Page 138 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Australia

136  SY DNEY
SHOPPING IN SYDNEY

For many travellers, shopping can be as much as well as popular weekly and monthly
of a voyage of discovery as sightseeing. markets. The range of merchandise available
The variety of shops in Sydney is wide and is vast and local talent is promoted. But the
the quality of goods is high. The city has most interesting shopping doesn’t stop at
two good quality department stores, many the city centre; there are several “satellite”
elegant arcades and shopping galleries, alternatives within close proximity.

give you a refund if you are not free items must be kept in their
satisfied or change your mind, sealed bags until you depart.
provided you have kept your You can claim back the
receipt. Other stores will only GST paid on most goods for
refund if an item is faulty or not purchases with a combined
as described. A 10 per cent value of A$300 or more, at
Goods and Services Tax (GST) is the airport under the Tourist
included in the marked price, Refund Scheme.
and the amount is indicated
separately on the receipt.

Sales
Many shops conduct sales all
A jumble of bric-a-brac in a typical year round. The big department
Sydney junk shop stores of David Jones and Myer
have two gigantic and chaotic
Shopping Hours clearance sales every year. The
Most shops are open from post-Christmas sales start on 26
9 or 10am to 5:30pm every day, December and last into January.
though some may close early The other major sale time starts
on Saturdays and Sundays. High- in June in the lead up to the
end boutiques open from 10am end of the financial year.
to 6pm. On Thursdays, most Chifley Tower, with the Chifley Plaza
shops stay open until 9pm. Most Tax-free Sales shopping arcade at its base
shops in Chinatown are open late
every evening and on Sundays. Duty-free shops are found in the Arcades and Malls
city as well as at Kingsford Smith Arcades and shopping malls in
Airport (see p554). You can save Sydney range from the ornately
How to Pay 10 per cent on goods such as Victorian to modern marble and
Major credit cards are accepted perfume, jewellery and watches, glass. The Queen Victoria Building
almost everywhere, although and up to 30 per cent on alcohol (see p94) is Sydney’s most palatial
very small stores may require a at duty-free shops but you must shopping space. Four levels
minimum purchase of A$10–20 show your passport and onward contain more than 200 shops.
before accepting electronic ticket. Some stores will deliver The elegant Strand Arcade
payment. Department stores your goods to the airport to be (see p94) was originally built
will usually exchange goods or picked up on departure. Duty- in 1892. Jewellery, lingerie,
high fashion, antiques and
fine cafés are its stock in trade.
Pitt Street Mall has several
shopping centres including
MidCity and Westfield Sydney,
the city’s largest mall, featuring
department, up-market and
speciality stores.
The Galeries houses the
Kinokuniya bookstore, which
sells Australian and American
imprints, as well as Chinese
and Japanese language books.
Both the MLC Centre and
nearby Chifley Plaza cater to
Gleebooks, popular with students and Glebe locals (see pp138–9) the prestige shopper, as do the