Shop your way around Australia

Whether you're after top designer fashion, Aboriginal art or a gift with a unique flavour, the Australian shopping experience caters for all tastes and budgets.

Australia offers a variety of shopping options from outdoor markets and factory outlets to elegant department stores. Bargains are diverse including locally mined gemstones, jewellery, bush-style clothing and designer fashions with an Australian flair.

In Sydney and Melbourne, fashion boutiques feature the country's top designers such as Collette Dinnigan and Lisa Ho as well as showcasing international design houses including Prada, Channel and Versace.

Those on slightly more conservative budgets will enjoy the country's many shopping malls and fine department stores. Some of the more notable establishments are Sydney's Queen Victoria Building and Strand Arcade – both beautifully restored Victorian edifices. You can also find great bargains at various factory outlets along Melbourne's Bridge Street.

Markets are the perfect hunting ground for those after souvenirs, bargains and homegrown fashion. To catch the local flavour of Melbourne, stroll around Queen Victoria Market and discover the 1,000 stalls selling everything from fresh meat and vegetables to handcrafts.

Experience the cosmopolitan flavour of Tasmania's Salamanca market as you browse for bargains amongst craft produced by skilled locals. In Darwin, enjoy Parap Markets and Rapid Creek Markets – both reflect the city's colourful, laid-back style. You can also tempt your tastebuds at Adelaide's Central Market with many local delicacies, including the famous pie floater.

Aboriginal designs are distinctively Australian, with each traditional artist owning rights to particular stories and totems. Such unique art can be bought throughout the country in art centres and specialist galleries such as Brisbane's Fireworks Gallery, Adelaide's National Aboriginal Cultural Institute and the Tingarri Aboriginal Art Gallery in Melbourne.

Set in traditional or contemporary jewellery, gemstones also make wonderful souvenirs. In the opal-mining centre of Coober Pedy in South Australia you can search for your own opals. In addition, South Australia is home to The Jam Factory Craft and Design – a large arts centre featuring stunning works from Australian craftspeople.

Shopping in Australia is as diverse as it is fun and you are sure to find something to suit your style and budget. To learn more about Australia visit www.australia.com, featuring over 10,000 pages of information to help you plan your holiday.

Make sure you join the Aussie Travel Club when you visit the site. Club members receive regular e-mail bulletins on new and exciting travel ideas and the latest deals to Australia.