Brisbane’s inner-city shopping centers on Queen Street Mall, which has around 500 stores. Fronting the mall at 171-209 Queen St., under the Hilton, is the three-level Wintergarden shopping complex  housing upscale jewelers and Aussie fashion designers. Farther up the mall at 91 Queen St. is the Myer Centre which has Brisbane’s biggest department store and five levels of moderately priced stores, mostly fashion. The Brisbane Arcade abounds with the boutiques of local Queensland designers. Just down the mall from it is the Broadway on the Mall arcade which stocks affordable fashion, gifts, and accessories on two levels. Across from the Edward Street end of the mall is a smart fashion and lifestyle shopping precinct, MacArthur Central right next door to the GPO on the block between Queen and Elizabeth streets. This is where you’ll find top- name designer labels, Swiss watches, galleries, and accessory shops.

In Fortitude Valley, on the city center fringe, the Emporium precinct at the bottom of Ann St., is the place for designer labels (including shoes), gourmet food and wine, a couple of good bookshops, and other luxuries. James Street is home to some of the top Australian designers, including Scanlan & Theodore and Sass & Bide.

The trendy suburb of Paddington, just a couple of miles from the city, is the place for antiques, books, art, crafts, one-of-a-kind clothing designs, and unusual gifts. The shops — housed in colorfully painted Queenslander cottages — line the main street, Given Terrace, which becomes Latrobe Terrace.

Authentic retro ’50s and ’60s fashion, offbeat stuff such as old LPs, second-hand crafts, fashion by up-and-coming young designers, and all kinds of junk and treasure, are for sale at Brisbane’s only alternative market, Valley Markets, Brunswick Street and Chinatown malls, Fortitude Valley. Hang around in one of the many coffee shops and listen to live music.

Brisbane folk like trawling the Riverside at the Pier Markets at the Riverside Centre for housewares, hand-crafted furniture, glassware, leather work, jewelry, fashion, alternative therapies, stained glass, food, art, handmade toys, sculpture, and more. For an authentic taste of Queensland’s best produce, the Powerhouse Farmers Markets operate on the second and fourth Saturday of each month, from 6am to noon, in the grounds of the Brisbane Powerhouse, Lamington Street, New Farm. There are also weekly farmers’ markets in the Queen Street Mall on Wednesdays from 10am to 6pm.