Something Melbourne

I went for a walk yesterday. I starting heading in no particular direction and came across a place that I had heard off only a few night nights ago, Star of the Sea. It is said to be a beautiful church, full of  stain glass windows and other works of art. However, there was a wedding rehearsal happening so I was unable to go inside.  Continuing on my walk, I stumbled upon a souvenir shop called “Something Melbourne”. I looked around, comparing the boomerangs and other trinkets to other various I had seen the in Victorian Market as well as other souvenir shops. In a back I found a whole bin of small wooden boomerangs. Upon examination, however, I found they all had stickers that said “Made in Indicia”. Then I started looking closer at some of the other items in the shop. Many had that same sticker, or “Made in China”. In the end there was only about a third of the store with products actually made entirely in Australia. Items included prints and glassware by Aboriginal artists, medium to large boomerangs, leather wallets, and animal pelts.

I found it very frustrating to be looking for authentic Australian made gifts only to find a Made in China sticker on many of the items. There seem to always be a cheaper, both in price and in quality, outsourced version of local iconic objects in souvenir shops. Not just in Australia but in the US as well. In the end I did not buy anything because I know where some better shops are. The whole experience, however, begs the question why the authenticity of trinkets that will only be used to display ever matters? I suppose its so I can say it’s Australian rather than I got it in Australia.