where to shop in sydney please

[manicmamma]

Recommendation please for places to shop in sydney.
My DH is working there for a few months and wants to buy a nice pressie for our dd birthday to send over to UK.
He is living and working in the centre and "can't see any decent shops". Where would he find nice toy shops?
thanks any advice would be appreciated.

anyone out there?.....please

Can't help but unless it's changed since I was there he could be right about the city centre. Australian city centres can be a bit like American ones - not much in the way of shops, main shopping areas in out of town malls. He could try the beach suburbs closer to the city centre?

Tell him to go to Myers or David Jones if he is in the city of Sydney itself (the CBD). They are on Pitt Street - any self respecting Sydnesider could point him in the right direction! The museums around Sydney also have pretty good children's toys.

If he doesn't mind going out of the city centre a bit, he could get on a train from Wynyard to Chatswood (it's about 20 minutes) on the North Shore - there are two massive shopping centres there, with several toy stores.

If he wants "Aussie souvenir" type stuff there are plenty of shops in the Harbourside shopping centre at Darling Harbour. The surf life saving shop there also has some really cute swimmers, t-shirts, hoodies etc.

There is a gorgeous toy shop on the top floor of the QVB (Queen Victoria Building) at Town Hall. They sell really beautiful dolls (they stock Carolle), music boxes, doll houses etc. Hobbyco on the same floor of the same building is great for models, toy trains etc. The ABC shop also has some nice books, dvds and general merchandise for ABC kids' programmes.

If he ever ends up in the 'burbs, "Toys and Tales" on Mona Vale Road in St. Ives is my favourite toy shop in Sydney.

Thanks so much I will forward all your suggestions to him right now!! ..and send him shopping. Just wish I was there to do it right!!!
Thanks for all your replies...

The weekend markets can be good for interesting and unusual things - there are markets on at Paddington and the Rocks every weekend, and Balmain every other weekend, I think (but I'm a bit out of date). I've bought some good hand-made toys there.

Would also second the Chatswood recommendation for mall-type shopping, but if he doesn't want to leave the CBD, David Jones has a pretty decent toy department as far as I recall - mostly things you can get here, though, like lego etc. Oh, and the shops at Taronga Zoo are good for Australian animal toys other than the ubiquitous koalas.

Exexpat thanks will copy and paste your message... Like the market idea think he will too....what time is just now in Oz? .....mmmmmm He Could get early Sunday morning shopping done!
cheers