A Day in Goulburn

Firstly, a reminder to enter my latest Giveaway if you haven't already (open to Aussies). It's closing soon :-)

It has been just over 12 months since I was last in Goulburn, and I know this for a fact because I went last year on Canberra Day, and returned on the same day this year. Canberra Day is a Monday public holiday in Canberra, which is not a holiday in NSW - the perfect time to visit op shops across the border. Last year I posted a review of the op shops in Goulburn, and not much has changed this year, except that the Salvos is currently closed due to flood damage :-(

I don't think I actually save any money by going to Goulburn - maybe my car is inefficient, because it takes half a tank of petrol to do the round trip = approximately $30 in petrol. I know someone who commutes to and from Goulburn to work in Canberra every single day, he must spend so much money on fuel!

Goulburn is a very quaint town with lovely old buildings and cute little cafes. The locals are so friendly and I always enjoy chatting with them. It has 5 op shops all within walking distance of each other, and as in any country town, they have very cheap prices.

Here are the day's finds:

 Pyrex mixing bowl ($3), 2 retro glasses ($1 each), Johnsons mug (50c) - I love the design!

 Anise dress ($12.50) - this was from the Smith Family store, which has the best range of fashion items but is also the most expensive op shop in Goulburn.

Handpainted Japanese pot ($1), Pyrex casserole dish ($3), Corningware pot with lid (50c!) and vintage pillow case (50c).

If you're in Goulburn, the Coffee Bean serves fabulous coffee (with beans freshly roasted on site) and the owner is lovely. We had lunch at Lunch Box on Main which serves a delicious Mediterranean lamb burger, huge club sandwiches and great freshly squeezed juices.

I took some snaps of the inside of Trish's Trash and Treasure to share. This is a recycling shop linked to the tip, and everything is dirty and dusty but you can find some great treasures. The prices are a bit hit and miss, but it's definitely the most fun to rifle around in for retro homewares:

Finally, here are some of the beautiful old buildings that can be found around the place:

Linking up with Sophie's Flea Market Finds and Apron Thrift Girl.

Beyond Canberra: Amazing Goulburn Op Shops

A girlfriend and I decided to drive to Goulburn for a day of giant concrete ewe spotting:

Note the gathering of locals on bikes!

Cruising the quaint streets with lovely old buildings:

And of course, OP SHOPPING! 

Firstly, because I am a super helpful person (and super modest ;) here is a list of the Goulburn op shops that I visited, and some reviews:

Australian Red Cross Clothing Shop

146 Auburn Street. Goulburn

Don’t bother with this place. They try to be “upmarket” and have prices to match, but not the goods. I saw several ‘Expression’ (Kmart brand) products with prices ranging from $15-$20. They were probably cheaper new! I didn’t see anything worthwhile, nothing retro/vintage, and the prices are sorely inflated. For example, $13 for a used straw beach hat (no brand name). In a town with so much competition, I’m not sure how this place survives. The only shop where neither of us bought a thing!

Big Heart (Mission Australia) Op Shop

Shop 2, 148-158 Sloane Street. Goulburn

This was my favourite oppy – so cheap and such amazing retro crockery. They charge by the kilo for clothing ($5 per kilo)- my friend found an amazing vintage skirt and it cost her... wait for it.... 70 cents! Crockery was priced between 50c and $5, and books are 5 for $2.

Salvation Army — Red Shield Family Store

123 Auburn Street, Goulburn

This place is reasonably priced with sale racks up the front (vintage blouses for $1 when I was there). They have a large range of crockery and bric a brac, which unfortunately is mostly unpriced. You are at the mercy of the staff member who makes up a price on the spot, which I find a bit frustrating. Definitely worth a look see and on the whole the prices are good.

Smith Family Store

Ellesmere Street, Goulburn

This place had the best retro/vintage stock of everywhere we visited. I picked up my stunning 80s dress for a vintage ball there for $12, marked down from $25. They have a really large range of clothing, with less bric a brac. Clothing prices range from $2 - $10, with vintage items up to $25.

St Vincent De Paul — Vinnie’s Centre

Central Arcade (opp. Post Office), Auburn St, Goulburn

Friendly staff and standard prices, mostly ranging from $3-$10 for clothing. They didn’t have much crockery or bric a brac in stock on my visit, it was mostly clothes. 

Trish’s Trash & Treasure

1 Fenwick Cres, Goulburn (entry from Bradley St)

From the outside, we expected this place to house mostly furniture but inside we were surprised and amazed at the treasures it holds. Plenty of crockery, a lot of it dusty and dirty and you need to sort through it all to find the gems... but find the gems we did! The prices are very reasonable – my tea set (tea/coffee pot, 4 mugs, sugar) was $5. The prices varied though- I was surprised to see that a vintage Willow tray in very poor condition was $20. My friend picked up some hand painted pie dishes for $2 apiece.

And now (drumroll please....) for the day's finds:

Handpainted baking dishes, $2 each. Lemon water jug, $1. Tea set + potholder, $5.

Coffee set (pots, mugs & sugar holder) $5, Tasmanian pottery teabag holder $2.

Mushroom jar $2, strange pottery piece 50c.

Pyrex 50c! Arcopal France bowl, 50c.

Vintage bag $3, Johnson Australia Pottery bowl 50c.

 Hens party / wedding gag g-strings, 50c each.

Yellow stripe water jug $1, Op shopping bag {>>

Lambada leather tote, $10

 Unusual felt & knitted framed picture, $3

 Vintage orange skirt, 70c!

The most spectacular find of the day is yet to be posted, it's an amazing 80's dress that I'll be wearing to a vintage ball very soon... I will post photos after the event!


Linking up to Sophie's Flea-market Finds and Apron Thrift Girl.