Sydney Shopping Tips by pchamlis

Name of Shop: The Rocks

My daughter Sara is a girly-girl. She loves jewelry almost as much as her maternal grandmother. The bauble gene apparently skipped my wife, thank God.

If Sara ever comes to me and wants plastic surgery, I'll know what for.... she'll want an extra few fingers and toes added so that she can wear more rings.

Anyway, I knew that the jewelry shops in Oz would be of interest to my baby. Rockhounds, located in "The Rocks", was just such a place.

Sure, they have some BEAUTIFUL and very expensive opals and other pieces. But thankfully for Sara, they also have some modestly priced and tasteful items of great interest to teenaged girls. At this place, Sara bought a tiny kangaroo necklace featuring a small opal in the center.

Like everyone else in Australia, the lady working the counter couldn't have been more gracious and friendly, even though she was clearly engaged with a young lady who had no intention of spending more than A$70-100 of her hard earned money. : )

What To Buy: Jewelry and precious stones, in many price ranges.

The bill starts at Gee, that's reasonable and goes all the way up to AACCCKKKK, where's the defibrillator.

NOTE....FOR OVERSEAS VISITORS, YOU CAN GET A REFUND OF THE GST. I THINK THE PURCHASE AMOUNT NEEDS TO BE GREATER THAN A$300 FOR SUCH A REFUND.

What To Pay: A wide range. You can buy "cute" items for under A$100. You can spend A$10,000 on an opal if you want. I didn't WANT. :^/

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Theme: Jewelry
Phone: 02 9241 5101
Address: 141 George Street, The Rocks, Sydney
Directions: From the Circular Quay, proceed west along the Cahill Expressway area. Turn right on George Street. Rockhounds is about two blocks down George Street, on the left.
Other Contact: 02 9241 4169 (FAX)

Name of Shop: Clothing

There are no shortage of stores in Australia where one can purchase the famous Aussie Digger-style hat. There are more Digger hat stores than there are kangaroos, trust me on that.

And, I think the hats are pretty cool. I'm not criticizing anyone who wants one. I used to have one MANY years ago. I passed on buying one this time, primarily because the only people I saw wearing "nice" ones were tourist. The Aussies with Digger hats usually own the kind that look like they were fired into space a few times. Lots of wear and tear. And, it appears to be the same with the Digger hats as young people feel about blue jeans.... They have to be worn to be comfortable. And they have to be comfortable to be cool.

So, if you want a nice Digger hat, you can own one anywhere for under A$125 or so, maybe much less. But, be advised, you might as well wear a flashing sign that screams tourist. : )

A little silly story regarding hats.... When we were in Alice Springs, we were picked up early one morning for an overnight camping trip to Ayers Rock. After we were picked up, the next stop was at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Alice. The driver said we were looking for a Danish family called the Neilssons. Well, as we drive up to the hotel, there's a nice family (dad, mom, son, daughter) waiting in the dark. They're blond, fair-skinned, and every one of them has a brand new Digger hat on their head. I'm sure the price tags were still in their hotel room rubbish can. Our driver goes.... "oh my, there's TEAM HAT". We all cracked up. But in typical Aussie fashion, he proved that he wasn't a snot or anything by adding...... "at least we'll be able to find them easily in a crowd".

What To Buy: A famous Digger hat, if it suits your fancy. There's nothing really wrong with joining "TEAM HAT". The Neilssons were very nice people. They taught me the Danish word for marshmallow one night, after we'd had too much of a French guy's whiskey. I can't spell it, but phonetically it's SCUMS-FYDOR. We all started saying that word around the campfire, and none of us could say it without laughing. God bles you, TEAM HAT.

What To Pay: The hats are usually under A$125

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Theme: Other
Address: Anywhere. Everywhere.