Kings Cross, Sydney, has become quite the lady destination these days.


Start With the Gift Shops

Kings Cross, Sydney used to be where ladies who lunched, didn’t. Too many pole dancers, too many bikies. Too many backpackers.

That’s all changed as the area has a makeover. And it begins right on the corner (the invisible boundary) between Potts Point and Kings Cross.

A Date With Mabel

The delightful birthday present shop A Date With Mabel (also a me-preset shop) has one of those windows you can’t help looking at. If you’re setting up a kitchen or somebody else is (think housewarming present) this is where to stop.

Antiques in Potts Point

If you want vintage and antiques, keep walking ahead from Mabel, towards the land of macaroons and candles (and gilt mirrors) known as Potts Point. There’s even an Audrey Hepburn chair.

Potts Point Pairs

In fact, the Potts Point pairs (pairs of boutiques; pairs of vintage and antique shops) make it very easy for any lady to stroll and buy.
You’ll be close enough to Kings Cross to still hear the bikies (and duck back to the train station if that’s how you arrived) but far enough away to be in Paris in the Fifties.

Christian Dior $1600

A beautiful green olive Dior dress, made in Italy, for a $1600 investment, is just one of the offerings at Potts Point Galleries.

Or how about a Chinese dressing gown? A beret? A coronation copy of Country Life? It’s also possible to buy an Hermes box without actually buying the Hermes, if you’re lucky.
Potts Point Galleries has individual stalls and glass cases, run by passionate shopkeepers who specialise.

You don’t have to spend a lot here. The glittering headbands for Sydney party nights are modestly priced.

Candles Galore

The best candle shop in Sydney is also here, in Potts Point. The Little Candle Shop.

And it’s not just candles. They gift wrap and supply you with a bag, so you can easily transport soap dishes and liquid soap dispensers.

They make a great present if you are staying with somebody in Sydney for the weekend.

There is also the cult French brand Carriere Freres, not only offering candles, but also room spray. Smell the tomatoes in the room for $110.

The Lady’s Hairstylist

Also in Potts Point is the lady’s preferred hairstylist, Sophie Roberts. She also attends to gentlemen, of course – but this is strictly by appointment.

Drinking at the Roosevelt

With all that hard work shopping and having your hair cut, you may need a reviving glass. The Roosevelt has plenty of room inside and also al fresco. It’s at 32 Orwell Street, one of the best-preserved art deco streets in Potts Point (again, it weaves its way into Kings Cross without a boundary marker).

Nigella’s Cheese Shop

Don’t leave without visiting Nigella’s favourite Sydney cheese shop. It’s Penny’s.

There’s a reason for Nigella’s choice. The gooey, multiple-cheese toasted sandwiches in a paper bag for takeaway lunch at the famous fountain.

Then, there are tea towels. Plenty of relish. And a fridge full of…cheese. Blue Vein.

How long since you were last in Sydney? This is not Kings Cross for blokes any more. Not unless they wear diamante Alice bands.