Shopping in Melbourne
The main destination for shopping near Melbourne city centre is at a place appropriately called Melbourne Central Shopping Centre. This main shopping destination is part of a larger complex, which holds 390 stores, a railway station which is part of the City Loop underground railway, and a 70-storey office tower. Stores such as Armani Exchange, Benetton, Billabong, Calvin Klein Jeans, Carhartt, Crabtree & Evelyn, Eye Gear, Foot Locker, Laura Ashley, Oxford and many other big and small stores can be found at the Melbourne Central Shopping Centre. This shopping centre is located at the corner of La Trobe and Swanston Streets.
Another important shopping destination in downtown Melbourne is the Queen Victoria Market, which has been operating since 1878. This is the place to come for fresh produce, coffee and tea products, children's clothing, takeaway cafe food, travel accessories, men's and women's apparel, wine, souvenirs, fish and seafood, and more in a huge, convivial atmosphere that has proven to be Melbourne and Victoria's overall favorite marketplace. It presents a cosmopolitan variety of friendly yet competitive merchants who boisterously sell their wares.
With a philosophy of freshness, sustainability, and neighborly bon vivance, QVM also features the Suzuki and Geelong Night Markets, which operate in the Australian summer months. The Queen Victoria Market is closed Mondays, Wednesdays, and various other holidays. It sits at the corner of Queen and Elizabeth Streets in the heart of Melbourne City Centre.
There are also farmer's markets such as Melbourne Showgrounds Farmer's Market at Federation Hall, and the Collingwood Farmer's Market just a mile or two from downtown Melbourne in Abbotsford, for those looking for the freshest of the fresh food offerings during their stay in Melbourne.
The QV Urban Market at 3 Albert Coates Ln. offers a trendy and exciting variety of shopping experiences, food and dining, entertainment, and events in Central Melbourne. With recognizable stores and brand names such as Gloria Jeans, Glue fashion accessories, Guess jeans, Hairhouse Warehouse hair and beauty supply, Kam Otto high-end French fashion, and entertainment bonanzas like Flight Experience flight simulator, and Strike Bowling Bar with its credo that "no one should bowl, drink, or party alone", QV is a hot Melbourne meeting place for the in crowd as well as savvy shoppers.
Spencer Street Fashion Station at the Docklands is a recent addition to the Melbourne shopping family, offering over 120 fashion brands, such as Veronika Maine, Country Road, Oxford, Witchery, and many more tantalizing icons of what to wear for men's, women's, and children's fashions and accessories.
These marketplaces will give you a good start on your experiences shopping near Melbourne City Centre, and ambling along, you'll probably find plenty more to get excited about!