Australian Gifts for Overseas Friends and Hosts

Gift-giving for friends and hosts is always slightly tricky. It is even more difficult when travelling from Australia to France and staying with or meeting new people. I therefore asked some friends who came up with some great suggestions.

Sue from Adelaide had some suggestions especially for our Adelaide friends:

It is so hard to find things 'Made in Australia or South Australia' or that aren't big, bulky, or heavy!

• The little shop in Burnside Village on the corner near the rear carpark has some good quality souvenir type things, although they seem to have cut back and now have more clothes.
• Eamonn Vereker makes the glassware at his workshop in Norwood. I know glass could be breakable but he has small glass animals including koalas. 
• China plates/mugs of Aussie animals, birds, etc...available at some department stores and shops; also the Maxwell Williams brand. The smaller plates travel quite well as they are boxed. Good value.
• Not too familiar with the city, but the South Australian Museum shop is good. 
• 2 good shops in Adelaide Arcade (one with souvenirs, Essence of Australia, and one a card/newsagent that has the St Alban wool scarves & throws, good quality coasters, toys etc). 
• There's also an upmarket shop in Adelade Arcade, Tarts Collective , the little side arcade (Gay's Arcade) with local makers. But a bit pricy....
• There's always silk scarves, but I guess that's kind of personal unless you know the people. 
• CDs but hard to know people's taste... we've taken Tina Arena doing her French album.
• Toiletries: lotions, etc...Trelivings brand from department stores (good value), also Jurlique.
• Food: Kangaroo Island products - honey or other, Beerenburg, both have mini gift packs. Maggie Beer, Haigh's Chocolates, Baylies of Strathalbyn. Have a look in your supermarket in the gourmet section (or David Jones) for these. You may find some other surprises too!
• Picture/coffee table books on South Australia, one good one is Peter Dobre's 'South Australia's Natural Landscapes'.
• I usually take a few pens, pencils, bookmarks, keyrings, etc (from any keycutter-shoemaker) to give away to people we meet there, teachers, etc...
• I wish a clever person would make some good quality linens, not the gastly garish stuff that's been around since the Ark...

I also asked Fraussie from Aussie in France for her suggestions

• Macadamia nuts
• Beauty care products made of emu oil etc.
• French are pretty big into cosmetics and bath stuff and food
• If the person likes reading, you could get a book by an Australian author such as Alex Miller
• Australian animal hand puppet
• Children might like an Australian T-shirt. We always took the kids back T-shirts and they loved them. Australian Aboriginal T-shirts are very unusual.
• Small wall hangings of Aboriginal art. The ones with the X-ray animal paintings are always popular here (France).
• Shell jewellery: earrings or a little necklace. There's so much nice stuff that's not expensive at all and that you don't find here.
• Mugs for hot chocolate
• Fridge magnets
• Cute little koalas that you pinch to open
• Board games: Australian Monopoly or Scrabble

My Spanish friend, Isa, has requested that I bring material with Aboriginal artwork on it when I visit her in July. Her mother has previously made dresses out of material she bought from Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute.

Eamonn Vereker, 67 Sydenham Rd, NORWOOD SA 5067

Essence of Australia, Shop 39, Ground Floor, Adelaide Arcade, ADELAIDE SA 5000 

South Australian Museum Shop, North Terrace, ADELAIDE SA 5000
Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute, 235 Grenfell St, ADELAIDE SA 5000

Tarts Collective, Gay's Arcade, ADELAIDE SA 5000