Great jewellers, with a great range of items. Good prices…read moreand very helpfull & friendly staff!

Small but generally good selection of wine and beer. We found some local and nostalgic wines that…read morewe debated getting. We settled on a bit of both. They were super cool about us taking our time. Very cool having the Big W right next door. We were able to get most of our party shopping done in one stop. Woot!

The funny thing was that this place had an exhibition on, and the exhibition basically consisted of…read morea single painting. Then again, it is a regional art gallery, so they generally don't tend to be all that large, or at least this one wasn't particularly large. Mind you, the painting did happen to be a rather famous Australian painting, and there were an awful lot of information, and sketches, associated with it as well. It was a shame that they didn't have other rooms where they had local art, or at least a collection, though because I didn't have to pay to go inside, that certainly was a bonus.

There is the most amazing Pinocchio puppet in the front window, stained wood and turned, as if a…read morebreeze has twisted him away from the shop front to look inside. How do you say no to an invitation like that? Inside I discover the most amazing place to visit. Full of the wide range of traditional, quirky and the unusual goods under the 'toy' moniker, this establishment, while only opening in 2000, stocks the most amazing and often collectable pieces around Be your passion dolls - the Russians, the Kokeshi, and a wide range from Europe on offer. Be your passion Bears - the Steiff, 125 years old and counting Be your passion Thomas the tank engine - all his bits are here! Along with these you'll find those magical clockwork and spinning tin toys you see in old school mags, that maybe your parents used to own. The people found behind the counter are just as mad about the toys as you are - they'd have to be to survive in a place like this - so ask away if you can touch and play!

As you probably know, whenever I see a second-hand bookshop I simply have to divert my attention…read moreand go inside and have a look around, namely because I never know what I might end up finding here. Okay, they can be pretty hit or miss, but this one was definitely a hit because they actually had some pretty cool books on the shelves. That generally does pose a problem because it ultimately results in me buying more books than I can possibly read in a lifetime. Still, I do enjoyed browsing, and of course ultimately buying anyway.

We came for fairy lights and the Big W did not disappoint…read more They have pretty much everything you can think of needing: cat toys, slippers, paper, shirts, snacks, and a lovely person to welcome you to this humble palace of shopping. Since it was so close to Christmas, the lights were on sale. Woo! I was able to catch up on celebrity gossip by scanning the magazine covers by the checkout lane. So many magazines to choose from!

Every once in a while, my dearest and I need to print something on A4 paper, which, surprisingly…read moreenough, isn't as easy to find in San Francisco as it would be in practically any other place that isn't in America. Our usual options are: 1. modify the print size to fit American-sized paper. Bleh. 2. get our prints at the local copy shop (after checking that they have A4 paper in stock) and pay a premium for prints and quite possibly the use of some antiquated computer 3. pay $20 for a ream of A4 paper from some shop online to be delivered so that we don't have to do #1 and #2 all the time Luckily, we were in town for a completely different matter when we mentioned our predicament. While I was perfectly fine picking out whatever ream they would have available at Woolworths, I was told there was an office supply store that I had to check out. It was heaven. (I love stationery, btw) A4 paper in cases or reams, in colors, or white. If you like office supplies like I do, you'd understand why my this made my heart sing. Our time here was cut short due to the proximity of the cash register. The paper was immediately on the left and the register was right there, in front of the door. Since I was there with my non-dawdling other half, I was denied the opportunity to wander and marvel at all the other office supplies in the rest of the store. I could have come home with an array of pens, sticky notes, notebooks, or other office thingies. Perhaps taken a turn on a swivel chair. But no. I'll only have this ream of slightly thick A4 paper with which to remember our time together, Office Choice. It was short, but very good time. If you like getting your office supplies and just going about your business, Office Choice is a great place to do that. If, however, you prefer to wander around and look at stationery and office supplies, then do it and let me live vicariously through you. Plenty of parking out front.

All form, no function. This place looks great. Too bad that…read moredoesn't translate into the experience. The food was ok, but a little pricey (I had the chicken and quinoa salad), and there are no vegetarian options or allowances for dietary requirements. The coffee is terrible and burnt. The only salt has seaweed in it. When we asked if we could get a steak knife they didn't have any. The service is slow, and the waiters seem to be experts in avoiding eye contact.

Fathers Day and there's a nice hum at Rees & Rees and co-located cafe, Bertsy & Co. I came for a…read moreheart starter coffee and some cake - because I deserve it! Chose the Florentine. To die for! Best ever, and when I commented on this to a couple of the Bertsy team members, they smiled knowingly and said it was an old Italian recipe. North East Victoria continues to benefit from its long and rich Italian history. Rees & Rees and Bertsy & Co have become a local favourite. Somewhere to relax and enjoy the ambience, beautiful homewares, good food and warm service.