The Central Market, having all of life's bare necessities (and some luxuries as well), attracts a great many foreigners and tourists as they can point and choose whatever it is they want or need without having to trouble themselves with the local language. Nearby you'll find a nest of gift stores with Australiana memorabilia. Some are better than others.
Mimi's Variety Giftware is okay. It has a lot of variety, from flags to boomerangs to stuffed toys to wallets. There's plenty of stock too. They don't seem to be in any danger of running out of merchandise. The pricing ranges from reasonable to sometimes questionable (a tiny boomerang worth - apparently - $7.00 comes to mind), and the quality of goods seems ironically... vulnerable to the pressures of time and handling. The irony lies in the word 'memorabilia', as it's hard to remember things that have fallen apart. The staff is generally helpful, though sometimes slow to understand, but that's part of the experience, I guess. And if you've come to Australia from the right country, you might have lucked out here with some superior communication opportunities.
It goes without saying, perhaps, that you shouldn't feel the need to come here if you're an Australian. Unless you're particularly passionate about the country you wake up to every morning. read more