Westfield Parramatta

I decided to take one for the team and head off to Parra. It has a couple of shops that are not in the local shopping centres so I decided to get in and out with the minimum of fuss… as we head into Christmas. A tall ask.
I missed getting up at the crack of dawn and decided to head out there around 11:00 — 11:30. This is the 2 – 3 hour limit for parking and I was correct. Those early birdies had shopped and were going home so scoring a park wasn’t too bad.
You do tend to hold onto your purse a little more tightly than in other centres and it was reasonably busy but it wasn’t too bad. I stuck to the main section and found a few more shops that are not in other centres eg Dasio and Bonds.
More importantly, I did get what I wanted, ate in the food court and wandered looking at the Albert le Blanc lookalikes as the Christmas decorations.
When I got back to the car the carpark was nearly empty. Advice… time your trip, maybe 2:00pm when people are rushing away to pick up the kids from school.

This may be a gigantic shopping centre, but the experience here I can only describe as unpleasant. The parking situation is dreadful (yesterday, it took me 40 minutes to find out that the car park was full and there were no parks) and the entire place really lacks a nice vibe. Also, it is always really crowded and the food court is downright awful.

Westfield Parramatta can leave even the most seasoned shopper in somewhat of a daze. Sure, everything is set out as easy as 1−2−3, buuuut if you’re not careful, you can find yourself searching for an exit, and not knowing where to go!
On the plus side, it’s got everything you could possibly ask for. With new additions such as The Gap, Super Dry, and UniQlo (opening soon), you’ve got everything you need to stop the fashion police from giving you a hard time.
And, with 2 food courts, you’re never going to be short of options to fill that hole [particularly with Churros on offer, and Moochi].

Westfield — reminds you about the concept of departmental stores in the US.
Had to do searches on departmental stores in case I needed one before stepping into New South Wales. Found that it had Target so I decided to give this mall a try.
Went here three times before this review. It definitely had a range of things from food to necessities but this mall was quite big that I can barely walk finish in a visit unless I know what I need from specific stores.
The first time I came here, I was eyeing on Target to get some necessities. I really thought that it was like the Target in US where there are groceries and detergents. Was obviously wrong after doing turns around the aisles. Had to go Kmart for detergents instead. Price wise it depends on what you buy but mostly affordable.
There is also breadtop at two of its levels (level 1 and 5) and so far I enjoyed their breads. There is also commonwealth bank which you could open a banking account with. I decided to open one to just verify the address that I am staying at for a document — working with children.
I also noticed there are different carriers of mobile/​routers contracts, electronics stores, other departmental stores with different food options/​cafes around here. But the best addition is Daiso where you could find almost everything that you need including Japanese snacks/​beverages. The only downside here is the carpeted floorings as you would need to exert more force to walk (friction) and most of the stores are closed at 5pm. There is also Australia post (post office) in case you needed one.
Parking — there are a few entrances and off site parking. Within 3 hours, parking is free. It is also near to the Parramatta rail track and bus interchange.

Although I reside 10mins walk from this shopping centre I avoid this place like the plague because of the amount of high heel pain you will gain from carousing around. What should be a «quick drop into to Coles to get some groceries» turns into an hour trek into some ethnic urban wilderness only to find out Coles is nowhere near Woolies but on the complete opposite side of the shopping centre where you’d need to overcome many obstacles to find.
This place is always packed, always open, crawling with mothers and teeny boppers and filled with boring typical brands.
Fun fact, go into a busy David Jones or Myer fitting rooms with your partner whilst he’s trying on clothes and say easily misinterpreted sentences too loudly like «Omg that’s massive». And then walk out straight faced.
Yeah this place is a pretty boring shopping jungle. We abuse it for Event Cinemas. And Phoenix restaurant.

Welcome to the biggest Westfield Shoppingtown in the entire galaxy, a colossal retail hive stuffed with every shop you’ve ever heard of and a hundred more besides, a multi-​level megaplex heaving with the proverbial melting pot, a vibrant cultural cross-​section alive with human stereotypes. Hang around here for more than five minutes and you’ll see:
— More tracksuits than Lowes
— More gold chains than a Greek nightclub
— More skinny jeans than a boy band
— More boob than a Kardashian swimsuit
— More rats tails than a pet shop
— More footy jerseys than a locker room
— A pop-​up Redfoo retail store (not even kidding. Get your zebra print here, kids).
You know that «Get Lost In Melbourne» ad campaign? Just try not to get lost in this place. You’ll be wandering around for hours trying to find your kids /​the toilets /​your car.

The biggest shopping centre in Sydney, and one of the largest in Australia. This place has just about everything. Close to 500 stores across five levels, a huge cinema complex, a number of restaurants and two food courts. There is just about every ‘big’ store you could imagine here, there’s David Jones, Myer, Target, K-​Mart, Toys R Us, Lincraft, Rebel Sport, Dick Smith, Freedom, Best and Less, City Beach, Daiso, JB Hi Fi, as well as an IGA, a Woolworths, a Coles and three Asian supermarkets. There’s a dedicated children’s section (all childrens’ stores), a Chinatown of sorts (a number of Asian stores clustered in one area), and hundreds of clothing places throughout the centre, there is literally everything you need in one place.
Transport to the centre is easy, if you’re driving there’s plenty of parking, and the first three hours of parking is free. However, the car park does get busy and there can be long queues to enter and exit it at times. If you’re coming by public transport, Parramatta Station is connected to the centre. Trains on the Western, Blue Mountains and Cumberland lines stop regularly at Parramatta. Buses are also available, the bus interchange is located adjacent to the railway station. Ferries are also within walking distance.

Its crowded, yet there is so much there. So convenient, you can almost do anything. Had a beauty treatment at one of the salons recently, yet for the life of me I cannot remember the name. Great value summer deal: eyebrow and lip wax for only $ 20. Elegant setting with helpful staff.
I also love buying one of the gourmet pretzels at some pretzel bar on the way through to the train station. The prices are a litte inflated, yet the pretezels reign supreme. Such friendly service all over too. Good to see the train timetable in the food court area in advance, before you even arrive at the station to plan your train journey back home.
So much shopping to do. This place is great: great to visit once every few months if you don’t live in the area. Save up your coins because the value can be redeemed for a Westfield Gift Card of the same value here. Now that’s smart!

Tricky parking. Nice inside.

This Westfield has (nearly) everything. It’s conveniently located near the Parramatta train station and bus interchange.
Thankfully, some shops like Coles, Woolies & KMart are open til late evenings every day.
After a certain time though, they put up barriers around the corridors Westfield… to stop people from wandering around when most shops are closed, I guess? But it’s really annoying when you’re trying to get to Coles or KMart from the train station and you have to navigate your way around the mall… (tip: go to the top floor, they don’t have barriers there)

No two shopping centres are ever born equal; everyone has an opinion on their favorite, their least favorite and the one that is just too big/​small/​far/​close.
Westfield Parramatta is none of those things; attached to Parramatta Train Station (dangerously convenient for commuters) in the heart of Parramatta CBD, Westfield achieves that magic balance that all shopping centres strive for. It contains a huge range of shops almost every conceivable need — practical, pretty, fun, work — and target market — teeny boppers, pragmatic mothers, shopping-​fearing men can all find what they want at Westfield Parramatta.
And yet, it feels as though the stores within the centre have been carefully selected; all the shops occupying valuable real estate are there to provide for their customers needs. Many of the prominent names in Australian consumerism feature — David Jones, Myer, McDonalds, Big W and Woolworths all make their presences known. But smaller brands — Sportsgirl, Blue Juice, Sumo Salad — feature alongside the big players, as well as a host of smaller businesses.
The centre’s layout is also commendable — unlike some of Sydney’s monolithic shopping centres, Westfield Parramatta’s many levels are easily navigated. The facilities are clean and modern, the carpark free for a limited period and public transport is attached to the centre — what more could the modern consumer ask for?