If you live in Carlton North, Brunswick or Fitzroy North, then Barkly Square Shopping Centre is an absolute 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. read more

Barkly Square Shopping Centre - Shopping Centers Near Me - Brunswick, VIC

Oh how I love Sparkly Bear! It's the little suburban shopping centre that has everything you need - multiple 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! read more

Barkly Square Shopping Centre - Shopping Centers Near Me - Brunswick, VIC

Great local shops for all your essentials. Cokes and Woolworths, 2 bottles shops ( one attached to woollies and one outside), there's a pharmacy and an optometrist, Telstra shop and jb hi fi. Melbourne bank, shoe repair.There's even a Hipster women fashion store. I love the deli and gangemi fruit shop here where you can get their fresh oj, and they recently started to dedicate a section of the shop as a mini florist too, beautiful flowers and natives. There's a new book nook free library here and a big Kmart store. Past the alley where the food outlets are ( schnitz, rolled, zambrero, sushi etc)located you can find a travel agent, hairdresser and fro yo and more. The best part here is the easy 'park and run in and out within minutes ' when you only need to grab a couple of things. read more

Barkly Square Shopping Centre - Shopping Centers Near Me - Brunswick, VIC

See all

This is the place for any inner north resident to shop for daily essentials. Great community feel, easily assess by bus or car or foot or bike or tram. Everything you need is here chemist, two optometrist, Fruit n Veg Shop, Coles, Safeway, Kmart, Bakers Delight. Butcher. Shoe repair. Two bottle-o's, JB-Hifi, Newsagent and more once the renovations are complete. read more

I was actually quite surprised with Barkly Square, it's got some great shops, a proper sized and well stocked supermarket, as well as a Jb hi fi, Howard's storage world and other useful shops. There's a very generous car park out the back that usually doesn't require either payment or some sort of games of thrones esque show down to nab a car spot. It's also updated itself including new shops and tenants in recent times. No longer the bane of of some horrid and daggy 1970's abysmally dull shopping centre that has been stuck in a time warp and has little to show in terms of progression. The only time warp you will have here is the signage on Sydney road. Other to that it's a pretty decent shopping centre/destination all round without having to traipse all the way into the city, or go on some epic journey to Victoria gardens. Be warned though, it can be incessantly, unpleasantly, and chokingly overcrowded, rushed and busy on the weekends. A shopping centre with the times and with all you need. read more

Barkly Square has certainly changed a lot since it became my local about 4 years ago. Whilst it had a good range of shops, it was in truth pretty boring and in definite need of a revamp. Well, it has got it! These days, this shopping centre is busy and vibrant. JB's opened up a store (awesome!), Telstra, OPSM, BoM and House are all in here as well. If you are hungry, you can select from Roll'd, Schnitz, Zambrero, Po's Kitchen and Maccas. In addition to Coles and Woolworths, Meatwell and Pure Poultry are a fantastic addition to the centre. Parking's free for the first 3 hours so there's plenty of time to explore or grab a coffee. read more

Barkly Square is a Brunswick institution! Known to locals as "Sparkly Bear" this small shopping centre has the two main big supermarkets (Coles and Safeway) and a Kmart for your everyday shopping. Michailles Patisserie is good for a cheese and spinach roll or a coffee and the fruit shop and butchers are also helpful. There is also a cheap book shop down the Sydney Road end. Its also the sort of place where you keep running into people you know - especially if you live in Brunswick or any of the surrounding suburbs. The parents room (baby change room) has recently been renovated and is as good as any now, and the parking is still free! Another thing I particularly like is the local culture of taking ones dog to Barkly Square. Every time I walk out of Barkly Square with my young children, they meet a new doggie to make friends with! Its just a nice added touch to the place! read more

Barkly Square has everything you need - supermarkets, butchers, fresh produce shops, chemists, optometrists, take away shops, watch fixers and shoe repairer etc etc. I love the convenience this place offers and the ample parking. It's a clean shopping center and the new refurbishments have resulted in a funky little outdoor area to sit and eat lunch or have a coffee. read more

I love Barkly Square, which is a Brunswick institution. A few years ago they tried to change the name, but local feeling changed it back. Nice new refurbishment with sparkly open feeling shops .... but WHERE IS THE BIKE PARKING? For years I have jumped on my treadly to get there because it's quicker. The bikes have now been sent around the corner, with room for less than 20 bikes. Not only this but there's bossy red signage out the entrance way forbidding bikes to park where they have parked for years. (I'm talking more than 20 years since I personally have been swinging by to spend a fortune.) Please, this is Brunswick! To not only diminish bike parking but put it out of the way down the side, further than the 30 min car parks is not only poor planning but INSULTING. Having bikes parked outside the centre can only be a positive statement about community, accessibility & welcome. If they don't want bikes at the entrance door, do what Cinema Nova has done in Carlton and give over 2 of the car parks right at the door. You will fit more than 50 bicycles! read more

They have finally given in and dropped the parking fees! Despite their renovations I still can't see anything appetising to eat, and there's only sushi for healthy. As for clothes, there's actually a shop called Hipster! Fair dinkum. What's the point of being hipster if there are rules? If you have to go to Hipster to know how to dress like one then you're never gunna be one! Still, if you like fried food, pastries and/or sushi and don't need clothes the greengrocer, fresh fish shop and butcher are better than most. It just gets stars because where else can you park in Brunnie? read more

I'm not sure why I haven't reviewed this shopping centre yet but here it is. For anyone living in nearby suburbs (Brunny, North Carlton, Parkville etc.), it's a good place for basic essentials (and nowadays, as a meeting point as well). It's been my local for 10 years (although I was visiting it before that). I first remember it (ca. 2003) when the greengrocer (Gangemi's) was outside next to Liquorland (which is still there and hasn't moved), the food court (of sorts) was by the back entrance (and there was a La Porchetta Express there too). Nowadays it's Chemmart and Degani's. There was also a Wendy's (which closed about 2004/05, IIRC). Condello's was near Kmart and not opposite Telstra and Coles (which it is now). Michelle's Patisserie was in the middle between Kmart and Safeway (it's moved into where Evita Jewellers once was and now their old space is now John's Nuts and a sushi place). The Coles still had open freezers (in the middle) at the time (they've since relocated the cold stuff to the back of the store).The Safeway, on the other hand, hasn't changed much from 2003 (except sadly it's now badged as Woolworths, it was changed around April 2015 or so). Maccas hasn't changed however. This was also when the carpark had no time limit (they introduced one in 2007 or so). They also had the old logo at the time (they changed it in 2013). Anyway, enough about me writing about how it was (and looked) in 2003, let's jump to 2016. There's the big two supermarkets (Coles and Safeway (or Woolies, depending on what you call it)). There is also Kmart, which has been there for a long time. There are all the major stores wrapped up there. Since then, shops have come and gone:Red Rooster, (closed about 2010 or so), Issen, Christopher Ari, EB Games and the Chinese bookshop by the lane have all left, but others have come in, (Bank Of Melbourne, JB Hi-Fi, Schnitz, Telstra, OPSM etc.) as to name a few. There was also a facelift in 2013, which brought big grey tiles the floor and more lighting, which I suppose has brought some more customers in. It was a little tired-looking beforehand (with very 1980's pastel tiles). It's quite clean and easy to get around in. It's however quite busy at certain times (Sunday Night is a prime example). There's more to buy and eat than in the older days (Po's Kitchen, Rolll'd, Schnitz etc.). Before it was mainly just Maccas and Red Rooster. Sometimes Meatwell has Roast Chicken for $7.50, which is always appreciated (and a great feature that wasn't available before). Parking is easy to find, although I still dislike how they changed the carpark a few years back so that the middle roadway for cars is now partially obliterated. It's free for the first 3 hours and they gave up on the ticketing requirements a a few years back as well. The access is easy, being away from Sydney Rd., you access it from either Barkly St. or Weston St. However, the last 3 rows at the very back of the carpark are metered and are mostly used by day workers or the Gym-goers that go to Doherty's Gym on Weston St. There's also often dogs tied up at the back (carpark) entrance. Overall, it's a pretty good shopping centre with stuff to buy and eat. read more

Went into Barkly Square hoping to find some level of customer service and help with where everything was although it was disappointing to only see security guards who certainly were far from helpful. Not a bad place for a carton of milk and some bread but not worth the time if you needed anything else. read more