Going to Australia and Hong Kong, what to see and buy...?
May 23, 2002 at 7:22 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 22

Mumrik

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I'll be spending most of July in Australia and two days in Hong Kong on the way home.

My questions for you guys are many but I'll start out asking for a little help planning the trip
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I (and my family) will be visiting Brisbane, Sydney and Cairns (probably other locations as well) in Australia, do you have any recommendations on what we should see there? what is worthwhile and what isn't. This question goes for HK too...


Secondly, I'm interesting in knowing what I should buy on this trip, what is specially cheap in Australia or Hong Kong (not talking souveniers here)?
I'm interested in CD-players, Amplifiers (probably integrated amps), headphones (currently own a set of HP890s), Headphone amps and most things computer related (also exotic cooling for computers).

I'm not made of money so I'm not interested in High End equipment here
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Thanks to those who will help me
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May 23, 2002 at 8:14 PM Post #3 of 22
If you want priated stuff (CDs and all), Tim Sha Tsui is really good, and for hardware, try going to Shen Zhen- its a neighbouring city that you can reach by train and is only about 20mins away. They produce hardware there, so its really cheap. Most people from HongKong even work there- you can go and come back within the same day.

And, um, its not really recommended to buy stuff in Kowloong because its a tourist area, and expensive. Good to stay there though- the night life is really good and hotels are cheap
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May 23, 2002 at 8:36 PM Post #4 of 22
I'm not sure if you can get the MG Head for cheaper but that's where they're made, so are the Radii amps (aka Moretto). For electronics, the price might not be a lot cheaper than you thought but there are a lot more choice. A lot of items are imported from japan, so those are rated 100V. Tell them you don't need a 220V converter if Sweden happens to be 100V and you might get a better deal.

If you're going up north to Shen Zhen, you can get your hands on Opera headphone amps, or maybe the Shanlings T-100?? I've not been there myself, but I did have a link somewhere for a big headphone retailer in Shen Zhen. Lots of headphone related items. I'll post the link once I found it ( but it's in chinese ).

Good Luck
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May 23, 2002 at 8:44 PM Post #5 of 22
You'll need a visa to go to Shen Zeng.

Anyway, don't forget to negotiate. You shouldn't have to pay list price. Some of stuff that's particular cheap are the non-tech stuff like CD case, connectors.

Of course make a list of the stuff you can't get . In Hong Kong you can get almost anything.
 
May 23, 2002 at 8:52 PM Post #6 of 22
Quote:

Originally posted by dvw
You'll need a visa to go to Shen Zeng.


Opps. I keep on forgetting that not everyone can go there without a visa. Its really worth it though.
 
May 23, 2002 at 9:20 PM Post #7 of 22
Thanks for the advice so far guys
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this is interesting...



Quote:

Originally posted by mkyy
Tell them you don't need a 220V converter if Sweden happens to be 100V and you might get a better deal.


Sweden?
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Here in Denmark we use 230V
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May 23, 2002 at 10:46 PM Post #9 of 22
One word of caution. If you are looking to buy software make sure that it is not a copy in slick packaging. You stand a good chance of having it confiscated in customs if it is. What I did when traveling abroad was to have a list of items that I had priced at home and I made sure that duty+price was worth the effort of lugging stuff around. Remember too that you will be on your own as far as most repairs are concerned.

I remember many years ago guys getting motorcycles in Japan and bringing them home (Some rather ingenious shipping via military channels). Everything was fine till they found out that the models weren't always available here and hence no spare parts.

Have Fun
 
May 24, 2002 at 8:51 PM Post #10 of 22
You might find bargains in Australia - keep your calculator handly and calculate the real price, especially if you're going there with US$ or Yen. The A$ has been weak lately for some unknown reason, it's coming back now, but what seems expensive if you live there can be reasonable if you're based elsewhere.

My number one place to visit would be Noosa (Sunshine coast) for surfing/lying on the beach or if you have to go to Cairns there is a lot of great diving nearby. I was at Lizard Island a week ago and wish I was still. I firmly believe the city of Cairns (like Surfers Paradise) should be bulldozed so they can start again. You don't often see such a garish tourist trap. When based in Brisbane, north is the way to go! Noosa council very sensibly banned high-rise development on the beach so you can stay there until late afternoon without the shadows of buildings blocking your sun. Awesome restaurants there too. Try Bistro C, Season, and just about everywhere else.

In Sydney the Darling Harbor Aquarium is great - walk through an underwater tunnel and see sharks very close.
 
May 25, 2002 at 5:48 AM Post #11 of 22
Nothing much to visit in Oz. My bro came here to visit with his gf not too long ago...and they were like "um thats it?".

But shooping is good i guess? dunno.
 
May 27, 2002 at 12:12 PM Post #12 of 22
hmm dunno what's in brisbane that is decent.. yeah prob noosa, gold coast those type of things, but specifically in brisbane i dunno...

there's the casino in the cbd haha, but really small i reckon compared to jupiters on the gold coast..

i dunno about hifi as im not as big as most people on this forum. but i think the biggest shop is at aspley (northside of brisbane).

if you want something pretty scenic, prob mt cootha, that's the best place in brisbane for moutain biking as well
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the powerhouse in new farm is good for arts. i guess that region is the arts place, trendy clothes, trendy clubs there. prob full of yuppies haha

cheapest places for comp stuff is www.thediscshop.com.au (not sure of correct www) and www.gamedude.com.au (not sure too)

yeah i havent been around brisbane much even though i've lived here my whole life haha. oh if you want car racing, it's at ipswich, west of brisbane.
 
May 27, 2002 at 2:12 PM Post #13 of 22
Hey, are you only going to go sightseeing in Oz?
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You'd want to visit Ap Liu Street in Hong Kong. DIY heaven.
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If you're not into DIY now, you will be after going there
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There's also some real cheap big speakers to be had, no sure What-Fi they are though
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The distributor of Antique Labs in Hong Kong is on that street too. Hard to find though--and yesterday (Sunday) afternoon I went there and the doors are locked. :p Might have to go on Mon-Fri...
 
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May 27, 2002 at 2:27 PM Post #14 of 22
If you would stay in Hong Kong for 2 days, then spend 1 days in Mong Kong(a district name). You can go there by MTR (Mass Transit Railway). Go to exit E and you will see a building called Yau Sheng Commerical builing. On the 6 to 10 floor, you can buy cheap Japanese goods (Sony, Sharp, Panasonic, Audio Technica....etc) in the price half to the Japanese goods in your country.

But beware of dishonest seller. They may persuade you to buy things that you don't know. You have to know what you want to buy. Do price checking in that building before you buy anything.

The another half of the day in Ap Liu Street in Sham Shui Po(also a district name). Can be reached by MTR too. The shop that sells Antique Labs amp called Audio Space(if I remember correctly), it's near West Kowloon Center, on the first floor of an old building.
It sells MG Head OTL at $170.

Also in Sham Shui Po, there is a famous computer DIY center called Golden Computer Center. You can buy various computer components at low price.

I may be free on Sundays of July. If you visit Hong Kong at the right time, I may take you to have a look at these districts.

If you have any questions, post a new topic.
 
May 27, 2002 at 3:04 PM Post #15 of 22
MG Head OTL at $170?
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That's, like, just $5 more than the Porta Corda
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We *are* talking US dollars here aren't we? If that is in HK dollars...
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