Shopping in Melbourne

Written by Viator, October 2012

RECOMMENDATION Keywords:
Good Place to Shop, Popular with Locals

Melbourne is considered one of Australia's premier shopping destinations - even some in-the-know Sydneysiders come to Melbourne exclusively to go shoe shopping - and it is possible to have several different shopping experiences in the one city.

If you are a mall shopper then you'll be kept busy in Melbourne Central, Queen Victoria Building (QV) or the GPO. Melbourne Central and QV are enormous shopping centers that house the majority of Australia's main brands and include a variety of food halls and cafes to help you take a load off between purchases. The GPO is a smaller, high-end shopping center in Melbourne's main shopping strip, Bourke Street. Inside you'll find all the big name Australian fashion designers represented, with price tags to match.

Outside on Bourke Street itself, it's a different story. Here you'll find mainstream shops and Melbourne's biggest department stores, Myers and David Jones, as well as the very popular Zara. For premium designer labels such as Gucci or Prada you'll need to head to the 'Paris end of Melbourne', aka Collins Street. Don't even think about leaving your hotel without your platinum credit card if you are serious about shopping on this street!

If you are less interested in brands and more interested in the unique or alternative, then explore the city's laneways and arcades. Great for innovative designs, quirky shops and quality souvenirs, it is possible to weave your way from Degraves Street (just off Flinders St) in the city's south, directly through the city's 'secret' center without ever setting foot in a mainstream store or shopping center!

Finally, the city's Queen Victoria Market is the place to purchase your cheap and cheerful Australian souvenirs for yourself or the folks back home.

If you haven't quite sated your appetite for shopping yet, consider catching a tram to the Melbourne's hipster suburbs of Fitzroy or Brunswick or the more glamorous and upmarket boutiques of Prahan and South Yarra. The possibilities are endless!

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All Shopping in Melbourne Reviews

Reply by Viator, March 2013
Doing what: Melbourne Outlet Shopping Tour

My sister Liz and I had the best of times on the shopping tour! We literally shopped till we dropped! Tamara, our guide, was and is an absolute gem! Nothing was too trouble for her. Lunch was fab. We both agreed that we would do it again in a heartbeat! Definitely a 5 star experience. Thank you for a very much appreciated day of retail therapy!

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Reply by Viator, March 2013
Doing what: Melbourne Outlet Shopping Tour

Tamara was amazing and we shopped till we literally dropped , five star service and great sneaky melb shopping places , lunch was great thanks you :)

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Reply by Viator, February 2013
Doing what: Melbourne Outlet Shopping Tour

A great day of shopping and sight seeing.Our tour guide was helpful and assisted us in finding the bargains we were looking for.Would recommend this tour to anyone visiting Melbourne

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