A
female
age
30-35,
*tephJayne
writes:This isn't really a question about love or a relationship but I'd like to have some help please.I am going to be moving to Sydney in Australia by the beginning of next year (hopefully) and I would like to know if anyone would be able to help me.I want to know what shops there are in Sydney, so that I am able to buy furniture and clothes when I arrive there, instead of walking round hopelessly. I have searched on google at shops that are in the area, but it hasn't really helped me.So if anyone would be able to tell me shop names, and give a link to the website if possible please? I would appreciate your help :) x Reply to this Question
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reader, anonymous, writes (1 October 2010): If you are using Google to find shops in Australia then you want www.google.com.au, not the US version.
Sydney is a huge city, with a radius of 60Km. Your question would be similar to "where to I shop in Los Angeles"? BTW, like Downtown LA, the Sydney CBD isn't really for furniture shopping.
There's bound to be nice shops in the area you are moving to, but since you didn't way what that is, I can only really advise on the more national chains rather than the more trendy smaller shops.
The national furniture chains Harvey Norman, Freedom, OZ Design, Nick Scali are pretty much everywhere. If you want to think about furniture beforehand, we have the international IKEA chain.
Don't bother with whitegoods. We use 240VAC here and your US appliances won't be useful. Our regulations are also much more European than US, so your TV won't work here either. We have GSM and 3G phones, not CDMA. AM/FM radios are fine. Before you leave the US look at each of your electricals: are they 240VAC 50Hz/110VAC 60Hz autosensing? For example, you might be able to buy an "international" plugpack from the manufacturer. Sort this out before you go --- a lot of US firms don't understand international commerce and will only take US credit cards and ship to US destinations. We have a different socket here, but don't fret that if the device itself is autosensing. Any electrician can change the plug (which you can buy in hardware stores). Autosensing devices with IEC sockets (eg, most computers) just need a new cable.
As for clothes, most shopping centres have a range of clothes shops. Westfield are chain of major shopping centres in Sydney and if you go to the Westfield website you can get some idea of the clothing stores. Again, there are a huge number of smaller shops. Sydney isn't quite in the same class for ready-to-wear women's fashion as Tokyo, as we're more laid back here. Sydney is much more like LA than like New York.
A typical Westfield might have: Colorado, Cotton on, Cue,
David Jones, Esprit, Globalize, JAG, JayJays, Jeans West, a surf and ski shop, Katies, K-mart (slightly more up-market than the US version, which is true of most US chain stores in Australia as they can't compete on price with the family-owned outlets), Millers, MTM, Noni B, Rebel Sport, Supre, Sussan, Suzanne Grae. That's a pretty big range: from teenage t-shirts with funny sayings, to office clothes, to nightclubbing clothes, to nanna knickers. In short, even shopping at the most obvious place you're not going to go clothesless.
If you are working here it would be well worthwhile visiting the office before going shopping, as expectations vary quite a bit. No one will expect you to frock up for a casual visit, and you can see what people wear and dress accordingly. If you strike up a conversation you can straight-out ask where people shop for work.
Sydney weather at the moment is typically warm, with an amount of humidity. You should buy something to wear on the hottest day (ie, not jeans). And you'll need to shop again before winter (which isn't harsh).
The USA is much colder than Australia. So you can't buy serious cold weather clothing here at reasonable prices (not that we need it, but on the coldest winter day you might regret not having your US coat). You might want to box your US winter clothes and arrange for someone to send them over in six months time.
My girlfriend, who is reading this over my shoulder and who has moved internationally twice, says to bring all your bras which fit well. Apparently in the humidity you need more of them than in the US. Cotton knickers are pretty obtainable, so just pack the few more expensive underthings you really want to keep. Also, you'll be doing a lot of walking those first few weeks, so bring your sensible shoes.
She also says to bring your paperwork. Birth certificates, school records, etc. We are much more fussy than the USA about identification when opening bank accounts and the like. For this reason, don't throw away anything with your new Sydney address for the first week or you'll find yourself dredging it back out of the garbage. Get a copy of your rental contract from the real estate agent, as this first bit of paperwork will give you enough address ID to get the power and phone connected.
Entering Australia is very different to the USA. Here immigration is pretty much a formality (assuming your papers are in order), but customs are incredibly strict. So do read the Australian Customs guides and don't bring anything on the list (especially plants, food, etc). If you are from a farming area, washing all your boots and tools before you come will save you a lot of hassle.
Sydney is a global city, usually listed in the top ten cities of the world. It is very much an Anglo-American city, although you'll never forget that you are living on the edge of Asia. People come to Sydney from all over the world, and they bring their culture with them. So you can usually find anything you may want. And even if you can't, there's the Internet.
A
female
reader, anonymous, writes (1 October 2010): There are heaps of furntiture and clothe shops. For furniture you could go to Freedom furniture, Ikea,Oz Design furniture, Fantastic furniture, John Cootes, Harvey Norman etc.
For clothes you could consider: myers, david jones, kmart, big w, supre, ice, forever new, just jeans, jay jays, jeans west, etc.
Whereever you end up in Sydney there are shopping complexes so you can get your clothes and furniture there... it wont be hard at all. Hope u enjoy moving to sydney australia :)
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A
female
reader, chigirl  +, writes (30 September 2010):
 Maybe you could ask at a tourist office? Or try and track down some governmental online site in Sydney that has links?
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