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Insider's Shopping Tips

  • Surfers Paradise is the only 7-day, late night shopping district in Queensland, so venture out after dinner for a retail fix.
  • There are 14 shopping centres and arcades in Surfers Paradise, so make sure you put on your walking shoes, explore them all and discover the hidden gems in the precinct.
  • Surfers Paradise is an international shopping district, offering both retail and duty free shopping. If you're an international visitor, you can claim a refund for the Foods and Services Tax (GST) you pay while visiting our country with the Tourist Refund Scheme (TRS). See detailed information below.
  • Even if you're not an international visitor, you can still indulge in that Gucci handbag and most of the brand name delights in the Duty Free stores where selected items are also sold at a retail price. It's a handbag queen's heaven with international brand designer handbags from Coach, Louis Vuitton and more, most of which are exclusive to the Surfers Paradise stores.
  • For that unique Surfers Paradise gift, head down to the Surfers Paradise Beachfront markets every Wednesday and Friday nights between 5:30pm and 10:00pm, with over 100 stalls and a night time buzz that's irresistible for shoppers and browsers.

Tourist Refund Scheme (TRS)

The TRS enables visitors to claim a refund of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and Wine Equalisation Tax (WET) paid on goods in Australia.

To claim a refund you must:

  • Spend $300 (GST inclusive) or more in the one store and get a single tax invoice
  • Buy goods no more than 30 days before departure
  • Wear or carry the goods on board the aircraft of ship and present them along with your tax invoice, passport and international boarding pass to a Customs Officer at a TRS facility.
  • Claims at airports are only available up to 30 minutes prior to the scheduled departure flight.
  • Claims at seaports should be made no earlier than 4 hours and no later than 1 hour before scheduled department time of the vessel.

For more information contact
Australian Customs via the details below:

Phone (Outside Australia): +61 2 6275 6666; (Within Australia): 1300 363 263
Internet: http://www.customs.gov.au
Email: information@customs.gov.au