Charming little bookshop, lovingly curated, in the darling village of Bowral in the Southern…read moreHighlands. The owner is well versed in the book business and does a wonderful job of curating the best of art and design books, a lot of them featuring local talents. We regularly stop in here for a browse on a Saturday. It's nicely laid out and if you cannot find what you are looking for, ask them to order a copy for you. The staff here are always helpful.

Sure. Does as I have searched for weeks for a particular item and to no avail. Then I triedCook…read moreShop Plus and straight offf had one. And put it aside for me for a few days till I can pick it up. So happy

This is one of my first ever Yelp reviews and I decided to write it after visiting beautiful Bowral…read morein the Southern Highlands of NSW. I have been there a few times over the years but only for days trips. The last time we went for the weekend which gave us time to explore deeper and get to do more shopping. The lovely long main street is filled with great little boutique shops but unlike most small towns the shops were useful and not just filled with tourist junk. We wandered into Cook Shop Plus because i was looking for a particular kitchen appliance that i was unable to find anywhere in sydney. As soon as i entered it felt so welcoming and i could see why the store was full of people. The decor, layout and products were amazing. They stock a huge range of kitchen utensils, appliances and homeward products. There are your standard top of the range products but what i liked most was they still stocked more affordable brands such as Maxwell and Williams. They also stocked a range of food products from local producers, pancake mix to jams and relishes. The thing that i was impressed by was unlike most kitchen shops where is feels un-imaginative and quite clinical, Cookshop was well presented and it felt like they were really proud of what they had to offer. It was colourful and with a staff member at the back making himself a coffee in the display kitchen it gave off a really relaxed and chilled atmosphere. Now i suppose like any shop you go into the real teller is how the staff are and how they treat you as a customer. The staff were really helpful and not pushy at all. When i asked questions they seemed well informed and recommended products based on usability and personal option rather then how much they cost. Example being when i was looking for a can opener and they ranged from $12 to $45, the young lady told me that the $12 was crap and tends to break if used a lot but the $24 was great and she has had hers for 4 years without an issue. When i did ask about the product i had come in for i was advised that they didn't have it in stock but if i liked they could order it in and organise shipping to me in sydney, it wasn't necessary but i appreciated the effort she went to. Now i know this has been a lot of info and you might be asking yourself how good could a cookware place have been, but i can't speak more highly about the place and I am really impressed that good old fashioned customer service is alive and well still. Next time you in the highlands i recommend you drop in and see for yourself.

The Reject Shop is like Pic 'n Save (not even sure if that business still exists in the USA)…read more Features a random assortment of low-cost items and you just never know what you might find. I've bought gift wrap, ribbons, batteries, and other small household items, all incredibly reasonably priced. No fuss kind of place, I like it!

A trendy shop with lots of unique items globally sourced that range from clothes to classic toys!…read moreWe visited one afternoon while just walking past and got sucked in from just plain curiosity. The people working there were super friendly and patient while we were checking everything out, they even started to demonstrate some of the toys for the kids!

Very wide selection of used books, but the prices can be extremely expensive for the overall…read morecondition of the books. You won't find many bargains, but you may find something you would not see at any other bookstore in Australia. The restaurant itself is fine, if also a bit on the spendy side. Have eaten there two or three times. Nothing really stood out, would classify it as fairly ordinary overall. However, this is still worth a visit if you are in the Southern Highlands. The location is beautiful.

I went on a day trip to Bowral to see a friend and she treated me to a delicous lunch at Berkelouw…read moreBooks Cafe. The scenery was as delicious as the food! The entire time I was sitting there eating all I could think was how great it would be to get married there...but I digress...to the food! I had the spiced duck with orange and pomegranate salad. With duck, you win or you lose. I won. I won big time. It wasn't dry or tough, it was lean with no fat and it was freaking delicious. The dressing was light with just enough tang to really bring out the spices the duck had been cooked in. We also shared a mushroom pizza with parmesan oil and truffles....oh my word. I love a shroom and this pizza was fabulous. Not greasy, not stringy, just perfect - real gourmet stuff. Everything felt so fresh and light and as I said, the gorgeous surroundings just really help to make this place worth the trip from Sydney!

Such a huge range of candles and excellent customer service. The staff spend a lot of time…read moreanswering questions and helping you choose the right candle frangrance. They also sell nice blankets, soap, infusers and other bits and pieces.

Really great selection of antiques in a large warehouse, with many different booths featuring…read moreclothing, jewelry, and all types of furniture. The selection changes quite rapidly, so if you see something you fancy you should act quickly or risk losing out. It is a bit of a maze inside, so be prepared to get lost a bit and enjoy a long walk around the place. Truly a hidden gem in Bowral.

It is a charming place with a bright airy feel to it. Half the shop is a cafe where you can just…read morerest and drink tea. The other half is filled with all kinds of tea and tea making accessories. At the back of the room is a large table laid with different kinds of cakes and delectable baked goods. Along another side of the room is where you will find all types of tea pots. It is truly a tea shop. I love how there are notes on each type of tea describing it and how it is meant to be drunk (with milk and sugar, just sugar or just milk or plain). Besides English tea, they also sell/serve Chinese and Japanese tea. We were lucky to get a table despite no reservations (not sure if they take it either) when we walked in around 3+ pm. I had a grand time just checking out the cakes and general merchandise. The tea choices were just mind boggling and in the end I bought tea samplers (small quantity of loose tea leaves in clear packets) for my friend. It was quite a good size to get to test the tea (probably can make several cups of tea). There was also a tea pot by the door which contained the tea of the day so you could also sample it before deciding if you wish to buy it. We had the hummingbird cake and it was the best I had ever tasted. It had a thick layer of cream cheese which was what made it so awesome. The cake was moist and I just wanted to eat it all. We also ordered the scones which were apparently a bestseller. Frankly I was not too impressed by the scones. It was huge and I thought it was more like a tea bun instead. I asked my friend who really loved it and she said the reason to order it was the double cream.and raspberry jam that came with it. Hmmm I would suggest to skip the scone if you are used to the crumbly type like the American biscuits. Go for the cakes instead. They looked so delicious.

Tucked away behind the Main Street of Berry is a lovely tea shop worthy of being the town…read moreattraction. The shop serves homemade cakes and scones and serves all their tea collection for in store sipping. The shop is not huge, tea selection adorns one wall whilst another is prettied up by various teapots, cups, canisters, and mugs of all kinds. I love that there are clear signs to mark whether each tea is suitable with milk, sugar, iced, and brewing time, makes it super easy to navigate but still not easy to choose from the great selection. If in doubt, grab the sample size and i dare you to walk away without feeling like you've walked in daggy and came out a trendy posh English royal.