal Mine, Clocktower Square, 35 Harrington Street, and Flame Opals, 119 George Street, have a good selection, as does the downtown Gemstone Boutique, 388 George Street. For pearls from the northwest coast of Australia, Paspaley Pearls, 42 King Street has some world-class examples. There are markets at Balmain, Bondi Beach and The Rocks, but perhaps the one with the strongest local flavour is the Sydney Fish Market, at Blackwattle Bay, offering over 100 species of the freshest seafood, sushi bars and fish cafes. On the Western Boardwalk next to the Opera House, the Tarpeian Market has an eclectic mix of arts and crafts items. Shop opening hours are generally 0900-1800 Monday to Saturday, with late-night shopping until 2100 on Thursdays. Increasingly, shops are opening on Sundays. From 1 July 2000, Australia's new tax system will incorporate a 10% Goods and Services Tax, with a resulting overnight increase in prices. There are several duty-free shops in the city centre, as well as at the airport. Shoppers must show their passport and onward ticket on collection of goods. |