Ever since I went into the shop Babushka, I have had the Kate Bush song, going over and over in my…read morehead, I like Kate Bush, but it is starting to drive me crazy. If you have bought your kids every kind of hi tech I-Thing that exists then it is time to start shopping at Babushka. Babushka offers an array of beautifully designed Russian toys, dolls, Jewellery and other Gift items. The Russian Dolls are probably the most exciting, who doesn't love Russian Dolls? They have an exquisite collection, little girls (and certain little boys) are fascinated by them. Also they have beautifully carved and painted chess sets as well as other games. And I was wrong the Russian Dolls are not the most exciting, they have Marionettes and Puppets, every child should be able to create their own Punch and Judy. This shop is one of a kind you must have at least a look.

Wonderful little store .. gentleman who owns it was very nice -enjoyed a conversation with him…read more Found some great souvenirs to take back home. They have a nice variety of things there and the prices were better there than other places that carried similar items

After a kangaroo balls bottle opener? Nope, didn't think so... Maybe a kangaroo paw back scratcher?…read moreOkay, still weird... But if you are after some less-creepy Australian souvenirs and knick-knacks, you should check out Downtown Souvenirs & Gifts. The George Street store is packed full of amusing goods your visitors, homesick ex-pat pals or overseas rellies will get a kick out of. Embarrassing T-shirts, Akubras, fridge magnets, shot glasses, stuffed toys, pencils, postcards and glasses - pretty much anything that can feature an Australian flag, slang word or stereotype will be here. Perfect for any Aussie Day dress-ups...

This place has really cute things for little ones or a kid at heart adult. They had these really…read morecute animal tea sets - frog, bird, and can't remember the third one, but super duper cute. I am not sure how their prices compares to other stores or these are standard sizes, but I don't think anything was exclusive to this merchant. Though it's small, I saw more interesting items compared to Kids Stuff.

This shop has some of the cutest things you can buy for gifts. I was able to buy a pin for my…read morelittle brother as a souvenir. They really do have some adorable things here. The price is a bit steep for their things, but if you're looking for gift ideas then this is the place to visit. They have an assortment of things from home decor, stationery items, shirts, plushies, and other little trinkets. I was able to find a really cute koala candle for a gift. Overall, a cute shop to buy things for people.

My overseas visitors wanted to buy souvenirs for their 11 grandchildren and their neighbours who…read morewere minding their property in their absence and they wanted something Australian made. We popped into "Bits of Australia" at Balmain and we were very warmly greeted by the store owner. We were all gob-smacked at the high quality of all the items for sale. The variety of items available for purchase was impressive and at very reasonable costs. There was something for every age group. I would highly recommend a visit to this beautiful store.

I have visited Sydney multiple times over the last 16 years, but this was my first visit to Bits of…read moreAustralia. It will not be my last! In a search for gifts to take home, I didn't want to hit the tacky tourist shops. This shop works directly with the artists and I appreciate the artists are compensated fairly. There is a marvelous selection of gifts, aboriginal art, scarves, household items.

This shop has to be one of the funnest I've been to. Ever…read more Popshop's entire purpose is to sell fun things. Things that are fun and funny and make us laugh. Whilst some of them may hint at practical purposes (like spaceship shaped ice trays), mainly they're just there to be fun. And fun they are. There is moustache themed paraphernalia aplenty at Popshop, with fingerstache tattoos, moustache chocolate lollypops, moustache straws and fuzzy stick on 'staches. A few of the other items that stood out on my last trip to Popshop included bobbly-head flamingoes, witty flipbooks, bacon flavoured toothpaste and many other things designed to lift the corners of your mouth, such as an audible fart book. I made the mistake of testing one of the buttons of said book, which was followed by an extremely awkward 10 seconds in which the book blurted out an extended and, might I say, varied fart. I then attempted to put as much distance as possible between me and the farting book (not an easy task in this tiny shop) whilst fellow shoppers avoided my eye contact. As I left the store, the man working in the shop picked up a handful of stock, setting off a chorus of squeaking rubber chickens and decapitated limbs. The man smiled to himself and I smiled too, knowing for certain that he had the best job in the world. Ever.

Popshop: my go-to store for quirky, fun gifts both for myself and others…read more They've got an array of knick knacks from heart shaped individual sized pans to make pretty pancakes and eggs, to moustache everything to dinosaur bubble guns, books that will make your eye pop out of your head from the high level of amusement, cards for every occasion and much more. My inner kid always comes out a bit more after a visit to this shop!

It's a nice place to visit but doesn't have much of a vibe and looks a bit rusty. I wish I could…read moresearch if they had something on the website. I once shopped there and got a notebook it fell apart the first time I used it. Not great quality.

I called them to see if they had an item in the store which was glue because I wasn't going to go…read morethere if they didn't. I called and she picked up within 10 seconds and I asked her if she had any glue. She started saying she couldn't hear me and I spoke up a bit more. She kept saying she couldn't hear me yet I heard nothing in the background. Now I'm fine if you can't hear me, I would just simply say "don't worry it's okay", but she ended up raising her voice on me, "I can't hear you". I ended up saying "don't worry, thank you bye", yet she could hear that. Her customer service isn't very good

This is a pretty awesome gift store; on one end, everything is fluffy and fun including cuddly…read morebears and the like, and even a pirate costume. On the other end is a variety of trinkets and cool little objects or devices. Inbetween are scented soaps and candles. Theres something new to see in every part of shop, including a variety of rubicks cube styled mugs, thermometers and similar. I guess we all have a rubicks cube friend. I do. Also, everywhere you look, in addition to nifty little gift ideas, are little signs with various warnings. "Do not touch", "pay for all breakages", "bags checked on exit" "theieves will be prosecuted" "STOP, do not open cabinet" and such. When I say everywhere you look, I mean each product is labelled with a "dont touch" sign, pretty much. These made me a little uneasy at first, but then I was saddened by the fact that the middle aged man who seems to run show had to put to so many up to make his point. I suppose if people had paid for their breakages, there wouldnt be a need for so many signs. As I left I offered to show the contents of my backpack, to which the shopkeep responded: "that's ok, I watched you walking around." Oh good. That saves time. *Frown*. Anyways, I'd return if I needed to buy a gift, so I'd recommend the place. But please don't break any thing. There's a sign.

Came here late on a Saturday night, soon after learning that I had to wait over 20 minutes for my…read moretrain home. There is nothing like a bunch of fresh flowers for the home. I really wanted some. Brought a bunch of purple flowers for only $10. This was exactly a week ago. I've changed the water every second day, and these flowers are no flourishing - no dead bits. Awesome value for money with a friendly, social vendor. He is Greek. A lovely place, and the flowers are always well displayed too.

Popped in on a Saturday to buy my grandma some flowers for her birthday and Emmanuel (florist) was…read morelovely and welcoming. I've been coming here for years, since school days 15 years ago, graduation ceremonies and more. The pre-made bouquets were fresh and beautiful however I was looking to create a custom bouquet with pink lilies, snapdragon and kale. He was more than accommodating and whipped up the creation in a few minutes. Like a true professional, he represents a charming addition to the Central area community. Would definitely recommend local city folks to visit :)