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Sydney Shopping
Being Australia's
biggest city, Sydney is awash with quality shopping areas which boast
the stores ranging from the flagship stores of Australian giants like
David Jones, to smart boutiques and the ubiquitous souvenir vendors.
 "…the
most beautiful shopping centre in the world" is how Pierre Cardin
described Sydney's Queen Victoria Building (QVB), making it an excellent
place to begin your shopping tour of the city.
Built
on the site of the original Sydney Markets, and taking up and entire city
block, it has been a concert hall and city library. Now it is a stunningly
opulent shopping centre which is home to some 200 shops which sit beneath
an array of domes and stained glass windows. As a sign of how
fantastically sumptuous this shopping palace is, consider the "Great
Australian Clock" which has recently been installed in the QVB at a cost
of $AU 1.5 million. Designed by Chris Cook, he says it tells the story of
Australia from both Aboriginal and European perspectives.
As for
the shops, this is the place to get your designer labels, antiques,
jewellery and souvenirs. With prices maybe a little more than you will pay
elsewhere, the surroundings more than make up for it. You will find the
QVB just down from the Town Hall in George Street.
 In
a similar vein, try the Strand Arcade. Taking its name from the
fashionable London street, this complex is home to designer labels like
Third Millennium and Billion Dollar Babes. There are also beauty salons
and places to eat. Downtown Duty Free is a great place to pick up some
bargains and is tucked neatly away in the basement. You will find the
Strand at the Pitt Street Mall, 412-414 George Street.
More
up-to-date is the AMP Centrepoint Shopping Centre. Not just a large needle
sticking out of the CBD, Centrepoint is home to hundreds of shops all
under one roof. There are no less than 12 jewellers and more than 30
clothes stores. The Duty Free stores are represented here too. It is
difficult to miss the complex as it has a 305m tower sticking out of the
top of it, but for the record you will find it on Market Street, between
Pitt and Castlereagh Streets.
Australia's premiere department store is David Jones and this can be found
in front of Hyde Park in Elizabeth Street. It is in an impressively large
building and, whilst it is more of a place for locals to buy their wares,
you might want to have a nose so that you can compare it with the
department stores back home.
Further
out, and away from the shopping complex and department store mentality,
try the shops which line Oxford Street in Paddington. This is a more
relaxed area to go about filling your shopping bags, and there are some
good cafes there too.
Markets
 One
of Sydney's better markets is to be found on Saturdays in Paddington in
the church grounds where Oxford and Newcombe Streets meet. There are quite
a few quality stalls here, so you should be able to find something over
and above the stuffed koalas and Taiwanese boomerangs that proliferate in
some of the other markets.
Another
good, though more earthy market is to be had on Saturdays in Glebe, in the
grounds of the school on Glebe Point Road. Again, this is an area that is
rich in cafes, so when the
 bargain
hunting gets too frantic, go chill out in the African Café.
The
Sunday Tarpeian Market is always an enjoyable experience, more so because
it takes place in front of the Opera House. Further along, the Rocks
Market sets up stall in George Street, and if you want a market experience
that would make Arthur Daley proud then have a look at Paddy's Markets on
the corner of Hey and Thomas Streets in Haymarket.
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