This is your average suburban mall. Woolies, Coles & Aldi have the groceries covered & BigW is also…read morethere. Has a food court & the usual stores & a post office. Parking is usually quite easy, or get your car washed and that is sorted. Located between Windsor Rd, Old Windsor Rd & M2.

On my trip to Sydney one of the malls in the suburbs of the city that I got a chance to visit was…read morethe Westfield Parramatta. By American standards this is considered to be a huge mall with 8 levels and all sorts of shoppes and restaurants. As you enter the mall via the parking garage you realize that the mall has plenty of parking with several levels and every parking spot is in vicinity to the entrance of the mall. Remember to note down the level and where you parked as that can get confusing. Also parking is free for the first 3 hours and it is ticket less with your car number plate being your ticket. As I mentioned the mall has 8 levels with a couple of food courts on different level and many of the favorites like Starbucks and Gloria jeans that mall shoppers can't live without anywhere in the world. Most of the stores are the same like in the USA but the one difference that I saw was that the malls also have a huge box store where you can shop for your daily needs. We usually don't see a Walmart or Publix in a mall in Florida.

There are some good shops and then there are some to avoid and some newbies to try. Give the Coles…read moresupermarket a miss or at least the refrigerated section. Woolworths is a pretty big supermarket and generally gets most of that business. The food court has a nice sushi place for lunch. There is a new butcher that carries some deli items. The chicken shop is OK and even has garlic sauce for chicken. Harris Farm Markets is in the lower car park and is a way better option for fruit and veg than the supermarkets. Parking can be a pain and I have driven in and out some days without finding a spot. You also need to be a bit careful with the other drivers as there is poor lighting in some areas and when you combine that with people in a hurry trying to compete for a parking spot it becomes tiger country.

The whole shopping centre was redesigned a few years back but is still one of the worst designed in…read morethe area. Parking is a nightmare with a disjointed multi level car park filled with one way signs and tight turns. There are also a heap of ramps and sloped surfaces which makes for interesting viewing as people try to control full trolleys up and down hills. There are 3 main grocery stores in there; Woolies, Coles and Aldi, a heap of speciality stores and a small food court. It really is a bit small and the only good thing about it is that you can get in and get your groceries a bit quicker here than at Castle Towers. It also has a bigger range than the other neighbouring centre - Westfields North Rocks. Good for the weekly grocery shop but thats about all.

Carlingford Shopping Centre. It has everything you need, is clean and tidy, has lots of restaurants…read moreand cafes, and has plenty of parking. I love this shopping centre.

Carlingford Court (Carlo to the locals) is the ol' faithful of the shopping centre world. Nothing…read morechanges much here from year to year which gives you that comforting feeling of constancy that is hard to find in this ever changing world. Carlo is the place you come for stuff you need not stuff you want - groceries, bread, party supplies, keys cut, contact lenses. It has everything you need to run your errands in one place. The shop owners are all pretty nice. Avoid lunchtime any day and right after work. Not just because these are the busy times and you'll find getting a park difficult but also because this is hungry time and the healthiest thing you'll find here is Oporto. On a side note, a large number of commission houses has opened around Carlo in the last 10 years. This has changed the clientele significantly but does make for good people-watching.

I had always averted my gaze and walked right past every time I saw GBO previously, just because it…read morehad a very flea-market-esque look... cramped aisles with lots and lots of people. It really didn't appeal to me, especially located in Westfield. Then one day, my friend dragged me in there.. and it changed my life. Not really. But it was a pleasant surprise, for a penny-pincher like myself! They sell EVERYTHING! Anything from deodorants and perfumes, to underwear and singlets, to makeup and jewelry. There's so much variety! And so cheap! So far, I've bought a makeup palet for $5, that is actually pretty good, I used it to do my Halloween makeup. I've bought a beautiful ring for $2, and I bought perfume for $15. The only problem is, if you see something you like, you have to buy it right away! If you think you can come back and get it even the next day, it'll be long gone.

Most annoying in-store advertising audio ever conceived. Everyone is convinced that once you enter,…read moreyou must push and shove your way through. All perishables are past their best before dates, hence the cheap pricing. Most other items are utterly appalling quality. My empathy to the staff who have to listen to that utter drivel over the store speakers. Ever heard of music?