Forest Hill Chase is never really springs to mind when I think of shopping centers. Located in the…read moretiny suburb of Forest Hill, I came here once and was pleasantly surprised at the center. It was clean and new-ish, it didn't feel like one of those old and forgotten places that nobody ever goes to. That said, it was relatively quite in the center- but it certainly didn't feel forgotten. Forest Hill doesn't have a huge variety of fashion stores, there are still a few goodies here though (such as Myer). Forest hill also have a Hoyts cinema and AMF bowling/M9 laser strike. My favorite thing about this place is the fact that there is a TGIF here! I think I would come back if I ever wanted to just wonder aimlessly through a center, without feeling rushed or buzzed like I do at Chadstone. Would also come here just for TGI and Hoyts.

Forest Hill Chase Shopping Centre is somewhere I drop into if I am passing by, but it is not…read moresomewhere I tend to go to on purpose. While it is fairly big and there have been a lot of upgrades recently, the atmosphere here is pretty non-existant and I don't enjoy myself. One good thing about the centre is that there are over 3500 free car spaces without restrictions. These are spread all around and under the centre itself. The centre has 3 levels with the topmost (and smallest) being the best. This is the newest part of the centre and has been designed to be a bit of an entertainment hub. It features Hoyts Cinemas, TGI Fridays, Nandos, Timezone, Rebel Sport, The Chase Hotel and JB Hi Fi to name a few. Despite being the biggest hit of the centre, it still doesn't get very busy up there. The centre is never really busy so if you don't like crowds then this place is perfect for you in every way! The average shopper tends to be a bit older although most of the shops seem suited to younger shoppers. There are a heap of taxis that wait just outside the food court. Bizarrely they are often there during the middle of the day. Bigger, rival centres don't have this service so this is a definite plus.

No different to Pitt Street Mall in the city, the Bourke Street Mall is Melbourne's equivalent, and…read morewith its own unique Zara outlet as well. So often the tram tracks are crossed to get to the other side to the point where waiting to cross the road at the lights to enjoy some more high quality shopping is a chore within itself. The iconic public purse at the tram station outside Melbourne GPO is a hit within itself (no pun intended) as musicians come to entertain us with their musical equipment stacked along this magnetic piece of art. Don't cross the tram tracks just yet as you have Melbourne GPO to explore. A word of warning: just ensure that you have gone to the toilet beforehand as something so simple as going to the loo turns out to be an obstacle here. Great cafes await you as well as quality boutiques to browse through. I love Georg Jensen here; in fact all the jewellers here provide great customer service. Keep walking and you will find Myers and DJ's in tandem with more street performers, and not to mention activists wanting support to help free the refugees or to take a stand of capitalism etc. Something would be so wrong with you if you are bored here. Cross the tram tracks (safer to actually cross the road) and you will find the food halls and more treats. Sadly that bistro on the Elizabeth Street side is now closed. And you might be lucky to spot one more street performer before moving on.

In the late 90's early 00's, the Bourke Mall of Melbourne was a Mecca of dodge. Sure every…read morechristmas there was the myer windows, but overall it wasn't a great place. Lucky for us Melbournians the recent (last 5 years) new tram stops and the current Myer and David Jones remodeling and the addition of Zara have lifted to the Mall to the cosmopolitan space I always new it could be.

Greensborough Plaza is the poor cousin to it's relative neighbours Northland and Doncaster Shopping…read moreCentres. It bills itself as a major shopping centre for one. Wrong. Chadstone is major, unfortunately you GP are not. It is significantly smaller then nearby centres, so if you are after a bunch of chain stores with some department stores thrown in (you get either Kmart or Target) your shopping marathon would be better sated in one of the larger neighbours. However that said GP does well as a large local shopping centre. The Plaza can meet all your grocery needs and chain store requirements. The multilevel mall houses over 190 retailers yet the range is limited. This is not the place to head for anything with the word designer in it. The Plaza is best suited to local families and teenagers. The Hoyts Cinema's are small, dark and dingy and not all the major banks have a branch inside. As a teenager I spent hours after school and weekends scouring the Plaza for chain store bargains and just generally killing time. Greensborough Plaza lost me after I left high school and could drive. So my history pretty much sums the Plaza up. It is convenient and family friendly but does little to appeal to shoppers that have learnt to expect more.

Greensborough Plaza is smaller than your major shopping complexes, so really it's perfect for those…read moretimes when you don't want to have to walk kilometers around the complex to find what you need (number one reason as to why I hate Chadstone..) GP has all the neccessary stores, and it's a good central place for my friends from Melb's northern suburbs and I to catch up. It doesn't have all the major department stores, but it more than meets most peoples requirements.

Look, I hate these places enormously. They've killed off plenty of local small businesses over the…read moreyears, and every time a new one opens, the only thing I can think of is the nightmare that some poor bugger of a small businessman or woman going broke overnight. That said, these places are here to stay, and there's not much to be done about it once they've opened. And as far as these monstrosities go, this one isn't too bad. Parking is pretty easy, (although generally for only four hours - that's plenty of time to get in, get what you need and get out), there's a couple of supermarkets and pretty much everything you'll ever need. There are lots of really good restaurants within a stone's throw if you're hungry, but the food court has a couple of decent places too.

Centro The Glen is a small shopping center packed full of the most popular brands you would hope to…read morefind in one place. Sure the centers small and the areas not 'that' well known, but The Glen hits mostly all the right notes when it comes to store variety. Brands include, sportsgirls, witchery, country road, cotton on, athletes foot, bed bath n table, mimco, oroton, rebel and many other well-known brands. There is also a David Jones and Target if you prefer being in a department store. The Glen is a long 2 level building that offers ample parking and dining options. Besides their 2 food courts, just a few hundred meters down the road from the center is the Kingsway Strip which is a goldmine of cafes and restaurants. The Glen also offers a coles/woolworths/Thomas dux, as well as a center butcher, deli, fishmonger and Asian grocer.

A great shopping mall! This place has really picked up over the years! Lots of amazing shops! A…read moreplace to get some great buys! I go here often for my lunch break and head back to work with bags of shopping. I just can't help it. There is always new shops and new items to buy! Omg I love sales racks! :-)

This is a bit of a tricky one to review as there is pretty high store turnover so if anything I…read moremention here appeals, check online that it's still there before you visit. If jewellery is your thing and you're on a tight budget, check out Lovisa. They have a great range of classic and cool styles. Much of it is a lot cheaper than their normal stores. Thanks to their outlet, I now own more pairs of earrings than I will probably ever wear. The Cotton On outlet is enormous. In addition to the standard Cotton On men's and women's ranges, they also stock sister brand Rubi Shoes. They often have cute shoes crazy cheap eg. 3 pairs for $10 deals are not uncommon. Look out for the cute $2 tote bags too. As the normal Strandbag stores are pretty reasonably priced the savings at the outlet don't tend to be massive but it is still worth a look. The outlet has a great selection and I've always been really happy with the quality of what I brought there. If you're into stationery don't miss checking out Typo. They often have great journals and notebooks on sale. I really need to stop buying those! Trade Secret is an interesting store to have a browse in. They stock a very large range of assorted fashion and home-ware items from a range of designers. There isn't many of each particular item so it takes a bit of rummaging through the racks. Personally I haven't had much success in there but you're a size that a lot of designers like to make for you might get lucky.

I'm just starting to discover the beauty of Moonee Ponds and the abundance it offers in the forms…read moreof retail therapy, hair and beauty and nightlife. It has become one of my fave new suburbs to explore, and of course I started off at the place called Moonee Ponds Central!! (Where else would you go?) Situated at the corner of the junction, spanning over three spacious buildings from Hall street to Puckle street, and less than ten minutes walk from the train station, MPC shopping centre has everything you need, contained in an easy to navigate facility. Don't get me wrong, it's not the sort of place you'd forsake Highpoint, Chadstone or DFO for, but if you're in the area or new to it it's a great little find. Containing those evil necessary giants Kmart and Coles, the big banks NAB, Commonwealth and St George, a First Choice Liquor Store and a great variety of cafes, fresh food, beauty services, a 24 hour gym and fashion for the whole family. Even a division of Kangan TAFE is here!! As a mother with two young children, I find MPC has everything I need, plus the extras I enjoy in a convenient centre that's easy to navigate with a pram.

Shara's review was absolutely right on the money!…read more Moonee Ponds Central is a great little shopping centre about the same size as Barkly Square in Brunswick or Northcote Plaza in Northcote, except it has a few little bonuses that those two shopping centres dont have too! The most useful thing about MPC is the undercover car park!!! And its free parking too!!!! (the one next to Coles anyway - in the original MPC building). Not sure if the one under kmart is free or not. The undercover parking is perfect for supermarket shopping in wet weather. The centre also contains some other useful additions, including Michel's Pattiserie which gives away its pies and spinach rolls very cheap towards the end of the day and a very good chicken shop just outside the door of the northern building. The centre covers 3 buildings on the 3 streets parallel to and including Puckle Street and they contain clothing stores, food shops, kmart, Coles, a lolly shop and various shopping centre rides for the kids. In the old days, if you parked in the Coles carpark, then the walk to Puckle Street was boring, but now you have the centre to walk through and there are all sorts of interesting things in the shops to look at on the 2 minute walk to Puckle Street!!! As for the atmosphere, you wont find as many cool funky people here as you will in Barkly Square or Northcote Plaza (you will find some though - including myself!), but you wont find it a boring place full of bogans and suburbanites either. Its a bit of both. It is very down to earth and the shop keepers and checkout chicks always take the time to have a chat to the customers - which is a really nice touch! If you live anywhere near the area and havnt been in here, definitely come for a look - especially if it is raining!

Mountain Gate Op Shop is home to the sweetest people around. Run by volunteers it is a place people…read moredrop by just to have a chat and say hello, let alone for the shopping. The tiny shop is packed full of donations with everything from old leather jackets, children's toys, accessories, shoes, bags and socks to 50 cent books. The prices here are fantastic and I've picked up fantastic pieces here for less than a dollar or two. Despite the very low prices they often have sales. If you can afford to, try to leave a donation each time you shop there, the people who run it will really appreciate it. The shop itself is a little bit smelly, as most donation-fuelled Op Shops tend to be. Otherwise it is clean enough. I would recommend washing anything you buy at home before wearing it - just to make it smell nice again, but the clothes on offer here are great. They are open Monday - Friday from 10-3 and on Weekends from 10-1. Pay them a visit today.

This shop is always worth a visit when dropping in at Mountain Gate. Run by volunteers, it's one of…read morethe cheapest charity stores around. Other opportunity shops out some ridiculous prices on their donated items. It's small and a little cluttered but that's the nature of op shops. It's run by lovely people too.

Sacs is a great little shop for getting a new dress and experimenting a little bit. You know when…read moreyou buy something that you are not sure if you will wear often but it is different and unique so you take a chance? Yep, this is the best place to buy those. The main reason is that they are pretty cheap. The other reason is that the service here is tops. The service staff are always super duper friendly and helpful. The store itself is a little crowded but there is always plenty of crowded sale racks to make you forget how cramped you feel. My favourite items in this store are the colourful maxi dresses - only around in summer or nearing a warm period of the year. They are very unique and light - perfect for summer.