Shopping is essential when studying in Melbourne, and Melbourne’s huge shopping centres are always lit up, have endless discounts in our eyes, and always manage to surprise and delight the girls! Today, we’re taking a look at Melbourne’s biggest shopping centres, revealing their pros and cons and offering tips on how to make the most of your shopping experience! Take a quick look at which shopping centre is closest to your student housing Melbourne. You can choose to shop close by or go with friends to your favourite shopping centre, each one has its own character.
Biggest Shopping Centre in Melbourne-CHADSTONE
Chadstone is the largest shopping centre in Australia. It is known as the city’s fashion capital, and its presence adds to the already glittering town of Melbourne.
Pros
There are more international fashion brands and homeware retailers here than you’ll even see wandering around with a selfie stick. Brands include Pottery Barn, Williams Sonoma, Tiffany & Co, Zara, and Topshop. You’ll also find plenty of high-end designer labels such as Hugo Boss, Chanel, Prada and Jimmy Choo, to name a few.
For those car lovers, the car wash service in the underground car park is really worth it. You can even kill two birds with one stone during the Christmas shopping season by getting your car washed and a parking space.
Stylish families will love Cheeky Chinos, the first cafe in Australia to offer supervised children under 6 years old and a dedicated play area. At $5 per 15 minutes, your kids will be supervised during this time so that parents can enjoy their coffee breaks in peace. The other play areas in the shopping centre are also popular with kids.　　
Cons
You must be dressed to the nines, even if you are hanging out at CHADSTONE. You’ll most likely have to squeeze into the entrance of Tiffiny with a large group of guests, which is always crowded. For those who drive, finding a parking space can be a nightmare.
Good Shopping in Melbourne-EMPORIUM
This trendy shopping centre is in Myer’s Lonsdale St, connecting Melbourne Central, Myer and David Jones.
Pros
Emporium’s food centre is Melbourne’s trendsetter, where you can find various gourmet restaurants suitable for city commuters. If you stay overnight in the city, you can have the shopping centre deliver your purchases to your room for free. Don’t leave Melbourne, and you can enjoy Japanese shopping at Uniqlo, where you can buy your favourite polo shirt, jacket or pair of jeans, and the fitting rooms are very safe.
Cons
Parking is very expensive in the city, and the traffic is congested. It’s best to take the train or tram.
Biggest Shopping Centre in Melbourne-HIGHPOINT
Highpoint in Maribyrnong boasts of being a world-class shopping centre with over 500 shops, over 7,000 parking spaces and a “proud history of bringing a wide range of retailers and brands to West Melbourne”.
Pros
A luxury refurbishment in 2013 introduced international brands such as Zara and Topshop, while the centre also has many local Australian fashion brands such as Sass & Bide Gorman and Alannah Hill. There is also a massive new David Jones and a refurbished Myer shop.
Many mums choose to shop at Highpoint because of the baby and nursery rooms. There are few better and more stylish baby and nursery rooms in Melbourne, with play areas, private breastfeeding spaces, high chairs and even televisions to make changing nappies and breastfeeding easier and more enjoyable for mums. The words “New York, London, Fitzgerald” are placed in each room.
The fresh food section, which opened a few years ago, is excellent, especially the large fresh food market, which has a massive range of fresh and cheap food. A luxury refurbishment in 2013 brought in international brands such as Zara and Topshop, while the centre also has many local Australian fashion brands such as Sass & Bide Gorman and Alannah Hill. A new David Jones and a refurbished Myer shop have opened.
Cons
Finding a parking space on weekends can be difficult. Highpoint is also nicknamed the ‘Knifepoint’, so the safest thing to do is sit in your car while you look for a spot.
Going into the shopping centre, you will see the results of a $300 million renovation, but they seem to have forgotten to renovate the old supermarket in the middle, precisely the same as before. Highpoint is Australia’s fourth most significant shopping centre, which looks big. Because it’s so big, the cycle and tram paths outside aren’t all that accessible, and there are horrible traffic jams.
Shopping in Melbourne-Southland
Southland has about 130,000 square metres of business space. According to the official website, there are more than 6,000 parking spaces. But the truth is that empty parking spaces are too hard to find. But don’t worry, there will soon be a train station opening to the public. So shoppers can take the train directly to the station, undoubtedly reducing the number of parking spaces available. If you’re looking for a parking spot here on the weekend or a Friday night, drive straight to the rooftop parking area. The Myer side is the best spot.
Pros
If you like to ride in spacious lifts, you’ll love the one in the cinema, which can take up to 15 people at a time.
If you like supermarkets, you’ll love Coles in Southland. It’s definitely the biggest in Vic, and Cotton On’s shop is vast and has many discounts. Most of the time, you might forget you’re shopping over a road, but Kathmandu on Level 3 will remind you of this, with a view of Nepean.
Cons
Trying to find a parking space in Southland during rush hour can be really difficult unless it’s near a cinema and the film has to be on right when it’s on. Although Southland has plenty of free parking for 90 minutes, 2 hours and 4 hours, the space managers are Kingston Council and love issuing overtime tickets.
If you push a pram or wheelchair, the shopping centre becomes a maze. And you must go up the stairs and across the road to get to the other side. The lifts are always crowded, and not all of them look like the ones in the cinema. Tip: The David Jones side of the lift is less crowded.
Shopping Centres in Melbourne-KNOX CITY
Parking is free at Westfield Knox, and you can enter through three entrances: Burwood Highway, Stud Rd, and Melbourne St. Knox City is planning to spend $450 million on expansion. When completed, it will become Australia’s second-largest shopping centre, with an area only smaller than Chadstone.
Pros
If you love going to restaurants, then you’ll love Knox. There are some great restaurants, and there will soon be more in the Ozone. And I’m sure there will be even more after the expansion. There is plenty of free car parking. People are worried that things may change after the expansion, but the library, cinema and Timezone in Knox are all great and more affordable than Chadstone or Doncaster, so at least you don’t have to dress up to go shopping.
Cons
Some parts of the shopping centre look very old, mainly in Myer, where the carpets are upturned and the paint peels. The changing rooms are all very dated, perhaps because they have recently been refurbished. The low-class Irish pub and Lou Lou’s bar in the Knox Ozone might appeal to a bit of a wanderer. There are two Coles Supermarkets here, keeping the competition at bay.
