Starting a new series of posts that should appeal to those looking to spend some time window shopping and not knowing where they could go in Melbourne’s giant metropolis. Window Shopping Melbourne will give you a visual insight into the shopping malls around Melbourne, big and small, remote and close by. The idea came to me while I was enjoying a Friday evening wandering through Chadstone without any clear goal in mind (although I normally have a clear goal when going to shopping malls, there are times where I’d rather sit at a cafe and chill and follow it up with window shopping through electronics, bookstores and the like). Hope you enjoy this series, look forward to more stores in future. For now, let me introduce you to Chadstone shopping mall: the fashion capital and supposedly largest mall in the Southern hemisphere.
Chadstone Shopping Mall
Location: Chadstone, off Princes Hwy (easily described as between Caulfield and Oakleigh)
Getting there: By car – follow the Princes Hwy and you’ll easily find parking (just look at the number of spots and that’s just above-ground uncovered parking!); by public transport – there are a number of buses that will take you there from all possible directions. The nearest train station is Oakleigh, but you’ll have to take a bus from there. Trams are non-existent in this area.
Official Website: www.chadstoneshopping.com.au
As I mentioned, the idea came to me when I was walking through Chadstone a few Fridays ago and decided that this would be the befitting start to this series.
Parking is abundant, the mall impresses me by the amount of parking spaces available around the complex, both covered and uncovered. If the mall is crowded, you can still find parking if you wait a little. A million entrances around the complex also allows easy accessibility, not to mention the cafes and shops that are situated outside the mall.
Chadstone’s building is only two levels and if I’m not mistaken, it owns its title of largest mall in the southern hemisphere because of its surface area that it occupies. This two-level structure makes it easy to navigate (for comparison purposes, in Kuala Lumpur, the malls are some five six seven floors and gigantic). The whole building boasts a large glass atrium roof, which lights both floors up brightly during the day time.
There are two food courts in Chadstone (plus a few smaller local eateries that are found in other parts of the mall. This food court is located on the upper floor and offers a variety of well-known brands from KFC to Hungry Jacks (“Burger King” for the non-Australian readers), Gloria Jeans coffee, Subway, Sumo Salad and a few Asian delights.
There is abundant greenery in the mall, some plastic and possibly a few real ones. They give the white and grey of the building a lot more colour. The walkways span across the top floors and in the middle space along the lower floor you’ll find smaller stands selling a wide range of products.
When I first arrived in Australia, I was surprised to find an abundant number of Borders branches across the city (I remember one of the first Borders bookstores opening in Kuala Lumpur many years back). I guess that’s one of the differences you can mention between countries, the types of bookstore chains you find are different everywhere. This borders has a Gloria Jeans cafe on its top floor (this branch has three floors in total). There is a spacious dining area on top where you can sip your coffee while either peering out the mall’s windows into the blue horizon during the day or peering across the mall and inspecting the numerous shops that you’ll find.
Plenty of computer terminals here in case you need to access the net (to read this post perhaps) while in the middle of shopping 
Gotta love the seat designs!
Chadstone recently underwent some refurbishment, extension and renovation and a new section near Borders bookstore boasting many more shops opened just about a year ago. You can sort of differentiate this part of the mall from the rest as the roof looks slightly different and the width of the space between shops seems much wider compared to other parts of the mall. I just love the use of the bamboo within the mall, it gives it a really nice feel.
The Swarovski shop in Chadstone, took a picture of this really for only one reason, to point you to one of my previous adventures
Because Chadstone boasts a large amount of different fashion, you’ll tend to find some exhibits from time to time.
I was admiring the symmetry here…
As I said, there are heaps of plants, some look real while others are what I call “low maintenance” and only require dusting, yet provide the vibrant colours to the interior!
Plenty of resting spots available to those with tired feet and who are not cut out for mall-hiking 
These spots have been carefully designed and in my opinion look very comfortable. You could also sit here and just watch the crowd go by for hours if you feel like it.
David Jones, a large departmental store chain in Australia located right next to Louis Vuitton, watch your wallet!
Occassionally you get to corners of the mall where the walkway turns into a circular court and the roof converges into one of Chadstone’s several dome roofs: the perfect spot for hanging decorations and it breaks the monotony of the interior a bit as well as the mall’s layout is actually quite systematic.
The second food court I was talking about. This one is a lot larger. Food stands are located around the edges of this circular court. To date I haven’t had a problem finding a place to sit here after purchasing my meal. I also find that there is a lot more variety at this food court than the other, but you may be spoilt for choice so bear that in mind when deciding on a food court
Jasper Coffee’s Chadstone branch, really good coffee as I’ve pointed out previously when I enjoyed their beans several hours outside Melbourne. This store not only sells coffee but also the equipment you’ll need to make it if you decide to have some at home.
Near Jasper Coffee you’ll find the indoor fruit and vegetable market and a string of homeware shops.
One thing about Chadstone’s setup is that the grouping of shops is quite easy to understand. Supermarket and homewares as well as independent butchers and fisheries can be found at the one end while department stores are found in another.
Walk along the long hallway you saw two pictures ago and you’ll be led outside where there are several restaurants, gourmet food (cheese, wine, dips, oils and chocolate).
I hope that gave you a bit of an insight into Chadstone shopping mall. It would be very difficult to show you everything in one post, but I figured that wouldn’t be fun as these posts should hopefully evoke interest in visiting such places on say a lazy Sunday! One last thing I should mention is that Chadstone frequently has “VIP Nights”, where you might find a bargains on items you’ve been looking for. The mall also stays open for a bit later than its usual closing time. More information will be available at the official website.
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