Editor Pick
Oxford Street
- July 18, 2007
- Rated 4 of 5 by
auskiwi from Tacoma, Australia
If you want to shop for something or see something unusual or just that little bit different then get on the bus at Randwick that is heading to Sydney and get off in the vicinity of the corner of Oxford Street and Flinders Street, Paddington (just ask the bus driver). It’s just a 15 minute trip.
This is the area which is very popular with the gay and lesbian and the alternative lifestyle / bohemian populations of Sydney and, on weekends, it is very busy.
There are all sorts of shops along Oxford Street and the smaller side streets. These shops include:
- Fashion clothing stores – some with different fashions and labels than you would get anywhere else in the city – one store (Daley Male) stocked men’s clothing made in Turkey only (jeans, jumpers, tops, etc).
- Shoe shops – these range from sports shoe stores to a store specializing in cowboy boots and biker style boots.
- Vintage clothing shops – there are numerous vintage clothing shops but they are mainly on the side streets.
- Gift shops and novelty shops – stoking cards, souvenirs and the usual array of gifts.
- Adults only shops – I’ll leave this to your imagination – something about fetishes, etc.
- Cafes and restaurants.
- Galleries – we went into one Aboriginal Art Gallery – there were some great pictures in there. It’s just a shame we weren’t that financial.
There are many more. There are so many of them and it took us a good two hours to just do the shops we were interested in going into. God knows how long it would take if you wanted to go into all of them.
You think you might get a bit thirsty walking around the streets – don’t worry about that there a plenty of pubs. One of the better known one’s is the Flinders Street Hotel, located on the corner of Flinders Street and Oxford Street.
Like to party – then try and get to Oxford Street and Flinders Street at the time of the Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, held in early March every year, then you will see some sights – hundreds of people, of all types, pack the streets on the Saturday afternoon and night of the Mardi Gras to watch the parade going past and hundreds more are actually participating in the parade.
The after Mardi Gras parties can go on for days with people, all of varying levels of intoxication, hanging out in the streets, outside the pubs and cafes, dressed in all sorts of outfits and wigs – they’re mostly harmless and it’s usually always worth a laugh.
From journal Oxford Street, Coogee and a Taste of Wildlife