If you’re looking for a place in Melbourne to have all of your shopping needs met at once, don’t sleep on DFO South Wharf. Whether you’re taking public transport or driving in for a day trip, we’ve got you covered on the best way to get there too. DFO South Wharf is a haven for retail outlets, especially if you love well known brands of clothing and accessories. In this guide, we’ll take you through some of the best stores on offer here, along with the best places to take a break and have a bit nearby. 

Getting To DFO and Best Parking

Being right in the heart of Melbourne City, DFO South Wharf is easy to get to via public transport. Your best bet would be to take a train or tram over to Southern Cross Station, from there it’s a short and accessibility-friendly walk to DFO. If you’re planning on a much bigger day of retail therapy and don’t want to navigate the trains and trams with handfuls of shopping bags, driving there and finding a good car park is not out of reach either. The main DFO car park is easy to spot, but a little pricey at $24 for a two hour stay. If you’re not opposed to a 10 minute walk, there are plenty of cheaper options. We suggest parking in behind it at the Montague Street car park, which will only cost you $16 for all day parking. For those not opposed to a slightly longer walk, don’t miss the two hours of free parking at Aldi South Melbourne. It’s about a 20 minute walk away from DFO, but if it’s a nice day for a walk, it’s another great option. If you’re planning to stay longer than two hours, you can pay for any extra hours thereafter. The daily max is $33.

ANZ Bank

Now that you’ve made your way there, you’re probably going to want to find an atm. The ANZ Bank at South Wharf can be found behind the escalator in the Food Court, in between Dolce Gelateria and the Jooce Lab.

Eateries and Coffees

Retail therapy is thirsty work, and a good session will usually span over lunch time too. DFO doesn’t disappoint when it comes to food options, but we’ve picked out a few of our favourites for you anyway.

Studio Coffee

There are a bunch of great places to find a cuppa in DFO, but Studio Coffee is our favourite. This place comes with the added bonus of not just having great coffee, but being a real all-rounder. They do meals, milkshakes, and coffee – what’s not to love!

Espresso Room

If you’re looking for a quick bite and a cuppa at an affordable price point, Espresso Room will probably be a winner in your books. They have an assortment of ready-to-go bakery style eats to go along with your cuppa joe.

Billie’s Bites & Bar

If you’re after more of a sit-down affair during your break from retail heaven, give Billie’s Bites & Bar a squiz. They have some great burgers and bigger meals such as chicken parmas that might tickle your fancy.

Nike Factory Store

If you’re a sneakerhead or you’re just looking for some quality shoes to exercise in, you’ll be pleased to learn that there’s a Nike Factory outlet within DFO South Wharf. This outlet stokes old and new season shoes, with the older ones still perfectly functional and attracting a much nicer price point, to boot.

Calvin Klein 

If you’re after something a bit fancy to wear under your clothes that’s also comfy and high quality, don’t miss CK while you’re at DFO. There are usually some pretty great deals here on comfy basics and fancy bras.

Tommy Hilfiger

Tommy Hilfiger’s DFO outlet is known for its bargain price sales on high quality fashion outfits. Pretty much every time we’ve visited, they’ve had a heavily discounted sale rack of some sort in the store. 

Bonds

If you’re after a clothing store that caters to the needs of your entire family and is a trusted Aussie household name, do not miss the bonds outlet. They have everything underwear, comfy, and loungewear that you could desire really. From the iconic baby zippy onesies to period panties and quality track pants, you’ll find something you’ll love in here, at a heavily discounted price most of the time too.

Converse

If you’re on the hunt for timeless street shoes, converse is a pretty easy choice. As a bonus, the more classic styles have barely changed since the 90’s, so grabbing last season’s stock is a bit of a no-brainer. 

Kathmandu

Kathmandu South Wharf is an example of an outlet store done right. There are heaps of bargains here, and it’s not uncommon to even find some current stock at marked down prices. This is the place to come for your warm jackets and trekking gear. This one is a real gem.

Peter Alexander

Peter Alexander is an Australian classic when it comes to sleepwear, but the price tags are often not for the faint of heart. Some relief there can be found at their outlet store, check it out for your upcoming birthdays and Christmas presents, they tend to be a hit with everyone.

Polo Ralph Lauren

A Polo Ralph Lauren discount store seems like a great place to snag a bargain initially, but unfortunately this is one brand where the quality has waned in recent years. We’ve found that our newer polos from this outlet simply don’t stand up to the same quality that our ten-year-old polo shirts have given us, even after a couple of washes. If you’re not opposed to fast fashion and you’re just in it for the label, by all means grab some cheap shirts here. Otherwise I’d probably avoid this one.

Bed Bath N’ Table

If you’re big into homewares, this is the store that is most likely to tickle your fancy. Found in most fancy shopping centres such as Highpoint and Chadstone, the brand is well known for its gorgeous bedding sets and decor. This is basically the same thing, without the $200 price tag for a queen bed set.

Matchbox

Matchbox is a great one if you’re looking to grab something for the kitchen and want to buy quality items the first time around, rather than replacing what you’ve got every few years. Personally, I got a decent knife set from there 18 years ago and I still use it to this day. This is a great store to get a decent pot and pan set too.

This is by no means an exhaustive list of the treasures that South Wharf DFO has to offer, but we’re hoping that it’ll give you a great idea of what to expect and how best to get there. Basically, this is the place to visit for fashion, homeware and kitchen purchases if you’re after a bargain and you know which shops to visit and which ones to avoid. Thanks for reading and we hope that you enjoy your big day out at the shops.