Lifestyle and Shopping in Melbourne
The cosmopolitan city of Melbourne is a friendly and fascinating city for expats to relocate to and is positively brimming with attractions and activities to enjoy. Fabulous shopping opportunities, a pumping nightlife and an ecl
ectic mix of restaurants and eateries are complemented by a variety of entertainment venues, world-class sports facilities, highly anticipated annual events and luxurious spas.
Melbourne’s nightlife is fairly evenly spread across the city with cocktail lounges, underground dance clubs and pumping bars and live music venues dominating the scene.
Head to Mitre Tavern, one of the oldest pubs in the city, for a refreshing ale; sip on designer cocktails at the Kitten Club, a trendy cocktail lounge, or if theatre is more your thing, shows like We Will Rock You and Phantom of the Opera can be seen at the Princess and Regent theatres.
Melbourne has a reputation as a city devoted to shopping. Whether you’re an expat with a liking for elegant arcades, bustling markets, quirky laneways or shiny megamalls – no matter your shopping flavour, you’ll find something to help you to spend big – or save big.
Most stores in the CBD and suburbs operate between 9.00am and 5.00pm Monday to Saturday, with a more leisurely opening hour of 10.00 or 11.00am on Sundays. Late night shopping until 9 or 10pm is often available on Thursdays in suburban malls and Fridays in the CBD.
Melbourne loves a market, which explains why the largest open-air market in the Southern Hemisphere is located right in the CBD.
Queen Victoria market has been serving up fresh produce and hawking clothes, shoes and various trinkets since 1878. You’ll find plenty to taste, try and buy in over 1000 on site stalls. Many locals travel to the markets to buy fish fresh from the ocean, but you’ll also find almost any ingredient imaginable here, from fragrant herbs and fresh vegetables to delicious cheeses and spices. If you don’t mind tight crowds, start early on a Saturday and get sense of the true Queen Vic Market style.
You’ll find markets in the Melbourne suburbs as well, ranging from fresh produce or farmers’ markets, to art and craft or trash and treasure markets.
Chances are you won’t have to travel far to find your local market, and it’s easy to become a fan of the convenience, savings and atmosphere the big markets offer.
This is where you’ll find the true heart of Melbourne –the twisting laneways and hidden arcades host the unique boutiques and oddity merchants that often make it difficult to pull tight on your purse strings. It’s possible to live in Melbourne for years and still stumble across a great shopping find in a laneway, so it can be fun to devote a day of aimless wandering around the CBD just to see what you discover.
Block Arcade, running between Collins and Little Collins Streets, is a lush tile and glass space dating back to the late 19th Century. Nearby on Bourke Street you’ll find Royal Arcade, the city’s oldest shopping arcade.
Flinders Lane is the place to explore if you’re looking for one-off clothing items or unique pieces from emerging designers; and Cathedral Arcade offers quirky trinkets, jewellery and cool clothing.
Centre Place and Degraves Street embrace Melbourne’s coffee culture, so stop for a strong pick-me-up before continuing your shopping journey. Don’t forget to take a wander down Hardware Lane – once a Blacksmithing quarter and now home to quaint restaurants and shops housed behind their original facades.
Melbourne is synonymous with hidden shopping gems, but that doesn’t mean the city doesn’t take its malls and shopping centres seriously.
Starting in the CBD, you’ll find Bourke Street Mall is the shopping heart of Melbourne. Two of Melbourne’s biggest department stores – David Jones and Myer – are located here, along with several well-known chain stores.
For a bigger CBD shopping experience, try Melbourne Central on Swanston Street. Originally the home of the Lead Pipe and Shot Factory, this complex has over 300 stores. The interestingly-designed glass cone encases the heritage-listed shot tower, so don’t forget to look up between aisle hopping.
Just outside the city, Highpoint is the western suburbs’ biggest mall experience, while to the east you’ll find the ‘fashion capital’ of Chadstone Shopping Centre.
Now we’re talking! Who doesn’t love a bargain, especially when it’s big brand name clothing for tight-budgets? Thanks to the city’s numerous outlet shopping strips, Melbourne has long been known as Australia’s best location for hunting down a discount or discovering a brilliant bargain on quality items.
The outlets still buzz today, most notably those in Bridge Road in Richmond and Smith Street in Collingwood, but bargains have recently become a lot easier to find within Melbourne’s Direct Factory Outlet (DFO) shopping centres. You’ll find a DFO in the city centre and suburban locations. Here’s where you can make huge savings on clothing labels like Country Road, Veronika Maine, Guess and Cue, as well as home wares, shoes, books and kitchenware.
If you’re not sure where to start, you’ll find a range of Melbourne shopping tours to help you explore the city’s finest – or cheapest – shopping experiences. Credit cards beware – these tours can be a fun feeding frenzy of spending!
ectic mix of restaurants and eateries are complemented by a variety of entertainment venues, world-class sports facilities, highly anticipated annual events and luxurious spas.Melbourne’s nightlife is fairly evenly spread across the city with cocktail lounges, underground dance clubs and pumping bars and live music venues dominating the scene.
Head to Mitre Tavern, one of the oldest pubs in the city, for a refreshing ale; sip on designer cocktails at the Kitten Club, a trendy cocktail lounge, or if theatre is more your thing, shows like We Will Rock You and Phantom of the Opera can be seen at the Princess and Regent theatres.
Shopping in Melbourne
Melbourne has a reputation as a city devoted to shopping. Whether you’re an expat with a liking for elegant arcades, bustling markets, quirky laneways or shiny megamalls – no matter your shopping flavour, you’ll find something to help you to spend big – or save big.
Most stores in the CBD and suburbs operate between 9.00am and 5.00pm Monday to Saturday, with a more leisurely opening hour of 10.00 or 11.00am on Sundays. Late night shopping until 9 or 10pm is often available on Thursdays in suburban malls and Fridays in the CBD.
Markets in Melbourne
Melbourne loves a market, which explains why the largest open-air market in the Southern Hemisphere is located right in the CBD.
Queen Victoria market has been serving up fresh produce and hawking clothes, shoes and various trinkets since 1878. You’ll find plenty to taste, try and buy in over 1000 on site stalls. Many locals travel to the markets to buy fish fresh from the ocean, but you’ll also find almost any ingredient imaginable here, from fragrant herbs and fresh vegetables to delicious cheeses and spices. If you don’t mind tight crowds, start early on a Saturday and get sense of the true Queen Vic Market style.
You’ll find markets in the Melbourne suburbs as well, ranging from fresh produce or farmers’ markets, to art and craft or trash and treasure markets.
Chances are you won’t have to travel far to find your local market, and it’s easy to become a fan of the convenience, savings and atmosphere the big markets offer.
Arcades and Laneways in Melbourne
This is where you’ll find the true heart of Melbourne –the twisting laneways and hidden arcades host the unique boutiques and oddity merchants that often make it difficult to pull tight on your purse strings. It’s possible to live in Melbourne for years and still stumble across a great shopping find in a laneway, so it can be fun to devote a day of aimless wandering around the CBD just to see what you discover.
Block Arcade, running between Collins and Little Collins Streets, is a lush tile and glass space dating back to the late 19th Century. Nearby on Bourke Street you’ll find Royal Arcade, the city’s oldest shopping arcade.
Flinders Lane is the place to explore if you’re looking for one-off clothing items or unique pieces from emerging designers; and Cathedral Arcade offers quirky trinkets, jewellery and cool clothing.
Centre Place and Degraves Street embrace Melbourne’s coffee culture, so stop for a strong pick-me-up before continuing your shopping journey. Don’t forget to take a wander down Hardware Lane – once a Blacksmithing quarter and now home to quaint restaurants and shops housed behind their original facades.
Shopping centres in Melbourne
Melbourne is synonymous with hidden shopping gems, but that doesn’t mean the city doesn’t take its malls and shopping centres seriously.
Starting in the CBD, you’ll find Bourke Street Mall is the shopping heart of Melbourne. Two of Melbourne’s biggest department stores – David Jones and Myer – are located here, along with several well-known chain stores.
For a bigger CBD shopping experience, try Melbourne Central on Swanston Street. Originally the home of the Lead Pipe and Shot Factory, this complex has over 300 stores. The interestingly-designed glass cone encases the heritage-listed shot tower, so don’t forget to look up between aisle hopping.
Just outside the city, Highpoint is the western suburbs’ biggest mall experience, while to the east you’ll find the ‘fashion capital’ of Chadstone Shopping Centre.
Bargain Shopping in Melbourne
Now we’re talking! Who doesn’t love a bargain, especially when it’s big brand name clothing for tight-budgets? Thanks to the city’s numerous outlet shopping strips, Melbourne has long been known as Australia’s best location for hunting down a discount or discovering a brilliant bargain on quality items.
The outlets still buzz today, most notably those in Bridge Road in Richmond and Smith Street in Collingwood, but bargains have recently become a lot easier to find within Melbourne’s Direct Factory Outlet (DFO) shopping centres. You’ll find a DFO in the city centre and suburban locations. Here’s where you can make huge savings on clothing labels like Country Road, Veronika Maine, Guess and Cue, as well as home wares, shoes, books and kitchenware.
If you’re not sure where to start, you’ll find a range of Melbourne shopping tours to help you explore the city’s finest – or cheapest – shopping experiences. Credit cards beware – these tours can be a fun feeding frenzy of spending!
