Barkly Square is an iconic shopping spot in the North and a great place to find fresh food, retail, beauty and other specialty stores all in the one spot. It’s one of our favourite locals to hit up when we need groceries or lots of ‘bits and pieces’. There aren’t many other places where we can find electrical goods, a cobbler, a butcher, a chemist, a bakery, a linen store, a barber, a greengrocer, a burger, burrito, sushi or a refreshing bubble tea - all under the one roof!

It’s our tradition to begin the visit with a ride on the ‘Frozen’ mini carousel and after the groceries are sorted, we are hard pressed passing Barkly’s Hot Jam Donuts without the little one requesting a well earned treat! During the busy festive season we’ve also enjoyed capping the trip off with a quick and delicious meal at Old Shanghai Refined Dumplings before heading home.

On our latest visit we stopped past Home and picked up some catering supplies needed for hosting family this month and also some cookie cutters for a festive family baking and decorating session.

Mamma‘s special mention: The cool collaborations with RMIT Visual Merchandising Students continue. This year, with sustainability at the forefront, students were tasked with creating festive decorations for the centre using repurposed materials that can then be recycled after the festive season. Check out the vibrant and colourful creative works depicting local homes and significant buildings in the area that have been crafted using recycled wine boxes!

WIN!! To celebrate the festive season, Barkly Square has cash and instant prizes to be won in their ‘Merry Moments’ giveaway. Just spend $20 in-centre this Christmas for your chance to play and win $10,000 or instant prizes totalling $5,500! Details here.