Best and Worst Big Shopping Centres in OZ (i.e. Westfields, GPT and similar)

roderigo on 06/09/2014 - 16:32

Just did a Lap of Burwood Westfields. Here are my tips:

  1. this place has the worst car parking facilities of any Westfields, if you must go there choose the roof carpark only. The underground carpark has many bottlenecks with multiple traffic streams required to merge / cross over to enter AND exit.
  2. there are heaps of hair waxing shops.
  3. the EB games has some cool pac man interior house lights.

But thats all, there really is nothing exciting to see at Westfields Burwood - Vote 1 for worst Westfields

General Discussion

Comments

  • redslert on 08/09/2014 - 13:43
    +1

    Chatswood is 3 hrs by default… I was there two weekends ago with signs everywhere saying 3 hours free.

    Burwood Westfields is actually okay when you compare it with Hurstville and Chatswood.

    I recommend Eastgardens Westfields as one of my favs.

    • bhm133 on 08/09/2014 - 15:01
      +1

      Chase three hours. Wesfield two hours but can validate in store to get three hours.

  • [Deactivated] on 08/09/2014 - 13:49
    +1

    I dont mind the merrylands centro shopping centre that opened up a year or so ago. The original was so shithouse it made all the crap ones look good.

    the worst ive frquented a fair bit maybe faifield neta city, old but the did some renos but poorfloor planning and nearly half the 2nd foor rarely gets visited as the big 4 are all on one side.

  • casey2 on 08/09/2014 - 14:01
    +4

    Where's the Canberra love here?
    Belconnen has the biggest range and good eateries.
    Of course all parking is a breeze here :)

    • victorwilson on 08/09/2014 - 16:28
      +4

      At Canberra Centre, you would expect parking to be a breeze, considering it costs $2 for 30 minutes.

    • j4ck on 09/09/2014 - 16:22

      I think we're pretty lucky in Canberra. Tuggeranong, Woden, Civic and Belconnen are all at a decent standard these days.

      Tuggeranong (Hyperdome) has gotten a lot better. I think it's the only shopping centre in Canberra that has a Target, K-Mart and Big W in the one place. Good sized Coles and Woolies. Food court is a bit lacking though.

      I like the Canberra Centre, but I don't like that there's no free parking (say for under an hour or 30 minutes). Multiple food courts, thumbs up.

  • ProjectZero on 08/09/2014 - 14:58

    I feel this thread is mainly about car parks lol… I personally love Parra Westfield and Blacktown Westpoint.

    I have an area at both whereby i always find parking at.

    -EDIT-

    I just remembered the two worst places I've been to… Carlingford village and Carlingford Count… absolute nightmare to find parking at both…

    • victorwilson on 08/09/2014 - 17:09
      +5

      Carlingford Court always has plenty of parking on the rooftop in the pink/brown/grey carpark!

      But Carlingford Village's layout is definitely a nightmare to navigate through. It would be an infinitely better option to park at Carlingford Court and walk :)

    • mskram on 10/09/2014 - 18:54

      Level 7 at Parramatta? It even has parking before Christmas

    • [Deactivated] on 10/09/2014 - 21:00

      My day trips via train was always to parra Westfield

      I don't go there anymore but I always parked up on top of the wollies when I went by car, , not many people would go there and back then there was always a spot.
      This was before they extended across the road there.

  • Checkboy on 08/09/2014 - 17:00
    +1

    I've always been a go straight to the top parker. Just overall less stressful :)

    No need to turn round and round to find a spot, less people, heaps of space, no columns, and usually can park near the entrance.

    As for shopping malls, many of the Westfields etc have terrible layouts in comparison to overseas ones I've seen, many of which have been in Asia. It's just all over the place and messy.

  • shkev on 08/09/2014 - 17:24
    +2

    Bankstown Central shopping centre is easily the worst in Sydney, NSW.

    • OzJD on 09/09/2014 - 09:23

      I get annoyed that it takes forever to even get to the carpark.

  • sparkles on 08/09/2014 - 17:32
    +2

    Anyone here go to Fountain Gate? It's actually morphing slowly into a half decent shopping centre. Although go at a busy time and you regret it, the parking situation still needs improvement. On the weekends sometimes the crowds are a bit much.

    • avocadot on 08/09/2014 - 23:37

      Also forget parking in the car park near the cinemas and the Harris Scarfe entrance. There is always 30 cars going around in circles but only 5 cars coming out of parks.

      • sparkles on 09/09/2014 - 08:05

        The best parking for the cinemas is up the ramp on the roof. That way, you don't have to negotiate the escalators which are either crowded or sometimes not working. Don't even bother with the Harris Scarfe entrance undercover parking on weekends. It's futile. They've given too much space to the car wash. It's annoying because they've placed a lot of the services like bank and post office at that entrance and you can never get a park there. IMO the car wash should be moved. All these empty spaces chained off. Harris Scarfe would be losing a lot of customers to Myer now, especially given the awful parking and the easier options up the other end.

  • tdw on 08/09/2014 - 17:35
    +3

    worst: Westfield Carousel and Morley Galleria in WA. both have terrible layouts and are always a pain to drive in and out of, no matter the time or day. also a hotspot for theft, anti-social behaviour and exhibitions of profoundly crap parking. Whitfords and Garden City Booragoon aren't far behind either with similar characteristics.

    • Emilia on 08/09/2014 - 19:58
      +1

      Yep, I've had someone leave a huge dent in my car at Morley Galleria. Not impressed.

  • Gdsamp on 08/09/2014 - 17:42

    I vote Southlands Boulevard in Willetton,WA as the best shopping centre out. So much parking and while it only has a Woolworths and a Coles, there's a cinema and free wifi and the layout is great. 10/10

  • jace88 on 08/09/2014 - 17:56
    +1

    I'm actually a fan of Castle Towers and the parking which isn't time restricted. I find the newer parking lots there (i.e. Myer side) are good, and so are the Piazza (although it can be hard to find parking during peak periods such as dinner time).

    • supaderp on 09/09/2014 - 00:47
      +2

      the parking is more of a joke than the roads at castle hill.

  • whodidthat on 08/09/2014 - 17:59

    Got to be in there with the worst…http://www.maitlandhuntermallsc.com.au/

  • truongtran on 08/09/2014 - 18:27
    +3

    Obviously, you guys have never been to Cabramatta in Sydney. Try looking for parking in Cabra once and you will know the reason why, especially on the weekend.

    • silverrat23 on 08/09/2014 - 19:11

      Obviously, you guys have never been to Werribee in Melbourne. Try looking for parking at Werribee Plaza once and you will know the reason why, especially right now.

    • pull the lever on 09/09/2014 - 10:58

      Forget parking in Cabramatta in the weekend, period.
      You might find some luck further down the road running parallel the train lines if you're prepared to walk. At least it's free there.

      • [Deactivated] on 09/09/2014 - 13:09

        You can get a street spot on weekends, but you have to get there after 2pm lol.

  • bhm133 on 08/09/2014 - 20:57

    Brandon Park (vic) centro rocks. Everything awesome.

  • [Deactivated] on 08/09/2014 - 21:31
    +1

    I can't stand Sunshine Plaza (Sunshine Coast) for most of the year. Too busy, poor amenities that don't cope with busy times. Non-pram friendly food court. WORST design of a parents room ever - no room to manoeuvre prams, a depressing cage (and massive waste of space) for toddlers, filthy and the doors BANG and scare the living crap out of the babies constantly.

    Morayfield is good for parking - you can always get an undercover park within a few minutes of arriving. The shops seem to have more specials too, I always seem to find a few bargains there. Parents rooms and toilets are lousy though.

    LOVE the facilities at North Lakes Westfield - there's plenty of parents rooms and toilets, all well designed and clean. Parking isn't much of a hassle either. Just never seem to get many good buys in the shops there. That and it's my MIL's local…hahaha…kind of kills it as a relaxing place to go wondering if we are going to bump into her.

    Lol…so turns out I judge a shopping centre primarily by it's toilets and feeding/changing rooms…considering I spend half my trip in them, I suppose they are quite important.

  • Hotpotcorn on 08/09/2014 - 21:51
    +1

    CHADSTONE IS BAD DONCASTER IS BAD

  • SupeNintendoChalmers on 08/09/2014 - 22:19
    +2

    Best
    None- they're all culturally vacuous places.

    Worst
    Tie Between Brandon Park and Cranbourne Shopping centre- both are Centro owned coincidentally.

    BP because it probably has the worst food court food in the country.
    CS- Well, its Cranbourne, the antithesis of culture.

    • sparkles on 09/09/2014 - 08:58
      +1

      If you're near Brandon Park just head a bit further up Springvale Road and go the The Glen.

      • SupeNintendoChalmers on 09/09/2014 - 14:23

        The Glen has the worst parkers in Australia. I've had to on 4 occasions step out of my car to assist a driver to help them park or exit a car park. No bull.

        I freak out knowing that someone will almost certainly ding my car.

        • sparkles on 09/09/2014 - 15:44

          Park in the underground bit under David Jones end, not that main car park you can see from the road.

        • Lord Fart Bucket on 09/09/2014 - 15:44

          Charge a fee for this and you'll rake in the money!

    • Ventak on 09/09/2014 - 10:51
      +1

      BP's sushi hand rolls are huge though, despite the pitiful variety available.

  • pull the lever on 09/09/2014 - 10:59
    +1

    OP has to update post to 'Best and Worst Big Shopping Centre Carparks in OZ'.

    • roderigo on 09/09/2014 - 11:11

      Lol - I meant it to be comprehensive about the whole centre. But if you reckon It should be Carpark focussed I will change it.

      • victorwilson on 09/09/2014 - 18:06

        Haha I think @anthonettex is trying to say that whilst your original post was about the whole centre, everyone has started talking about carparks only.

        • roderigo on 09/09/2014 - 18:19

          thats what I love about message boards - I put out a half baked idea and the community fixes it up for me

  • xis123 on 09/09/2014 - 14:41
    +1

    Highpoint Shopping Centre - best in the west!! :P

  • Lord Fart Bucket on 09/09/2014 - 15:44
    +3

    Here's my list… and all have a + and a -.

    Stocklands Merrylands:
    + it is one of the few centres i know that has kmart, target AND bigw under one roof
    - parking is a nightmare

    Westfields Parramatta:
    + parking is okay, it's large, you can normally find what you're looking for
    - carpet on some levels. Who the hell thought of carpet.

    Westfields Burwood:
    + Hmmm… still thinking
    - Parking

    • FiDad on 09/09/2014 - 16:28

      Yes that carpet at Parra is really annoying.

      • pull the lever on 09/09/2014 - 16:42

        especially in winter while wearing a wooly coat. Hello Static Electricity!

  • paloverde88 on 09/09/2014 - 16:35

    Westfields Miranda has been having car park problems since they started construction 1 year ago and I avoid it like plague, everyone has to go thorough the same route and it just goes on and on till you reach the top, to go basement you have to follow the line that goes upstairs and to leave the mall you have t follow the same line as the people just coming in and those just coming in has to compete with those going out, on the same line, there's simply no planning in this building parking is a chaos!
    Add to that they do not charge for parking so every workers around that area just competes with the customers but they park there all day. no charge. The most annoying shopping Centre building when it comes to parking.

  • Reggie74 on 09/09/2014 - 17:50

    My favourites are Westfields Tuggerah, Erina Fair & Harbour Town Factory Outlet (when on holidays) but only on weekdays outside of school holidays.

  • Cozdog on 10/09/2014 - 07:38
    +2

    The old Macquarie Centre confuses the hell out of me because you start walking around a loop and before you know it you're on an entirely different floor, takes me forever to find the store I'm looking for (maybe its specifically designed this way to maximise foot traffic - everyone walks around the centre at least twice trying to find out where they need to go lol)

    On the parking front, Carlingford village is the worst I've been to. Top Ryde is extremely inconvenient to get in and out of, not only because you have to go down a level to go back up (and the signs are confusing) but also because Lane Cove Road ALWAYS seems to have a car crash and the traffic basically dies whenever that happens.

    In contrast I quite like Westfield Bondi, has heaps of parking and feeds out into exits quite smoothly so you're rarely stuck for longer than 5 minutes trying to get out.

  • esonic64 on 10/09/2014 - 09:21

    Centro Arndale is probably the worst in SA.

    Although you can always get a park there.

    This place badly needs an upgrade, It is poorly laid out, all the halls feel narrow. There is no food court just a bunch of fast food shops awkwardly placed so that they clog up the walkways. Last time I was there many of the little shops were closed.

    I used to go there a lot when I was a kids in the 90s, it used to be a Westfield and they used to do kids shows. Since Westfield sold it off it has really gone downhill.

  • suchislife12 on 10/09/2014 - 09:51

    Ashfield Mall
    Car park is a bit of a disaster but not too bad. The main issue is their complete lack of decent shops and market saturation. 3 optometrists and 3 supermarkets a few other retailers such as Kmart, DSE and reject shop followed by a bunch of useless and overpriced stores. Everything is out of order especially the lifts. However it is getting better with time and renovation…it'll get there.

    • Lord Fart Bucket on 10/09/2014 - 13:36

      But… it's a great place to park when you go to have some yummy food at New Shanghai restaurant!

      • [Deactivated] on 10/09/2014 - 17:05

        New Shanghai restaurant!

        Have you seen the number of penalties they've received from the NSW Food Authority for health and hygiene breaches?

        Ew. Same goes for Taste of Shanghai.

        • Lord Fart Bucket on 11/09/2014 - 10:20

          Where do you think the flavour comes from?

          And… had another look at the safe food nsw website, they're no longer on there.

  • yabree17 on 10/09/2014 - 12:16
    +1

    Gladstone Park Shopping centre in Vic is hilarious. Soooo old its like a trip back to the 80s …. their website shows how old it is.
    http://www.gpsc.com.au/

    • tdw on 10/09/2014 - 14:30

      lol it's so jarring see that old building and a newish Merc out the front.
      but i personally don't care what a shopping centre looks like on the outside, as long as the car parks and interior are well maintained

  • shaiguy on 10/09/2014 - 15:55

    Lol - I live very close to Burwood… all I can say is Burwood carparking is extremely bad if you do not know where to park when it is busy (there are 1 or 2 good pockets to get in and out)… I made many mistakes before I figured it out. If I say where to park I am sure it will be congested there in future so all I can suggest is to have a proper look at the carpark map before you go next time.

    Chatswood is easily the worse. Westfield and Chatswood Chase are a joke. My all time worst driving in a car park was going back a number of years at Chadstone - they had 2 way thoroughfares where only 1 car could go through and it was just all-round confusing and a carpark within a carpark. Other notable hopeless carparks include Top Ryde when busy and Rhodes.

  • miq on 10/09/2014 - 19:54

    Carindale Westfield, QLD
    Marion Westfield, SA
    Rouse Hill Town Centre, NSW

    are all good centres IMO

  • altomic on 10/09/2014 - 21:41

    Deception Bay, a.k.a Depression Bay, shopping centre.

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