The thing that really grabbed me about this place is that they actually have a section where there…read moreare market stalls. Look, honestly, shopping centres really don't come anywhere close to the charm of the main street, but they do have a purpose. Like many of the Westfields, you pretty much know what you are going to get here, though the issue that I had was that sometimes getting out in certain directions (such as a direction that doesn't involve the bus stop) requires you to maneuver your way through a car park, so yes, this place really isn't all that pedestrian friendly.

Garden City's not my local, but every now and then we drive there for a change of scenery. It's big…read moreand busy and has a different feel to some of the other Westfield's in Brisbane. Take the piazza area, for example; Dicey Riley's in the afternoons and evenings is always buzzing with loud and happy people taking in the afternoon sun in the beer garden; Toscani's al fresco dining is doing a roaring trade and the cinema is attracting a crowd. Inside, there are some places we don't see in the other centres, small one-off clothing boutiques and jewellery stores, and big box retailers like Toys R Us, so yep, Garden City's worth a visit every now and then just to keep up and make sure we're not missing out on anything.

Finally after years of indifference and wasting away, the owner of Sunny Park has injected money…read moreand fresh shops into this ghost shopping centre. Local residents have said for years that it was a shame for Sunny Park to be wedged between Market Square and Sunnybank Plaza yet have practically no tenants. I think the only thing keeping it afloat during those dark years was the Woolworths in the centre. Perhaps it was everyone using Sunny Park as a free car park for a night out at Market Square that finally roused the owner to action. Well, whatever the reasons Sunny Park is back with a vengeance. New shops, new fittings and a spanking new karaoke bar have transformed this derelict dump into an exciting shopping and dining experience. Nowadays, the neon lights from Newway Karaoke and Cucina of Italy beckon the young and hungry as they drive down McCullough Road. Parkland is the new Chinese restaurant by the same owners of Landmark, and offer late night yum cha. Top Hot Pot and Soman are also worth trying out. During the day, a brand new food court has cropped up with Korean, Turkish and Chinese fare. Plus for all your Chinese grocery needs, Fantastic Food is around the corner from Woolworths. Nowadays I do most of my grocery shopping here because of the easy undercover car park, plus it's fantastic having a Chinese grocery shop so close to Woolworths so I can top up both my Asian and Western pantry in one go. If you want easy, convenient shopping with lots of yummy food options, Sunny Park Shopping Centre is the place to go. NB: The official opening hours of the shopping centre doesn't reflect the opening hours of the restaurants or the Woolworths, Aldi and some of the individual shops.

This place is a little pricey in comparison to the $2 shop - everything here is $2.80. Everything…read more Well, unless it's specified as being a little more expensive (such as a large Maneki Neko). It's not really the go-to shop for general household needs, as most of the stuff here is bordering on the bizarre. Such as tiny scrubbing brushes with smiley faces on the handle. Or equally as tiny toilet brushes (seriously, who has a loo that small?). But if you're a bit of a stationary and organisational fiend then this place will have you [cheaply] covered. It has everything from filing storage to an assortment of decorative pens, paper and tonnes of cute stickers. You just have to hunt it down through the plethora of strange items (pink plastic clips adorned in smiley faces which are used to carry hot plates, anyone?).

I don't really know what about this place led to the name 'Little Tokyo', apart from the fact that…read morea lot of their products are so bizarre that I had no idea what they were or could be used for, rather similar to my feelings of the many electronics shops in Ginza. The comparison ends there however, as this is a cheap little shop, similar to those that sell everything for $1, except here they've settled on the random price of $2.80. I'm not sure if I'm just incredibly ignorant, but I really did not know what half the stuff in this place was. Most of it appeared to be made of plastic, and most of it was in very strange shapes so that it was clear they served some specific purpose that would probably make my life a lot easier if I could comprehend them. However, they didn't seem to come with instructions so I'm not sure I'll ever be privy to their secrets. It was quite full of people, many of them making purchases, but to me it was a very odd shop.

There are a few places like this I've come across in Sunnybank. Little boutiques I discovered…read moreaccidentally, hidden among a crowd of less inviting shops, full of less interesting merchandise. Julia has done a great job with her collection; the store is a decent size and it's packed with loads of adorable dresses. Looking at the labels most of them are imported. The prices are average and while the quality of some of the garments strikes me as a little questionable (it's the vibe of the thing), it's a great store and one that I will certainly be returning to.

One of the lucky few places that stocks Hello Kitty and all of the above. If you're into your…read moremanga, your anime and your sanrio products, this shop is one of the few that I would consider to be your personal mecca. It's not the biggest store I've seen, but it's one of the only ones that exist (surprise surprise it's in Sunnybank!) and although small in size, is pack stacked and filled to the brim with all the things I find cute. Cuteness galore and I don't mean puppies. To the passer by, you may think, oh it's another weird ass trinket store with asian things in it and funny looking cats. But to really appreciate what is the 'Hello Kitty' phenomenon you need to google it or educate yourself first. Don't go in store and learn about it, it wouldn't work. If manga, anime and sanrio mean anything to you, you will walk in and fully appreciate the clutter, appreciate the hello kitty in the dinosaur suit. Appreciate the hello kitty earrings, and all the accessories related to the cat. She deserves respect. Get a tissue box cover with some kero kero keroppi or some little pichu dolls. It's crazy, and it makes sense. I love this place.

I wonder if the Sanrio crew are still as treasured in Japan (and elsewhere) as they once were. I'm…read morenot sure if Hello Kitty and her friends are quite as popular with the Australian youth of today, but when I was a teenager they underwent a huge surge in popularity, with every girl desperate for her own cute little pencil case starring these characters, or stationary to write useless notes to their friends. As far as I know, this is one of the few places in Brisbane left as a shrine to these adorable cartoon characters. It's a pretty big shop too, with any object you can imagine available with a Hello Kitty's of My Melody's mug stamped on it. Some of the items looked a little cheap to me, but maybe I've just outgrown it and can finally understand why the stuff is not universally popular.

When this shopping plaza got renovated a few years ago, I was fearful it would become as popular as…read moreWestfield Garden City. This would be bad for two reasons. Firstly, at the time I was working in a pharmacy here so the last thing I wanted was more customers without an increase to my wage. Secondly, I loved being able to do my grocery shopping or even browse for gifts peacefully and without the queues. Thankfully, the renovations did not lead to a huge influx of customers, merely making the entire shopping experience more pleasant with its new, clean fit out and better car park facilities. For all your practical shopping requirements, there's a Woolworths, Target Terry White Chemist, post office and a medical centre. There's also a JP available here on Wednesday afternoons between 4pm -6pm. The shopping centre does lack specialty shops so it's not a great place to buy gifts. However this is a great place to take your kids because they have a lot of those toddler rides that take $1 or $2 coins. I learnt the hard way that toddlers just like to play in these things. They don't necessarily care for the ride. Having inserted $2 into a small car, I was a bit disappointed that my nephew was just as happy to chug along pretending to drive and didn't even notice when the time expired and the car had stopped vibrating. Keep this shopping plaza in mind the next time you need to run errands or around the Christmas season when you just want to avoid the crowds.

I trecked out to the place from the north side! Yes folks a lot of our op shops are heavily trawled…read moreon the north sode so a trip across the river was in order. I was not diappointed. First of all the place is very spacious and doesn't feel cramped or that everything is on top of everything else like so many of these opportunity spots. I loved that there seemed to be a great range of furniture and a lot of it in very good nick. You could easily fit out your whole kitchen for a very reasnable sum if you were a student setting up house. An excellent rack of books for adults and kids and the clothes are well organised and tidy. Definitely worth a vist.

Very clean and well organized with a variety of different styles and categories. Didn't find…read moreanything on this trip but was just browsing - would probably return in the future if I was looking for something in particular. Friendly & hard working staff!

This shopping centre does not offer a lot. Although, it is convenient for nearby people living in…read morethe Acacia Ridge area, it still hosts a Woolworths, Zarraffas Coffee, hairdressers, fruit shop, bank, medical centre, petrol station & bakery. A Cellarbrations bottle shop is nearby as well as a KFC restaurant. This shopping centre is truly desperate for a renovation or a clean up. It looks dodgy and off putting. Although, there is a brand new ALDI supermarket opening Yay!