Most Weird and Interesting Shops in Melbourne CBD and around

Are you visiting Melbourne? Are you tired of those big malls and the bling showrooms? Well here is you guide to take a look at some of the most interesting and weird shops in Melbourne. So grab that coffee, hold on to your map, and head to the shops and boutiques that we're going to talk about and find something unique and special. Make your shopping experience in Melbourne special by visiting these great shops!

I've also put in maps below each of these awesome shops so you can take a print out of my Hub and use it while you're on your day out in Melbourne. Have fun!

Are you crazy about all supernatural activities, ghosts, haunted houses and more? Dive deep into Melbourne's 'The Haunted Bookshop', an occult bookshop that houses books on tarot, ghosts, witchcraft, satans, divination, vampires and much more. This bookshop is the starting point of the famous 2 hour famous Melbourne Ghost Tour.

Website: The Haunted Bookshop

I was always under the impression that magicians were just born and not made. Pretty stupid eh? With Bernards Magic Shop, you can aspire to become a magician too! Browse through a whole range of magic utilities, magic trick books, magic tools, illusions and much more. Is magic your dream, profession, hobby, fascination or simply curiosity? You'll find all magic related products here in the heart of Melbourne CBD.

Website: Bernards Magic Shop

If you can digest some really gross stuff, the Wunderkammer on Londsdale Street in Melbourne CBD is worth checking out. Because Wunderkammer (off Barry Lane) is a place that will pull you out of your living wits with their fossils, skulls and skeletons, antique medical equipment, variety of flesh eating plants – you get the vibe, don't you? If a dead rat in a glass jar excite, head off to WunderKrammer right away. Shopping in Melbourne was never this thrilling, was it?

Website: Wunderkammer

What do think a 'pure train shop' is? Definitely not a place where they sell trains! This quaint shop in Melbourne sells all possible books and materials related to trains. In existence since 1973, Train World offers miniature locomotives train sets, coffee table train books, paints, train accessories and a range of 'Thomas, The Tank Engine' set. And since Melbourne loves its trams, they offer tram kits too. This is a must check out shop in Hawthorn if you or your kids get a kick out of, well, trains. Hawthorn is a 15 minute train ride from Melbourne CBD (Flinders Street Station).

Website: Train World

As you may have already guessed by now, this quirky shop houses everything from crystal balls to dragon blood to magic wands to healing gemstones. You can also get your tarot cards read by an authentic clairvoyant. Far away from Melbourne CBD, but defiantly worth the ride, I say. Why not combine this trip with a drive around the Dandenong ranges and witness the surrounding natural beauty of the place too?

Website: Oracle of Sassafras

We don't call this weird, but this shop is surely very interesting and exotic. Do you love tea? If you do, you must visit T2 Tea on Bourke Street. If you want to give yourself a connoisseur's whiff of more than 180 teas in connoisseur's tea cutlery (yes, Moroccan glasses!), T2 is your haven. If Turkish Apple, Silver Needles (mushrooms with a hint of sugarcane and cocoa) or Red Choc Mint (a chocolatey peppermint tea) sound interesting to you, T2 should be your next destination. Can someone please tell me how they can possibly configure a Strawberries and Cream Tea? Talk about being quirky!

There is a Peter Jacksons clothing store on the corner of Elizabeth Street and Little Collins Street. T2 Tea is right behind it.

Website: T2 Tea

A place that stocks only varieties of buttons! Really? Yes, Buttonmania has a button to match every single piece of clothing in this world, well, almost. Buttons of glass, ceramic, wood, plastic, cloth hand painted ones, you couldn’t ask for more. This shop is on Swanston Street in Melbourne CBD.

Website: Buttonmania

When a graphic designer opens up a knick knacks shop, you know it’s going to special, isn’t it? Sylvia Tai's products are functional, useful yet whacky and out-of-the-backs. Whether you want to buy dog shaped buckle belts for your niece, tin robots for your daughter or some handmade glass jewelery for your mum, Shop Sui is here to fulfil all your eclectic, whacky needs. On a separate note, Gertrude Street (in Collingwood suburb) is also home to some other boutique style shops that are pretty fancy. It is a 10 minute tram ride from Bourke Street in Melbourne CBD.

Website: Shop Sui

Do you fancy trying a pizza for desert? Or a pizza with nachos on top (The Gringo Pizza)? Not weird enough? What about nutella, raspberry lollies and chocolate sauce on pizza (The Bumpy Lane Pizza)? That was weird enough for me! If this dose of 'the weird' isn’t good enough for you, I don’t know what is! Check out the whacky names of their made-up pizza variety: Kaas Kop, Woodsman, Go Bananas (yikes!), Dog's Breakfast (really!), Ali Baba, and the quirky list goes on. Although train is quickest to Clifton Hill from Melbourne CBD (10 minutes on Epping train line), I like taking the tram #86 because it goes via Smith Street in Collingwood which is a shopping hub.

Website: Mojo's Weird Pizza

I think that this list covers some weird shops, some interesting shops, some very funky shops and some, well, just plain random. Plan a day or two to visit these shops and enhance your experience of Melbourne.

For exciting travel tips on Melbourne, check out my other hubs at Princesswithapen on HubPages.