Lots of great outlet stores at the DFO! Adidas, Nike, Cotton On, a few shoe stores.. I can't name…read morethem all but I've always enjoyed coming here. The layout downstairs confuses me a bit and I get a little turned around when trying to find a store I've been to countless times. They have a food court downstairs has a really good selection of cuisines and are all reasonably priced.

Great place for a bargain and they have all the great stores for everything for the the family from…read morehats to shoes and everything in between

This factory outlet in the same elk as DFO and Brand Smart is in the process of re-branding itself…read more Formally Brand Junction and now Uni Hill Factory Outlet, I hope the change in brand heralds a change in store selection and atmosphere. I first dropped by after it's opening and was disappointed by the range of retail outlets. In the stores I did venture into I found cast off stock of poor quality and good quality offers without an outlet price tag. I was clearly not the only one left disappointed. The mall was totally deserted. On a Saturday afternoon before Christmas you would expect the buzz of shoppers and bargain hunters. No. I witnessed crickets and tumbleweeds. I didn't give Brand Junction a second chance until today. I was lured in by the giant posters advertising a new look factory outlet experience. Clearly that experience is yet to happen. The experience I had was worse then my initial one. Now half the shops are closed (making way for new retailers I hope) and the atmosphere even less appealing. I will give Uni Hill Factory Outlet one more chance when the overhaul is delivered, but if it fails to deliver then I'm done forever more. Three strikes and your out Brand Junction.

Bargains, bargains, bargains! Everywhere you look there's a bargain to be had!…read moreThis place has certainly grown in the last six months and now houses the largest Nike outlet in Melbourne (I believe the one on Smith Street Collingwood relocated here). All the usual suspects are here plus a book store that houses a large array of books, all for $10 each! If you're in the area pop in, if you're not in the area it's probably worth a visit anyway.

Love a bargain? DFO Essendon has a pretty good selection of brands we all love, plus it's part of…read morethis huge homemaker - like centre. Here you'll find: Freedom Furniture (massive must be full range store) the Good Guys (massive store), Nick Scali Furniture (massive), Spotlight (massive store with plenty of stock), Dan Murphys, Beacon Lighting, Adairs...you get the idea. Every store here is massive. Fashion wise, I reckon they do stock, apart from last seasons threads, current season too (hello Industrie?) which I suppose caters to all manner of taste and seasonal needs. Heck, grab some summer Quickie Rippie t- shirts in winter for summer and you're all set for what's coming next. The DFO complex is huge and there's two mid-sized food courts and a few cafes dotted throughout the place. This DFO has one main entrance and exit unlike the other DFOs which makes it less confusing to navigate a mammoth complex. Look at the map as you enter and then either go clockwise or anti-clockwise works both ways. Restrooms are in alleys between the shops just look above for the navigation signage. Plus points are tenants seem to be clustered together according to type of merchandise i.e. kitchenalia and dining are next to each other, homewares and decor, professional workwear labels are beside each other, streetwear and surf labels etc. Makes for good price checks and comparisons. Ample parking, and walking a little bit won't necessarily kill you. Just watch out for cars reversing in and out. That can get pretty hairy. Service is pretty good from almost all the shops i went into, considering its a bargain depot of sorts. Some of them were really helpful too. DFO is one of those places you can never leave without getting something anything.

This is a shopping wonderland, but also a greta place to get sick of other shoppers and leave with…read morebags full of discounted clothing/kitchenware/linen etc you may not need. Ther eis an impressive selection of shops, with almost anything available, including furnature, whiteware, electronic goods etc. Also Alcohol and stiiock feed in the area. No/poor public transport access, but there is a large car park. Bendigo Bank ATMS.

Love the culture and the food. Not a huge fan of the car park, but this place works better on…read morepublic transport.

I love Melbourne Central. I love how it's a one-stop-shop for everything you could need…read more ~ Smack dab in the middle of the CBD. Need something you (for some strange reason) cannot find at Melbourne Central? It's probably 10 steps away from Melbourne Central/ ~ Stunning interior design and architecture. You have your tower underneath a glass cage. At first, I thought that this was a bit strange, but then accepted the fact that the tower probably did a lot of bad things in its life and needs a cage to control it. You can't let that thing free, man. ~ Nice selection of food. Nothing too fantastic, but my favourites: Menya Ramen, Lord of the Fries, Grill'd, O-Bento, and Harajuku Crepes. There's bound to be more food heavens that I haven't explored in that massive building yet, and I'm keen to be on the lookout! ~ Convenient public transportation. If you're on the go, trust Melbourne Central to have a train running to anywhere you want in Melbourne. Trust Melbourne Central to also have great food takeaways for you to enjoy yourself at before your train arrives. ~ Loads of entertainment! Try out Cho Gao - a great Asian Beer Cafe with a stunning view of the city. Now try out Cho Gao after catching a movie at Melbourne Central's very own cinema. Seriously - what CAN'T you do here?

This mall was very good in terms of options.. also the prices were decent and though I didn't buy…read moreanything. Just wanted to check out how an outlet mall in Australia really is. It was kind of busy though we went on a weekday afternoon but probably considering its summer - I assume that's why the rush

If you want a good range of clothing, home wares, appliances and whitegoods or even music then DFO…read moreEssendon is the place for you. Like most other outlet shopping centers DFO is always busy. I don't even bother trying to get a park near the entrance, just park as soon as you see a spot and grab a snag from the sausage sizzle out the front of JB HIFI to fuel your walk!

Forest Hill Chase is never really springs to mind when I think of shopping centers. Located in the…read moretiny suburb of Forest Hill, I came here once and was pleasantly surprised at the center. It was clean and new-ish, it didn't feel like one of those old and forgotten places that nobody ever goes to. That said, it was relatively quite in the center- but it certainly didn't feel forgotten. Forest Hill doesn't have a huge variety of fashion stores, there are still a few goodies here though (such as Myer). Forest hill also have a Hoyts cinema and AMF bowling/M9 laser strike. My favorite thing about this place is the fact that there is a TGIF here! I think I would come back if I ever wanted to just wonder aimlessly through a center, without feeling rushed or buzzed like I do at Chadstone. Would also come here just for TGI and Hoyts.

Forest Hill Chase Shopping Centre is somewhere I drop into if I am passing by, but it is not…read moresomewhere I tend to go to on purpose. While it is fairly big and there have been a lot of upgrades recently, the atmosphere here is pretty non-existant and I don't enjoy myself. One good thing about the centre is that there are over 3500 free car spaces without restrictions. These are spread all around and under the centre itself. The centre has 3 levels with the topmost (and smallest) being the best. This is the newest part of the centre and has been designed to be a bit of an entertainment hub. It features Hoyts Cinemas, TGI Fridays, Nandos, Timezone, Rebel Sport, The Chase Hotel and JB Hi Fi to name a few. Despite being the biggest hit of the centre, it still doesn't get very busy up there. The centre is never really busy so if you don't like crowds then this place is perfect for you in every way! The average shopper tends to be a bit older although most of the shops seem suited to younger shoppers. There are a heap of taxis that wait just outside the food court. Bizarrely they are often there during the middle of the day. Bigger, rival centres don't have this service so this is a definite plus.

Better than average. small shopping center but more choices with some good services.read more

Agreed, this place is a great place to go if you know what you are looking for. I often come to…read moreBrand Smart for one of two things: Bed Linen, Laura Ashley, Adairs or Sheridan (sale prices) Gift Purchases, Oroton, Witner, CK. The Oroton warehouse is a great place to shop for gift ideas. They have some of the latest stock that only just goes on sale and some times they have massive savings like 50% already reduced prices. You have the potential to pick up some great leather goods for less than half the price. I would recommend this store to anyone who is looking for a bargain but doesn't want to deal with the massive crowds and cant be bothered circling a car-park for a spot. This place seems almost undiscovered.

This is a little factory outlet warehouse that isn't really comparable to places as large as DFO;…read morebut it doesn't make it any worse. Brand smart is a relatively quite place, to me it feel like a forgotten place. This said- I still come here because I know I can find what I'm looking for. BrandSmart offers a good range of brands including esprit, footlocker, oroton, bendon, laura Ashley, poltix, sheridon and royal doulton-just to name a few. This is a good place to come if you just want some personal alone time, to wonder around and shop aimlessly. There's no sense of rush or excitement here, just a relaxing place where you might find a few good bargains along the way. There are over 400 free car spaces here, which make it all the more stress free.