FASHION AND SHOPPING.

FASHION AND SHOPPING

Head for The Rocks, near the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbor Bridge, to buy art, souvenirs, and gifts, and browse weekend markets. Other must-see shopping destinations are the elegant Queen Victoria Building and Strand Arcade.

Australian opals are widely available in specialist jewelery shops. Stock up on Aussie-made boots, hats, fashion and jewelery in stylish shopping centers such as Westfield Sydney, The Galeries, and World Square. There are brand outlet stores at Market City, near Chinatown.

Love to shop? You'll find Sydney is a shopper's paradise, with all your favorite international brands and labels plus trendy boutiques and buzzy markets.

Australian designers wow the world with their innovative take on fashion; A good place to find emerging talent is Paddington, a cool neighborhood in Sydney's east. The Intersection, on the corner of Oxford Street and Glenmore Road, is home to local boutiques and emerging designers.

Browse through top local fashion brands including Sass & Bide, Ksubi, Ellery, Scanlan, and Ginger & Smart. East along Oxford Street, heading towards Bondi Beach, are more funky boutiques and the Paddington Markets, where many fashion designers got their start.

In the city center, Westfield Sydney sets the pace for sensational shopping with four floors of fashion favorites. Nearby you'll also find Australia's two largest department stores, Myer and David Jones, which stock many top brands and offer personal shopper and stylist services.

The splendid Strand Arcade is home to a hatter that sells Australia's famous Akubra hats, worn by farmers and ranchers, prime ministers and presidents. Buy a pair of classic Australian leather boots from the R.M Williams shop on George Street, near the Strand.

From there, walk to the grand Queen Victoria Building, one of the most beautiful shopping center's in the world. Completed in 1898, the Romanesque building occupations an entire city block. Known as the QVB, it was elegantly restored in the 1980s.

For Australia's precious opals, shop at reputable stores in the city center, including Altmann & Cherny, Costellos of Australia, the National Opal Collection, and Vollé Jewelery.