13 Best Shopping in The Outback, Australia

The Mindil Beach Sunset Market is an extravaganza that takes place every Thursday and Sunday from 4 pm to 9 pm from April through October. Come in the late afternoon to snack at one of more than 60 stalls offering food from more than 25 different countries. You can shop at more than 200 local artisans' booths; enjoy performances by singers, dancers, fire artists, and musicians; catch a whip-cracking demonstration, or join the other Darwinites with a bottle of wine to watch the sun plunge into the sea.

From bush poetry and traditional bush tucker recipes to anthropological texts on Aboriginal people and their culture, Red Kangaroo Books has an outstanding collection of literature pertaining to all things Australian.

This store sells high-end jewelry. It also has an outlet at Cable Beach Club Resort and Spa.

This shop specializes in high-quality, expensive pearls and jewelry.

Supporters of the Aboriginal artists of Central Australia since 1987, the Mbantua Art Gallery’s Todd Mall shop houses some of the best samples of Indigenous art in Alice Springs. Learn more about this fascinating culture at the Gallery’s Cultural Museum, where you can see boomerangs, spears, and other artifacts and objects collected around the Northern Territory.

One of the few markets here open year-round, Nightcliff Market takes place on Sunday morning and lasts until around 2 pm in Nightcliff Village, with craft and food stalls and performances by musicians, dancers, and other entertainers; it's a great spot for breakfast.

Encouraged to paint a mural on a blank building wall by a local school teacher in 1971, the Papunya Tula artists were the founders of the modern western and central desert art movement. This gallery showcases the work of some of the area's best.

Located north of the city center, the Parap Markets is where the locals shop. The stalls are open every Saturday rain or shine from 8 am to 2 pm and have a terrific selection of ethnic Asian food, including some of the best laksa in the country. Complimentary shuttles are available from several Darwin City accommodations, so check the website for current times and pickup locations.

Family-owned Paspaley Pearling, located in Chinatown, sells pearls and stylish local jewelry.

Open Sunday morning from about 7 am to 2 pm, the Rapid Creek Markets are Darwin's oldest and have fresh organic produce, as well as flowers, seafood, and locally made handicrafts. Shop 'til you drop alongside the locals just 20 minutes north of the city center while you listen to live music and stock up on fresh groceries at one of more than 60 stalls.

Held every other Sunday morning from 9 am until around 1 pm, mid-February to December, the markets feature more than 100 stalls of local arts, crafts, and food, which are displayed while musicians entertain.

The cultural center not only has information about the Anangu people and their culture, it also houses beautiful art for purchase. The Ininti Cafe carries souvenirs and light food, while Maruku and Walkatjara Art Uluru sell Aboriginal paintings and handicrafts. The Cultural Centre itself is open daily from 10 am to 4 pm (information desk from 10 am to 5 pm); Ininti Cafe is open daily from 10 am to 4 pm; Maruku Arts is open daily 7:30 am to 5:30 pm; Walkatjara Art Uluru is open daily from 8 am to 4 pm.