7 high-end Australian souvenirs

Shopping can be like a seventh-sense. You can sleep it and dream it -- and before you know it, you are walking in the front door loaded up with shopping bags.

It can be tricky in Australia. With the Australian dollar soaring to record highs, it's fast becoming a very expensive exercise. New taxes are on the way and the retail industry is experiencing a slump.

But forget all that. It's also fun to dream and be indulgent. Whatever you want, chances are you can find it here.

Imagine having seven blank checks to buy whatever you want. So the shopping challenge is on -- a luxurious crusade to buy seven souvenirs that can fit into a (large) suitcase. 

7.  Opal Pendant

No two opals are the same. The unique gemstones come in tinges of blue and green, resembling the Australian landscape.

Circular Quay's Masterpiece Jewellery sells opals from $100 through to much more.

Here's an opal pendant that could be the envy of all your friends: it weighs in at a whopping 36 carats and measures 44 milimeters by 32 milimeters. The pendant is flanked by diamonds and the opal itself is a mix of Australian hues of the ocean and bush.

It only comes with a price tag of $23,636. Throw it in the cart.

Masterpiece Jewellery, Shop 6, Opera Quays, 2 East Circular Quay, Sydney, open daily 9 a.m.-7 p.m., +61 (0)2 9252 5218, www.masterpiecejewellery.com.au 

 

 

 

  

6. Penfolds Grange Bin 95 Shiraz 2004 

Penfold's Vineyard in Barossa Valley has a mix of reds, whites and speciality wines. 
 
If you could only take one bottle, it's hard to go past the Penfolds Grange Bin 95 Shiraz 2004. It is one of the most sought-after Australian wines -- you're more likely to find it at a wine auction than a local bottle shop.

Bottles from the 1951 vintage have sold for as much as $50,000.

But move on half a century and it becomes a little more affordable and findable. At $595 per bottle, it's best kept for a celebration -- or if you're really disciplined, as an investment.
 
Sydney Wine Merchants, 7/6 Booralie Road, Terrey Hills, open daily 10 a.m.-8 p.m., + 61 (0)2 9450 0796, www.sydneywinemerchants.com.au 

 

 

 

5. An original Aboriginal art work by Walangkura Napanangka

For art that is quintessentially Australian you have to look to its indigenous heritage. A simple piece of art to the untrained eye can be rich in old cultural storytelling.

Kate Owen Gallery & Studio, based in Sydney’s inner-suburbs has been voted the city’s best Aboriginal gallery, so where better to look?

Here, you'll find one of Walangkura Napanangka’s original works. Her youth was spent wandering around the desert, but her talent was discovered in 1995 in a paint-off. The gallery has a number of her pieces for sale.
 
With one of your blank checks, you could afford to indulge your attraction. "Women’s Dreaming," a large-framed piece has been painted on Belgian linen sells for $120,000. Grab it.
 
Kate Owen Gallery, 680 Darling St., Rozelle, open Wednesday-Sunday 11 a.m.-6 p.m. (or by appointment), +61 (0)2 9555 5283, www.kateowengallery.com  

4. Roy Stewart surfboard

Head to any Sydney beach and you'll see lots of surfboards -- generally with surfers trying to stand up on them. The country's prime seaside hobby has also produced a number of world champions. When it comes to surfboards, you can also find the best.
 
Whilst Roy Stewart is based in New Zealand, his creations don't have far to travel to Sydney. Maybe he could even surf it over -- the self-professed surfing guru has voted his own surfboard the board of the year (that prompted others to call him the tool of the year).
 
But maybe that's jealousy. The board dubbed the "Baron" sells for $528,000, making it the most expensive surfboard in the world.
 
The surfboard is totally hand-crafted. The pricey surfboard takes Roy about 200 hours to make -- not including the design process. If you can't catch a wave at your local break on this, you won't catch it anywhere.
 
Roy Stewart Surfboards, roy@olosurfer.com, www.olosurfer.com

3. Via La Moda handbag

When visitors come to Australia, they usually ooh and aah over the animals. Whilst it is illegal to take home a kangaroo, koala or a crocodile, you can take home a handbag instead.
 
Via La Moda is the place where you can experience the thrill of exotic crocodile, kangaroo and python leather handbags, without being bitten.

The Kangaroo bags come in under $300. Crocodile bags start at $899 for a clutch purse -- a snip, you might say.

The Alke bag might catch your eye. Apart from being made of crocodile, it has a sheepskin lining. A taste of luxury with a $7,779 price tag.

Via La Moda, Westfield Sydney, Open Monday-Saturday 9:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m. (Thursday until 9 p.m.), Sunday 10 a.m.-6 p.m., +61 (0)2 8205 7800,  www.vialamoda.com.au

2. Argyle Pink Diamond

An Argyle pink diamond is renowned as the most concentrated form of wealth on Earth. It is the rarest of all diamonds and becoming more rare as time passes.

Australia's Argyle mine in the north of Western Australia produces almost all of the worlds' red and pink diamonds. Although it is the world’s largest diamond mine, most of its diamonds are champagne and cognac colour, with only 0.1 percent being pink. They're that rare, which means men will pay anything to please their girls.
 
There are a number of stores in Sydney who sell the stunning pink diamonds, such as Cerrone and Hardy Brothers.
 
Due to the rarity of the diamonds, prices usually exceed $100,000 per carat -- but they're perfectly light for your luxury backpack. So embracing a whim of humility, just take a few carats.

Cerrone Jewellers, 14 Martin Place, Sydney,  Monday-Saturday 10 a.m.–5 p.m. (Thursday until 7 p.m.) Sunday 11 a.m.-4 p.m., +61 (0)2 9232 6186, www.cerrone.com.au

 

1. Australian coins

Any purse is (if you're lucky) full of coins and you probably value the notes more than the coins, right? Coins can be worth real money, especially if they are rare.

If you have a 1930 Australian penny in your purse, it could be worth as much as $500,000. They were quite rare during the Depression -- but now it's believed there are only six in existence. The chances are slim that you would have one hiding in the corner of your purse or wallet.
 
But rather than a single coin, a collection could finish off the bulging backpack. KJC Coins sells the complete 1855-1918 Australia Gold Half Sovereign set, which features 20 rare coins, dating back to 1861.
 
In coin-talk, they are a ‘high-grade.' It's difficult to accumulate the complete set. Rather than look around, you could use your last blank cheque for the $415,000 collection.
 
KJC Coins Australia, 42-44 Margaret St,, Sydney, Monday-Friday 10 a.m.-5 p.m., +61 (0)2 9290 1244,  www.kjc.com.au