An awesome dream factory where the past is created in the present. Toys for, not only for boys…read more Just White Toy Shop on the top level of the QVB in Sydney is a mountain of great quality toys not just for kids either. It's a crowded carnival of boxes, sounds and ambient memories from toys come to life. Many of you may not even recall how amazing recreated wind up robots, cars, tanks, people can take you back to a place where only your memories are. It's a tight fitting space and if it gets crowded, which it does you have to be careful not to knock toys of their shelves (not knock off as in steal people). There is something here for every occasion. My boys love just exploring the shelves and screaming in excitement whenever they discover some item of curiosity. Look I'm a big fan of branded products and enjoy watching my lovely boys interact between the movies, books, and activities of branded merchandise, however at Just White Toy Shop it's the freedom from branding (well mass branding as Just White offers quality branded products we don't buy as often as we might otherwise. There is a fantastic range of boys and girls toys but it's the expanded diversity of non gender specific toys that makes the store even more of a jewel. Prices for the hundreds of awesome toys cover all budgets and there are some lovely well made products that when you're looking for a present for one of your children or a children's friend will always bring total surprise. Games, books, wind up robots, cars, characters and tanks, creativity sets, soft toys, collectibles, jigsaw puzzles, problem solving toys, nota computer game in sight. Though I may be wrong in that statement because when I go to Just White Toy Shop it never occurs to me to look for computer games. This space is magical and worth the visit, even simply to enjoy the curiosity of your kids and yourself.

'Queen Victoria's Toy Shop' it claims. Better have plenty of stock then, Victoria sure knew how to…read morebreed. There is a bit of an old-fashioned vibe to this literally and spatially upmarket toy shop. Old fashioned wooden toys and mechanical windup robots, golliwogs. Hang on a sec, golliwogs? Really? Since when did they resit the PC exam and pass? If you're shopping for toys in the QVB you've obviously got a few coins to spare, so we're talking pricey here too. And I have to wonder, a lot of the toys seem more aimed at nostalgic adults than kids of today. French flash cards? Hmm... Even the dollshouse furniture is Swedish and uber-designed. The staff seemed friendly enough, but eyed me carefully. Or maybe it was just all the dolls. I hate dolls. Beady, beady eyes...

The Flying Penguin is a Newtown mum's haven/money sucker…read more Miles away from the Kmarts and Toys-R-Us of the world, Flying Penguin stocks a choice of kids toys and play equipment that is both eco friendly and encourages kids to develop a healthy relationship with their environment. Flying Penguin has everything from amber phosphate baby teething necklaces (which argue that amber has soothing properties), paint-it-then-play-it ukuleles, wooden hand made tricycles that you (or perhaps someone more child-sized) can test run around the shop and puzzles, maps and costumes made from entirely organic products. They're bringing home the idea that you can make your own fun, encouraging creativity amongst the little-uns. This message goes out to the big-uns too, and purchasing a gift from Flying Penguin somehow seems far more satisfying than buying a run of the mill factory produced present, despite the potentially large difference in the price-tag.

Flying penguin is a quality toys and educational store for kids aged 0-15.Located in the heart of…read moreNewtown the shop stocks environmentally friendly toys. Their toys are designed with the purpose of fostering imagination and creativity. They also aim towards making the kids understand our relationship with the environment. Its bright and colourful and very well designed so kids and go and explore the toys and see what appeals to them. It is by far one of the best kids toy shop who just don't stock toys mindlessly. In this day and age we should all be very careful about our impact on the environment and also to make sure that our children are playing with chemical free products. Very creative and different products and the service is very good as well.

I always enjoy visiting your store in Liverpool and I think it carries a fine range of hobby…read morematerials but as a model aircraft enthusiast, I find the range, for me, quite limited. Nevertheless I will keep coming and hope to pick up some bargains as they appear. Your staff is always helpful and knowledgeable and I appreciate their feedback when I speak with them.

For people who take their fun seriously…read more Go up to the third floor in the QVB (the Queen Victoria Building) to find an amazing store filled with toys, models, games and more. This family owned and operated business has been spreading fun since 1935. It is Australia's largest privately owned hobby retailer. Definitely check out the model train set on display in the window. Tunnels. A city. An amusement park. Ferris wheel. So cute. An iconic toy store that will make you smile.

Even for the most popular movies on the cheap night the cinema is never full. The theatre is…read morecomfortable and there is always a seat in the area that one likes. I have tried the theatre out a few times with a close friend who is deaf. I rang the theatre...but told to leave a message twice....ummm. I emailed the theatre. I have requested the "Captioned View"device and both times there has been a slight problem.They responded with an email that only left me a choice of one time to see the movie. I will persist in getting it right though. Then the staff were most helpful in replacing the machine that was faulty. However in my survey of the experience on another website I did mention that there needs to be more of these machines at any one time and all movies should have closed captions available at the theatre. We only had the choice of one movie at three different times. So I am only giving the theatre two stars as it really isn't being equitable to hearing impaired / deaf individuals. On a positive note the movie was excellent and we did have an enjoyable night.

I love coming here because the cinemas are fairly new and cleaner than others in the area…read more There's not as much theatres as in Macquarie Centre so movie choices can be a bit limited. The main ticket booths are almost always closed, and you get your tickets in the Scoop Alley counters. This sometimes makes for long queues as people getting food and tickets would all be in the same queue, and there would often only be two counters open. Most people who purchase their tickets online get confused and often queue up not knowing they can skip the line, as the sign for priority tickets is a bit out of place in the Scoop Alley counters. If you order hot food, they note down your seat number and deliver your food to you, so that's a big plus for me. The downside to that though is the hot food isn't really that tasty. You can get your parking ticket validated if you enter before 6PM, otherwise the parking is free.

I got a 90% discount from the manager (think her name was Julie- the oldish blonde one) who works…read morethere when I went in and I will be a loyal customer forever now. Such a well kept store! Cheaper than kids stuff by at least 10% on most items!!!

'For a Brighter Child' is the slogan on their sign outside. I imagine they mean this in more than…read moreone way. This fantastic toy store is super bright in colour but also has plenty of toys that double as learning tools. Though there are plenty of plastic bits in the store it didn't feel as plasticy as other toy shops. The bright red walls, high ceilings, some wooden toys and multiple levels help with this. Kidstuff is packed to the rafters with tops yet it looks very neat and organized - I was there on a weekday and there weren't any kids in there which probably helps. The staff are energetic and fun but you can still have an adult conversation with them (I've found a lot of workers in children related services and stores talk to you like you're the kid - I guess it's hard to switch over sometimes).

They play great music in this store. Old school music that takes me back to my teens and edges me a…read morelittle closer to being a kid again. The staff are young and chatty though it can feel like you're interrupting them if you need help. Downstairs are toys for crawlers and pre-schoolers lots of wooden puzzles with expensive, educational qualities. This shop really excels for school age kids though. Upstairs is a trove of board games, puzzles and activities with an emphasis on things that can be done as a family. It's nice to be reminded that the point of toys is fun, learning and play rather than selling merchandise to the latest TV show or film. They let me put a Playmobil Fire Engine on layby here a good 3 months before Christmas and even wrapped for it for me when I went to collect it. What great little helpers.

DO NOT PURCHASE ONLINE FROM THOS COMPANY. ordered online on Dec 5. not dispatched by December 20 so…read morecontacted them via email to cancel order - no reply to email. contacted them again after Xmas to cancel / again no reply but two days later goods dispatched. I have now contacted them six times on consecutive days by email and rung customer service where you can only leave a message, three times - no reply to any contact. I am sitting on $600 worth of goods that I purchased alternative things for as they were Xmas presents. I want to return these goods but can't contact the company to arrange return. strongly advise against buying online

Standing around in Balmain's family restaurants or cafes, I often overhear kids begging their…read moreparents for a stopover in Kidstuff. "Please Dad, I'll just be a second," and the tot will eagerly run out the door. 5, 10 or 20 minutes later, the kid returns, equally as excited, with a Kidstuff helium balloon in hand. "Dad, can I please have $25?" I too found myself in a similar situation. Walking through the doors of Kidstuff (I had to see what all this fuss was about), I found out that the shop was deceptively large - it's no wonder that kids get lost in here for so long. After I made my way through the shelves of toys for girls and boys, swimming and pool accessories, sratch'n'sniff stickers, figurines and costumes, I found myself facing a wall of family friendly board games, including Monopoly, four different editions of Scrabble, Risk, Twister and Balderdash. I looked in my bag to find my wallet, only to find it empty - I hadn't come prepared to be wooed. I ran out of the store. "Kate! Can I please borrow $50?" It's no Australian Hamley's equivalent (PLEASE tell me if you find one), but it'll have you running to Mum and Dad, asking for money. Unless, of course, you're financially stable enough to afford it yourself. In which case, congratulations! You can have all the toys!