DFO South Wharf

If you know what you want… get in and get out thats my advise kids!

A true shopaholic never turns down an opportunity to go outlet shopping, especially in Melbourne.
The shops are set out so that everything is easy to find, no matter what level you’re on, what you’re looking for will be within easy reach, or a short walk.
With the choice of DFOs being between Essendon Airport, and South Wharf, South Wharf wins. BUUUUUT if you want The Good Guys and more homey-​type stuff, you’d better head to Essendon.

A visit Direct Factory Outlet (aka DFO) at South Wharf can be a pretty terrifying and bewildering prospect. As someone that doesn’t really love shopping, whenever I’m here I find myself asking «WHY, WHY did you think it would be ok?!» It’s always crowded, noisy, filled to the brim with tourists and hungry shoppers. It’s far from a pleasant shopping experience.
Stock wise, it’s incredibly hit and miss. You’ll either walk out with heaps or you’ll leave with nothing, hours of your life missing.
The bargains can be pretty good, but I would advise knowing what you want and having a good idea of what the full retail is to really nab a bargain, as I have seen some that compare or are even more expensive than the regular retailers’ sales.
I like it for things like Peter Alexander PJs and classic style shoes where seasonality doesn’t matter. Black shoes are always a winner. Or if you’re travelling and need to buy out of season it’s handy.
The food court is pretty lousy, but as South Wharf now has plenty of places to eat and drink, there’s lots of options for escaping for a much needed beer when it all gets a bit too much.
Tip: Ask for parking validation if you buy something, you’ll get a significant discount.

Every year when we come to melbourne we come to DFO — the discount stores and prices draw us in, the casual atmosphere and set up keep us there.
To start with, the food court has lots of places to choose from meaning we can never decide haha! Even with my pickiness we manage ok!
The stores and separated into different levels — the top part is the homemaker Centre with places to buy furnishings and home stuff (we generally ignore this level haha)
I love going to new balance to get cheap trainers that we cannot get in SA.
The parent facilities here are good, and much better than most centres we go to.
There is plenty of parking too.

Only come here if you’re looking for a particular item. Otherwise, the DFO will eat you up and spit you out.
This is a dark, cavernous mall, the kind where you lose all sense of time and direction. There’s also a ton of crap to wade through to get to the gems.
But to be clear: There are amazing bargains to be had at this place, particularly if you’re looking for brand name athletic shoes like Vans, Addidas, or New Balance. I bought a great pair of New Balance sneakers here for 60 bucks. Regular price was 160 dollars. Boom! At 50 US dollars you couldn’t get it cheaper in an outlet mall back in Cali.
Totally stoked.
Come here prepared and leave happy.

I don’t mind it here, but for some reason I always choose not to go here. On the odd occasion I have attended, as its located right next to my apartment.
I think they have some decent shops in here, so you could always get a new outfit or as i like going for anaconda or nike store.
I dont particularly like the layout of this store, its seems like so much room with nothing in it. Jb Hi-​Fi hidden at the top level next to some boring furniture and carpet stores.
I kinda just go here, get what I need and leave. I don’t find the foodcourt very incising to eat at either.

I must say, I did not even know this mall was here until a week back when I saw it on television (yes, I have been in Melbourne for a few months). The mall is mostly outlet type stores with a fair selection of products — everything from shoes to clothing and finally, furniture.
The furniture shops are abundant and the selections are above average. The only issue is that the mall hours reflect 9pm on Fridays and all of the furniture stores were closing at 7pm. Unfortunately, some stores lost out on some sales today as we arrived at 650 pm and were ‘persuaded to leave’ with doors closing and gates falling.
I do have to say this: if you are looking for good furniture deals, you need to head out to DFO.

DFO is THE place to go if you want bargains galore! Oops, I don’t think they got the memo…
I’m disappointed about 95% of time whenever I visit a DFO centre. The only things that ever seem to be reduced is the crap nobody wanted earlier in the season. Why would we want it now?
But then there was today. For the lady readers — two pairs of Joanne Mercer shoes for $ 80. Not each — for both. Bargain!!! Nearly enough for me to return the other pair of shoes I had just purchased at Novo (nearly…don’t judge me!).
Overall I’m never in a rush to come here but today gave me a glimmer of hope. Maybe it’s one of those places you need to visit regularly to guarantee a bargain.
Now if you will excuse me, I have some shoes to break in.

I found this building to be a little strange — and very dark in places.
I was so excited about going to the DFO — for all of the outlet shops that we dont have in Adelaide. However, I was a bit dissapointed — I was really happy to go to Kate Hill — but other than that — there really wasnt a lot there that I could shop at — there was no plus sized clothing at all (not impressed) and the atmosphere, I found, to be very dark and dingey.
Probably would not go back.

A shopping outlet mall within a short walk from the centre of town. The DFO has shops split on a few levels

DFO: A shopping saviour in the city. Saves me driving all the way to either Essendon or Moorabbin for a quick hit of shopping and means I can do it in my lunch break.
They have most brands I’m looking for (with the obvious exception of Marcs and Saba which I crave if you want these, go to the Essendon Airport DFO).
The only thing I don’t like about it is the lack of public transport that drops you off without an at least 5 minute walk.
They need a little golf cart or something to ferry us from the tram stop to the entrance. That would be cool.

Like so many others who come to Australia from the States, I was a bit shocked by the prices for some things, particularly clothes. So I’m pretty happy that the DFO exists. While the prices still don’t compare to what I’m used to, everything here is much cheaper than other malls around Melbourne. There’s also a wide range of shops selling everything from furniture to clothing to kitchen stuff, so it also serves as a one-​stop shopping destination. Its strength, however, seems to be in clothes — there are heaps of stores selling designer styles at great prices.
The location is super convenient — only a short walk from the Convention Centre tram stop and the CBD.

Out of all the DFO’s in Melbourne this is far the best one to go for shopping. Just a short walk from the main CBD over the Yarra. Decent food court and plenty of shops to unleash damage on your credit card.

Newly opened just behind the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre; formerly on Spencer Street now attracts more Melburnians out shopping on weekends; and especially on the public holidays when the retail outlets conveniently go on sale. This is where you can eat and do your normal clothes shopping, and you can also go shopping for furniture and white goods here. Ideal to sleep in first on a weekend, because when I headed to the furniture stores just to buy a couple more small items in decorating my city pad; the stores did not open until 10am. Not a great place to be hanging around to buy furniture.
DFO is massive here, yet it is quite popular among locals and visitors to Melbourne. Mornings are the best times to generally go shopping; because the afternoons is when nearly all of Melbourne is out in force here: it gets hectic: even in the food court area: you would be hard pressed to find a good seat. Maybe in my eyes it is slightly overrated; it was great if DFO was still in Spencer Street; however it is better at South Wharf so that furniture can be sold and so that ample car parking can also be provided.

It doesn’t take much to empty your wallet at DFO.
As a new Melbourne resident i almost wet myself at the thought of indulging in the DFO.
Located near the Crown Casino and Exhibition Building the DFO is the shopping that dreams are made of. Once you enter the DFO you will find a circular rotation of shopping strip that will make your knee’s weak.
The collection of stores here are so rad that you will not know where to start and the fact that everything is discounted and ridiculously priced will just make you even more keen to shop!
On my first shopping adventure here i literally shopped till i dropped, I bought ‘High Octane’ singlets for $ 10, Witchery business shirts for $ 25 (down from over $ 100) and a whole assortment of garments from my favourite store in DFO called ‘Flockhart St’. Flockhart St carries brands like ‘Superdry’ and ‘Mooks’, I picked up Mooks shirts and singlets for under $ 20 and wicked Hi-​tops for $ 50 each!
There’s also a food court in DFO which you can rest easy at when the hunger takes value over the shopping!
My sister and mother shall be visiting me this weekend and this will be our first stop on the schedule.