Food & cultureBy Clever Tourists · Published
The best souvenirs from Australia are Aboriginal art bought from an Aboriginal-owned art centre or a gallery that names the artist, a solid opal, an Akubra hat made in Kempsey, and edible gifts like Tim Tams, Vegemite and macadamias. The worst are the "Aboriginal-style" boomerangs and didgeridoos sold in tourist shops, some of them made overseas: in 2019 a court ordered one wholesaler to pay A$2.3 million for selling exactly that. Big purchases can come with a tax refund: the Tourist Refund Scheme gives back GST on goods worth A$300 or more from one business, claimed at the airport. Below are eight things worth buying, how to check them, where to buy them, and the refund and customs rules. Prices are tiers: $ is small change, $$ a considered purchase, $$$ a splurge. For the other 19 countries we cover, see our best souvenirs to buy in 20 countries.
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1. Aboriginal art ($$ to $$$). Paintings, prints and carvings bought from Aboriginal-owned art centres or galleries that say which artist and community the work comes from. In 2019 the Federal Court ordered Birubi Art to pay an A$2.3 million penalty after the ACCC showed it sold boomerangs and other souvenirs labelled as Aboriginal art that were made in Indonesia. A label with the artist's name, community and a certificate from the art centre is what to look for.
2. A boomerang or small carving from the same source ($ to $$). The souvenir-shop version is where the Birubi fakes were sold. If a boomerang does not say who made it, assume it is not Aboriginal-made.
3. Opal ($$ to $$$). Australia's best-known gemstone, mined at Lightning Ridge and White Cliffs in New South Wales and Coober Pedy in South Australia. Ask whether a stone is solid, a doublet or a triplet. A doublet is a thin slice of opal glued to a dark backing, and a triplet adds a clear dome on top; both cost far less than solid opal. Look at the stone from the side: solid opal is opal all the way through, a doublet or triplet shows layers. Make sure the receipt says what you bought, such as "solid opal".
4. An Akubra hat ($$ to $$$). Australia's bush hat, made from rabbit fur felt in the company's factory at Kempsey, New South Wales. It packs better on your head than in a bag.
5. Tim Tams ($). Chocolate biscuits sold in every supermarket, in more flavours than you will see abroad.
6. Vegemite ($). The yeast spread, best bought in a small jar or tube.
7. Macadamias ($). Roasted and salted or chocolate-coated, in sealed packs. Check your home country's rules on nuts before you fly.
8. Australian wine ($ to $$). Buy it in a bottle shop rather than at the airport, and check your home country's alcohol allowance. Wrap bottles in clothes in checked luggage.
Supermarket prices beat gift-shop prices for all of these; see what to buy at a grocery store in Australia.
• Aboriginal art: art centres run by Aboriginal communities, and city galleries that work with them and name the artist on every piece.
• Opal: a dealer who states solid, doublet or triplet on the tag and on the receipt, and who will name the field the stone came from.
• Food: Coles, Woolworths and other supermarkets in Sydney, Melbourne or Cairns. Our Melbourne guide and Tropical North Queensland guide cover the cities we spent most time in.
• Skip the airport gift shop for food. The same brands are cheaper in town.
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Australia refunds GST to departing travellers through the Tourist Refund Scheme (TRS). The main rules, per the Australian Taxation Office and airport TRS pages:
• A$300 or more from a single business, GST included. The purchases must be from businesses with the same ABN; several invoices from that business can be added together, but you cannot combine shops.
• Bought in the 60 days before you leave, with the original tax invoices.
• Goods, not services. Hotels, meals and tours do not count, and goods that were GST-free in the first place get nothing back.
• At the airport: claim at the TRS facility after security. Sydney Airport takes claims up to 30 minutes before your scheduled departure. Brisbane Airport advises entering your claim online before you arrive, which speeds things up.
• If you bring the goods back into Australia, you must declare them.
It is worth it for opal, art and an Akubra. For snacks and small gifts the A$300 single-shop threshold rules it out.
• Unlabelled "Aboriginal" souvenirs. Dot-painted boomerangs, didgeridoos and fridge magnets with no artist named. This is what the Birubi case was about.
• Opal sold without saying solid, doublet or triplet. If the seller cannot tell you, walk away.
• Airport food gifts. Same brands, higher price.
If you arrive in Australia with souvenirs bought elsewhere, you must declare wooden articles and other plant and animal material. Clean, finished carvings are usually released after inspection; bark, seeds and soil are not. Declared items that are refused can be treated or destroyed, but you are not penalised for declaring them. Undeclared items can mean a fine. This catches people flying in from Bali with woodcarvings.
More planning in things to know before visiting Australia, tipping in Australia and how much a trip to Australia costs.
Buy from an Aboriginal-owned art centre or a gallery that names the artist and community. In 2019 the ACCC won an A$2.3 million penalty against Birubi Art for selling Indonesian-made souvenirs labelled as Aboriginal art.
A solid opal is opal all the way through. A doublet is a thin slice of opal glued to a dark backing, and a triplet adds a clear dome on top. Both cost much less than solid opal, so the receipt should say which you bought.
Spend A$300 or more, GST included, at one business (same ABN) in the 60 days before you leave, keep the original tax invoices, and claim at the TRS facility after airport security. Services and GST-free goods are excluded.
No. The A$300 minimum must come from a single business with the same ABN, though several invoices from that one business can be added together.
In the company's factory at Kempsey, New South Wales, from rabbit fur felt.
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