Oz you like it!

From high end luxury brands to funky ‘Saturday market’ kitsch, Australia is the place to get your fill of some truly eclectic buys, as Raul Dias recently discovered while shopping his way through the land down under

Ok. It’s time for a small smidgen of a confession. Shopping never really figured on my ‘to do’ list when I excitedly put pen to paper…err, I mean finger to word processor – as I planned the finer details of my two week long trip to the land of Vegemite, Koala bears and Kylie Minogue (not in that very particular order). I mean, how can one think of Gucci and Ferragamo when lust-inducing (wanderlust that is!) images of the Grampians and Fraser Island beckons you to embrace outdoorsy Australia with hiking gear-laden arms? But fall prey to the lure of naked consumerism I did… and how!

And I blame Australia’s well kitted out airports for this. Be it Sydney’s glitzy Kingsford Smith airport or Melbourne’s Tullamarine International airport, each one of these aviation hubs is overflowing with shops hawking everything from high-end brands like Burberry and Louis Vuitton to typically Aussie sportswear makers of the likes of Billabong and the saucy Aussiebum. But this was just a prelude to what my fashion-hungry senses would be assaulted with over the next 14 days as I traipsed through the rich and diverse fabric that makes up Australia.

Let me begin with scintillating Sydney. If this city were to have a female personification then one would have to say that Sydney is a lot like Paris Hilton. On second thoughts, make that Paris Hilton on speed. In your face glamour and an uber trendy façade hiding a mischievous and rather whacky personality that she chooses to reveal only to those who get to know her intimately. And the way her denizens -- stylishly called Sydneysiders – choose to dress, reflects this rather dysfunctional equilibrium of sophistication with a quirky undercurrent to it. A well suited and booted banker sporting a tie with a kangaroo print or a pretty receptionist with sparkly butterfly clips holding her hair carelessly in place are images that are de rigueur in this city that flaunts itself to the hilt.

I began my shopping tryst with Sydney in the trendy yet relaxed inner-city strip of Oxford St, Paddington where the supercool environs of Calibre – a rather upmarket boutique – beckoned. Jostling for space among a plethora of goodies were a cornucopia of watches from the houses of Chopard, Bvlgari to Movado and the ever-trendy Rolex. A must not miss here is the wide range of suits in seasonal fabrics along with a selection of ties and shoes. For some funky dresses that are made by local designing talents, head for Leona Edmiston’s boutique that is famous for its range of flirtatiously feminine ensembles that are quite reasonable.

But for those in search of a true bargain, my advice would be to head towards the Saturday Paddington Market that has its very own legion of fans who throng it week after week. Here you will find almost everything under the sun from bric-a-brac to ceramics to typical Australiana (i.e. souvenirs). Call me a seasoned bargain hunter or a typical Indian haggler if you may, but I couldn’t resist bargaining over the price of a kitschy table lamp that had wallabies and wombats frolicking at its wooden base. And guess what? The haggling actually worked and the once AUD $50 lamp was mine for a third of that price.

For a more relaxed and less hassled shopping experience, the white canopied Rock’s Market that is shaded by the shadow of Sydney’s mighty Harbour Bridge is the perfect place to relieve yourself of some of your hard earned dosh. I was particularly impressed with wide selection of fossils and opals that sure looked like the real McCoy. Don’t miss out on the scrumptious pasties and marshmallow milkshakes that are sold from camper vans that dot the sidewalks here.

The charming Rundle Mall and nearby King William St in the heart of downtown Adelaide is laden with shops selling gorgeous opals that are mined out of Coober Pedy a little up north. I was lucky to visit a particular shop that even had a mock-up opal mine and a free museum attached to it. Again luck was on my side when I chanced upon a sale at the legendary RM Williams shoemakers where a pair of handmade calfskin boots were appropriated by me for a modest AUD $115 (approx Rs 4,500). Making my way past kiosk after gaudy kiosk peddling touristy tat like plastic boomerangs and made-in-China didgeridoos, I found myself mesmerised by the colourful and eclectic aboriginal artwork collections of the Urban Cow Studio, which gave me a true insight into Australia’s indigenous artistry.

As for gastronomy, Adelaide’s Central Market is the place to satiate all your cravings with plenty of full-bodied Australian cheeses like Colby, Cheshire, Red Leicester and deli meats that are on offer here. I made sure I didn’t miss out on the generous freebie samples that the friendly vendors plied me with before I made my purchases. But like me, if buying some exquisite wines is what you are after then do plan a trip to the Barossa Valley that is a mere hour and a half’s drive away from Adelaide. Home to around 60 wineries, the Barossa Valley is the perfect place for a day trip from Adelaide. I was fortunate enough to visit the Wolf Blass Winery in Noriootpa where I not only got a tour of the winery, but also of the attached boutique where I encountered such delectable goodies like soap and body balm made from crushed grapes, besides some world class wines of course. The quaint little Maggie Beer’s Farm Shop next door is a treasure trove offering edible goodies like pheasant liver pâté and the trés exotic quince paste that tastes divine with a spot of cheese and crackers. Stocking up on a truckload of pâté, jams and preserves – enough to feed a small country – I resolutely told myself at the cashier’s till that this was it as far as food and wine went.

But like most resolutions I diligently make, this one was meant to be broken, thanks to the plethora of irresistible candy shops that line Australia’s sunny Gold Coast. Since Mother’s Day was around the corner, virtually every candy shop had a blitzkrieg of pink-n-lace frenzy, offering all sorts of bargains that make resisting their lure almost impossible. But more than food and other diabetes-inducing delectables, the Gold Coast, especially chic Surfer’s Paradise is famous for its upmarket clothing stores that are rumoured to rival those in Rodeo Drive, LA. Broadbeach is one such shopping Mecca where you can pick up discounted designer threads of the likes of Balenciaga, Christian Dior, Chanel etc and beachwear galore. Here you jostle for space amidst avid shoppers who expertly balance their milkshakes in one hand while keeping the other free for their numerous shopping bags. The Marina Mirage mall in Main Beach is the place to see and be seen, as trendy teenagers with a serious Lindsay Lohan hangover sashay past store windows that are beautifully decorated with ethnically correct mannequins in all the united colours of humanity!

But if you’re a bargain hunter like me then you have got to pay the famous Harbour Town retail outlet a visit. It is an award winning shopping destination with more than 95 brand-direct outlet stores selling over 300 brands of the world’s top name fashions and home wares at up to 60 per cent below normal retail prices. Located on the Gold Coast Highway just 15 km north of Surfers Paradise, Harbour Town brings a sense of fun and discovery to shopping with the excitement of a street parade and imagination of a theme park. Getting my fill of shopping and of a theme park, both the shopper and the child in me were thoroughly satiated.

But after all that shopping, the adult in me was craving sustenance of the drinkable kind, so I sauntered into Broadbeach’s posh new VIP Champagne Salon aptly named Lauxes. A popular hot spot for locals in the Broadbeach dining district, Lauxes is quickly gaining an international reputation with its wide range of grand crues and lip smacking champagne cocktails it offers its thirsty patrons.

Australia proved to be a revelation of sorts for me. Here I was expecting a land where mama Kangaroos with cute Joeys in their pouches leap across the city streets in gay abandon, but what I got was the ultimate shopper’s paradise where you do encounter the odd Kangaroo in the city. And so what if it is only a made-in-China cuddly version of the real enchilada?

(First published in Time'n Style)