Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. It's metropolitan area has an approximate population of 2 million.
Prior to European settlement, the Brisbane area was inhabited by the Turrbal and Jagera people, whose ancestors migrated to the region from across the Torres Strait

Monday, March 7, 2011

Aid For the Blind- Wynnum Op shop

There's just so many op shops down at Wynnum, but one stands out of the pack and that is the incredible, huge space that is Aid For The Blind.  It's filled with clothing, books, shoes, furniture and bric a brac.  On the day that I visited, they were having an incredible 50% off everything in the store.  Apparently they do this 3 or 4 times a year.  I ended up buying a vintage, 100% cotton, Japanese long kimono for $4.

This place is clean, it's well spaced out and the clothing is usually divided into colours and clothing types, such as jeans, jackets, shirts and skirts.  There's usually quite an interesting selection of kitchenware and bric a brac.

The least you should know: Aid for the Blind is at 82 Florence Street, Wynnum.  The phone number is 3893 0252.  They frequently have special sales on certain items (for example shoes or hand bags).  Make sure that you have allocated plenty of time for this place, it's easy to walk past something wonderful because there's so many distractions.

Some of the racks of ladies wear, with the manchester and toy shelves at the very back of the store.
Some of the furniture for sale. I loved this 1930's table and matching chairs but  my tiny little bungalow is filled to capacity right now
The perfect place to look for clothing to wear to a fancy dress party.
Some of the formal wear.
So many pairs of shoes...

Op shopping at Wynnum

Last time I visited Wynnum, I decided to go for a walk along the waterfront.  As I passed the wading pool it was full of model boats having a race, the owners trotting alongside with their remotes, completely focussed on their tiny yachts.

From the streets of the main shopping area in Wynnum central, the islands in Moreton Bay seem to float in sparkling blue ocean.  It's pretty enough to visit Wynnum just for the sea air and the relaxed pace, however, if you love op shopping, then you'll be in heaven. The Salvo's, Vinnies, Red Cross even smaller op shops that seem to be unaffiliated with charities and run by people reselling things they've bought from the charity op shops all lie within a couple of streets of each other. Whatever you do though, don't miss the wonderful Aid for the Blind on Florence Street.

There's plenty of tea shops and cafe's dotted around the place.  If you're planning to stay for lunch, then I can recommend The Olive Cafe for it's incredible range of Lebanese sweets and savouries. It's usually full of locals enjoying a shared platter of Mezze washed down with super strong tiny cups of bitter coffee or mint tea.

The least you should know:  Wynnum has plenty of street parking.  Make sure that you wear comfortable shoes, because you'll want to wander all over the place looking at op shops.  The key streets that I recommend you investigate are  Florence, Edith and Clara Streets  and also Bay Terrace.  If you like old architecture, keep an eye out for the pressed metal ceilings and lovely old buildings dotted about the place,

Some of the beautiful Moreton Bay Figs that line the waterfront
The view along Bay Terrace
There's quite a lot of trees and greenery planted along the road edges
Wynnum is a relatively old suburb, by Brisbane standards anyway, and there are plenty of monuments dotted around to those local heroes who gave their lives in both world wars
Wynnum Wading Pool during it's resurfacing, where they replaced the old sand  with new stuff