Your first hint that there's more than bra's and panties in Honey Birdette is the mostly closed…read morestore window. You're not going to find any cutesy twin set PJ numbers here that's for sure. Honey Birdette specialises in fancy pants lingerie (think sexy not practical) and, um, adult things. Which is actually a very clever combination as a lot of women feel very uncomfortable going to a sex shop, so adding an adult line to a lingerie store no doubt makes it heaps easier for less brave women to make their first foray into the land of sex toys. The staff are very professional and helpful, and definitely not there to make you feel cheap. You can get a proper bra fitting when you're buying your corset too. Prices are premium, but if you don't feel comfortable going to a full on sex emporium - and want some classy knickers while you're at it - visit Honey Birdette.

I find shopping for clothes challenging at the best of times not being standard sizing (6ft tall…read moreand ranging from a size 16-22 depending on the cut). I was absolutely delighted with hitting upon the Maternity Super Store when my bump grew to the point where my normal clothes were no longer going to cut it. The sizes range from 8-24 and each rack is bursting with clothes all sorted into size, colour and style. Need work pants, look no further than the pant rack and choose from multiple styles and fabrics in black, grey and navy. Looking for a dress for a wedding or special occasion, they have a massive range in every colour you could dream of. With jeans, shorts, bathers, formal tops, long sleeve tops, underwear, maternity stockings, dresses, pants, t-shirts from beginning of bump to breast feeding you really can't go wrong. The best bit is nothing is over $80 (except maybe a few formal dresses) and I can happily state I didn't pay more than $50 for any each item and walked out with jeans, work pants, dresses and a few jumpers. Given the challenge of finding plus sized maternity wear in Brisbane this is a must visit even if it is a bit of a drive from where you live.

I must say after travelling so far to visit this place, I was quite disappointed. Clothing all…read morefeels as though it hasn't been updated since the 90's. Not sure where the stock comes from, but I certainly didn't see anything suitable for a young (20's) pregnant lady. All quite nana, with a lot of unflattering styles. Sales woman was nice, but quite pushy. Selecting things for me (after a few questions) and having me in a fitting room within 3 minutes of being in the store. Unfortunately I left with nothing and I wouldn't be recommending to others.

Sportsgirl used to be one of my go-to stores whenever I needed new accessories or clothes. I loved…read moreeverything they had to offer in store even though I could never afford it. To this day I still love the store but it still feels rather pricey. When they have their sales I love to take advantage and stock up on cheap jewellery and last seasons clothing items (did I just admit that I wear 'last seasons' clothing?). The jewellery, handbags and hair accessories are probably my favourite thing about Sportsgirl. The jewellery is funky and is usually reasonably priced. They have a pretty stellar collection of unique rings and other very colourful jewellery and accessories. I still love their clothes, especially since they tend to specialise in boho-chic these days which I adore, but it's unfortunately overpriced. As I previously mentioned, the sales are the best time to shop at Sportsgirl.

Full of quirk and charm, Mombasa is one of my favourite…read morestores to pop into at chermside. The clothes here range from cute 50's silhouettes and prints (Think polka-dot, bows, pleats and peter pan collars.) and are pretty reasonably priced all things considered. (Between $40-60 ain't too shabby.) ...The ace in their deck however, has to be their range of unique, odd and very cute home wares and accessories. ( I admit that this may be one of the sole reasons for me coming here.) And while the newly expanded store size makes the shop seem a bit more bare than before, I'm sure it's not long before they manage to cook up some more amazing wares to wedge on the shelves. The sales ladies I've encountered here have been exceptionally lovely (and were more than tolerant of my aimless pursuing.) And it's location in the chermside megaplex makes for a more than convenient shopping pitstop.

The best thing about this Billabong shop is that it is located in the airport. I hardly ever see…read moreBillabong shops around these days but it's good to know there's a huge shop in the International Airport should I ever want to buy something from there. Tourists love it. I guess because it's meant to be one of Australia's strongest home grown brands and it's meant to represent Aussies love for beach lifestyle and apparel. Whatever it is, it fits well in this airport. The shop itself is quite big and I was surprised at how much Billabong clothing and merchandise there is. There's apparel, accessories, assorted beach stuff like towels, boards and Billabong branded suncream... And of course, plenty more.

It great shop if you do not fit the norm. For example large feet. They carry specialty shoes like…read moreSAS shoes from the USA. The staff are very friendly and helpful. I would recommend them for your shoe needs.

They have shoes for big feet which is always good to know! They stock the American Brand SAS which…read morehave extra wide sizes and are super comfy.

The samples here are often size 10. What I like about samples is that they're usually original and…read moreinteresting designs. The Veronica Maine 10s are a true size 12. It's not an enormous store, but I've come home with some gorgeous pieces that intrigue me to wear.

If you like your collector locomotives, your collector cars, this is the one stop shop for you…read more They stock the biggest range of trains, cars, kites, model airplanes that I have ever seen. Walking into this place is weird because you feel that you shouldn't touch anything because you don't want to break anything but every ounce of your child within is really doing everything it can to not want to touch and play with everything within sight and within reason. With locomotives here going for over $1000 this is the real deal, not for the faint hearted but for serious lifelong collectors who are establishing their collection for grandchildren. The trains are limited editions sometimes and will only increase in value over time (they tell me), so you better be serious when you buy them and maybe just keep them in the box. Not the kind of stuff you buy for kids that are young. But kids that are old enough to appreciate a good thing and take care of a good thing when they see it.

I went into Hobbyrama for the first time yesterday to buy some glue (long story). Wow. I never knew…read moreI had an inner ten year old boy but apparently I do because I had so much fun looking around in here. Maybe I should start building model cars. They have so many crazy things that I would never have even known existed. Their range of model cars, planes, boats, tanks, trains, and insert any other mode of transportation you can think of here is amazing. The store is huuuge and literally packed to the rafters. As well as the model vehicles they have doll house kits, and little doors, furniture, etc. to for people who build dollhouses. Just seeing the little doors and windows in their packages made me smile thinking of Grandfathers making dollhouses for their grand-daughters. But now I'm getting emotional over a hobby shop. Hobbyrama has puzzles, crafts, kites, and countless other things you could do to entertain yourself or hone your fine motor skills. I've never built a model in my life, but this shop is full of so many things that even a hobby n00b like myself would love to try my (very shaky) hand at. I needed to buy glue for small pieces of plywood, and the guy behind the counter helped me out and was very friendly. He didn't even mind that I had my fourteen year old terrier in tow (who was busy examining the extensive range of matchbox cars down at his eye level). Hobbyrama is worth a browse purely out of interest. You'll be surprised by the kinds of cool things people make. You might even end up tackling something yourself although if you're anything like me you'll no doubt end up with pieces of aeroplane glued to your hands, but it's all part of the fun, right?