Tips for buying Australian Made Products
A trip to Australia is by itself a wonderful experience, that will reward you with unforgettable memories. Photographs and videos are a great way of capturing the spirit of your travels, an authentic product of Australia is also a great memento that can evoke feelings and memories of places you discovered, people you met, things you learnt. Often when it comes to choosing authentic products from Australia to take home, you will come across the definition of Australian Made products. The majority of Australian souvenirs to be found in shops are not Australian made, most of those souvenirs are made in China or other countries but Australia.
Australian Made Products is a label that guarantees the product is a natural product of the country. This means the product is locally produced by using natural products of Australia and it is also made by local artists or by local producers.
If you care for 100% Australian made products and want to buy something authentic from Australia; you can take a look at my top list of Australian made products worth purchasing on your Trip to Australia.
Australian Opals
The Australian Opal is the national gemstone of Australia. This fascinating stone is the only stone that has a myriad of colours and shades and is available in various quirky shapes. The most common opal is the white opal and the crystal opal that come from Coober Pedy. But in Australia, you can also find the rarest black gem with blue, green and red colours. The Australians Opals are beautiful stones that change colours as you hold them with your fingers and move them. It is the only stone that can reflect and refract light thus making the stone indeed a living thing.
If you feel attracted by this precious gemstone, then Australia is the right place for buying opals. Almost the entire world production of gems comes from Australia. Although the opal mines are in the Outback, the best places to shop are in Melbourne, Sydney, Cairns, Darwin, Adelaide, Airlie Beach, where prices are more competitive than in the Outback.
But if you plan to visit an opal mine, it would be a great and fun experience to learn about the opal mining history, and you may also want to go a fossicking tour! The most known opal mines in Australia are in Coober Pedy for Crystal Opals, Lightening Ridge for Black Opals, Yowah and Quilpie for Boulders Opals. Throughout the year several opal festivals and shows take place in these locations too.
Australian South Sea Pearls
Australian South Sea Pearls are also unique to Australia. These pearls are the rarest pearls in the world. South Sea pearls are in the warm waters of Indonesia, Australia, the Philippines. But not many people know that the pearl industry started in in Broome, North Western Australia back in 1870, where the first pearl farms started 60 years ago.
At present, about 6% of the world’s production comes from Broome. So if you are planning to visit Broome, it will be a good occasion for learning about pearl farming history and buying yourself a gorgeous South Sea Pearl. In Broome, there are many small boutiques where you can purchase handmade Australian jewellery too. Broome is the best place for Pearls, but they are also expensive. I can recommend Adelaide to buy beautiful and great value Australian cultivated pearls.
Australian Indigenous Art
Aboriginal Art is also something unique to Australia. There is a wide choice, and you indeed can find everything to suit all tastes and budgets, from little bracelets, necklaces to printing and paintings to boomerangs to the most expensive didgeridoos. If you want to buy authentic aboriginal arts and crafts check out the art galleries in Alice Springs and Darwin which are the best places for purchasing native art of all kinds.
You can also find great pieces from local artists selling their artworks at local city markets in the Australian Outback or main cities like Sydney and Melbourne.
A special place where you can find unique aboriginal art is the Mindil Beach Sunset Market in Darwin. Another tip is to check out the visitor’s Centres within National Parks like the ones in Kakadu where you can find great and unique pieces of aboriginal art. On guided aboriginal tours you may be able to visit shops or meet local artists too. For more information about native art check out this post.
Australian UGG Boots
Ugg Boots are by far the most known Australian made products and probably also the most purchased by international travellers. UGG Boots with the unique shape have become so popular and even an iconic product of Australia all over the world.
The UGG Boots are 100% naturally Australian made. From the sheepskin to the sole. If you buy Ugg Boots, you are taking home a unique product made in Australia that is also unmatched regarding comfort and warmth. Have a look and get them before leaving the country, or you can also let them ship home so as not to carry with you large packages.
The best place to look for UGG Boots in Australia is Melbourne where some of the biggest producers are located. But if you prefer you can also shop online and order Ugg Boots from online outlets at discounted prices.
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Andy
April 20, 2012 @ 1:14 pm
I would have to highly agree Ugg boots being the best known “Made in Australia” product. I honestly can’t think of too many other well-known Australian products – apart from Subaru, which of course is made in Japan but everyone thinks is Australian 😉
It would be fun to find more products, especially since my girlfriend and I are planning on heading to AUS, NZ and SE Asia next year. I like learning a bit about a place before I visit 🙂
rockytravel
April 25, 2012 @ 2:43 pm
Next to Ugg Boots, there are more australian travel gear that are worth trying out like Gondwana travel clothing as an example. Wish you a wonderful trip around Australia.:)
Linda
April 21, 2012 @ 1:15 pm
I’ll have to suggest Journey Jottings Australia Map Journals for highlighting your holiday adventures!
They’re 100\% Australian Made in Brisbane.
Whereas most maps tell you where to go, these Map Journals help you remember where you’ve been by simply summarizing your trip on a single sheet 🙂
rockytravel
April 25, 2012 @ 2:40 pm
This is a great tip, Linda. Thanks for stopping by and adding one more australian made product, your wonderful map journals! 🙂
Dorothèe
April 23, 2012 @ 1:18 pm
The Uggs as people know them are a US brand: uggaustralia dot com There is this ongoing fight about copyrights. In Australia all people are very keen on Uggs 🙂