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!

Went today for the first time in ages and it was too hot. Hubby had to sit down and then left to…read morecar. I couldnt even visit the stores I wanted to. I felt like I was going to pass out and then one escalator was out and I had to walk even further. Never again

I have to say that this shopping centre is a bit of a maze. In fact it is a lot of a maze, meaning…read morethat it can be quite easy to end up getting lost in it. I guess this is what happens when shopping centres start off small and they just keep on adding more and more to it, until such a time as it is an absolute monstrosity, and you need a GPS to be able to wander around. Still, as a shopping centre it isn't too bad, and it has quite a good range of services, including a half decent pub.

Erinbank's full of treasures & I always go back when I'm in Melbourne, there's always something…read moredifferent that you know you won't find in the city shops. From clothes, hats, beautiful Japanese pottery, jewelry, there's something for every room in your house or if you're looking for a gift.

It seems like this shop has been around forever, and yet it never fails to delight and intrigue me…read morewith it's mixture of quirky homewares and stylish clothes that I never see anywhere else. A really nice lady owns this little shop, and she's very helpful without being at all in your face. This is always a lovely shopping, or just browsing, experience.

A gamut of handbags and wallets from the like of AnnaPelle, Diana Ferrari, Levis, Jag and Fiorelli…read moreamong many others, this store is an efficient way to find the most beloved of women's accessories. Although there's also a range of largely high heeled shoes available, there's not nearly as many on offer as there are handbags. The stock changes over fairly regularly, and there's the odd sample hiding amongst the clones. The styles are as numerous as there are handbags, so you can find a plain work satchel-style bag as easily as a brightly coloured statement handbag. There's also a range of luggage down the back. The quality varies from brand to brand, and the odd leather bag may turn out not to be leather after all. Nonetheless, every purchase I've ever made from this store has been a magnet for compliments and my main handbag is still going strong after a year of heavy use. It's always the first place I go for a new handbag or wallet.

Footscray park!!! Best kept secret in town. Bring a rug,…read morepicnic, plenty of free exercise equipment and a bicycle repair shop on weekends!!! Boating, rowing! No crocodile s!

I frequent many markets and Footscray market is one of the cheapest in town, hands down. If you're…read morean adventurous cook, lots of sometimes hard to find produce is available too. Live crabs, pork belly and Asian herbs and spices. Be prepared for crowds.

Bargain Depot is certainly an aptly named clearance outlet. Set up in the manner of Aldi stores,…read morethe wares are displayed in the boxes in which they were brought in, and left out in open topped isles. However, unlike Aldi, most of the brands are clearly recognisable as the same stocked at any other supermarket. For the most part everything is priced significantly lower than your standard supermarket, or about the same as if all the goods were on special all the time. For example, a solitary can of Red Bull will only set you back $1.50 and a big bag of chips comes in around the $2 mark. However, I'd recommend a close inspection of expiry and use by dates, as it has a whiff of NQR about it, given the whole "clearance" element. The stock extends beyond food goods, with most of the stuff you'd find at your local supermarket and/or discount centre covered in the various sections. Among the more exciting discoveries was a huge range of piñatas for $18 a pop at the back of the store, including one that's a mermaid. Pretty cool, hey?

A great place to pick up party supplies. A lot of confectionery including some harder to find…read moreAmerican products. Also, it's great for brand name cleaning products. The bargain depot has relatively easy parking in this part of Sydney Rd.

Love the culture and the food. Not a huge fan of the car park, but this place works better on…read morepublic transport.

I love Melbourne Central. I love how it's a one-stop-shop for everything you could need…read more ~ Smack dab in the middle of the CBD. Need something you (for some strange reason) cannot find at Melbourne Central? It's probably 10 steps away from Melbourne Central/ ~ Stunning interior design and architecture. You have your tower underneath a glass cage. At first, I thought that this was a bit strange, but then accepted the fact that the tower probably did a lot of bad things in its life and needs a cage to control it. You can't let that thing free, man. ~ Nice selection of food. Nothing too fantastic, but my favourites: Menya Ramen, Lord of the Fries, Grill'd, O-Bento, and Harajuku Crepes. There's bound to be more food heavens that I haven't explored in that massive building yet, and I'm keen to be on the lookout! ~ Convenient public transportation. If you're on the go, trust Melbourne Central to have a train running to anywhere you want in Melbourne. Trust Melbourne Central to also have great food takeaways for you to enjoy yourself at before your train arrives. ~ Loads of entertainment! Try out Cho Gao - a great Asian Beer Cafe with a stunning view of the city. Now try out Cho Gao after catching a movie at Melbourne Central's very own cinema. Seriously - what CAN'T you do here?

If you live in Carlton North, Brunswick or Fitzroy North, then Barkly Square Shopping Centre is an…read moreabsolute godsend if you want to shop frugally for your weekly/big shop. It pretty much has everything you need irrespective of what you are after. There are a few supermarkets with a Coles and a Woollies. There is also a butchers and a seafood place that often have higher quality and better value fresh meat and seafood than the supermarkets have to offer. That solves the problem where you are usually let down by supermarkets. The KMart is absolutely massive, so you can just about find everything you need. Did I mention a liquor land too?The only thing it is really missing is a Bunnings. Nevertheless with so much parking and fairly late opening hours, this is a winner. Way cheaper than shopping at Piedemonte's.

Oh how I love Sparkly Bear! It's the little suburban shopping centre that has everything you need -…read moremultiple supermarkets, Kmart, grocers, butchers, a baker, pharmacy, bottle shops, a $2 shop and even a massage parlor. Personally, I think Sparkly Bear is one of Melbourne's ultimate hangover destinations - you can stuff yourself with McDonalds and then get a head massage before popping into one of Sydney Road's many pubs for a hair of the dog. But it's also good for doing extra big shops, preferably hangover free. As a Carlton resident, Barkly Square is the easiest place to get life's dull essentials like buckets or shower curtains (don't even mention the QV BigW - it's a nightmare!). The car park is big and not too anger-inducing because it is easily accessed without having to deal with the Sydney Road traffic. First hour parking is free!

Ok Ok I know Savers is everywhere and it's a huge chain of second hand goods but this one in…read moreFootscray definitely has its own character. It has a wide variety of clothing that surely comes from it culturally diverse population. Also the other customers wandering around are always just as interesting. It funny the conversations that people will have in public that should obviously not be overheard from other punters. I really didn't need to know that the 50 year old woman in the next isle got lucky with that bloke from the café last night, "you know, that one with the caaaarlton beanie". The staff at the counter are as bland as robots, although I think I did see one smile one day. The price in these super second-hand stores is creeping up and up all the time. I was in search for a pair of jeans and a couple, depending on the label, were going for over $50, for second hand jeans. I think it's a bit much. I can't see the old granny at the salvos putting a $50 price tag on a bit of denim.

I give this store 3 stars only because i have noticed that the quality of clothing in the store has…read moregone a bit downhill in the last two years both in the men's and women's section. Some of the men's t-shirts seriously reek. Customer service is okay i guess, nothing amazing to remember. That's not what's bringing me back to the store. But i do enjoy shopping at savers footscray. Found some amazing treasures and will continue to come back.