Tyabb Packing House Antiques Centre

Tyabb, about 60km from Melbourne, is a well known Antiques area. The largest centre in Tyabb is the Tyabb Packing House Antiques Centre . They claim it's the largest collection of antiques and collectables in Australia.

Tyabb Packing House Antiques Centre is divided into a number of complexes; the largest is the Packing House itself, which houses the majority of the antique dealers, the toilets and cafe. Behind the Packing House, there's a bunch of little stores and buildings which house anything from antiques, local crafts and what can only be described as junk. Not that I have anything against junk!

Highlights of the Packing House include antique costumes and accessories (stall in the main hall of the packing house to the left of the entrance); jewellery; books; china and porcelain, particularly Beswick and Royal Doulton. In general, there is a good turnover of stock meaning that it is always good to visit again and look at the new things.

A couple other stalls always worth a look are the stall to the right of the entrance - it's all colour coded and has all sorts of interesting stuff including chairs, some clothing and accessories such as parasols, and small glassware and porcelain such as wine decanters and teacups and saucers. Today she also had two giant portraits of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert up for grabs. Another stall is the art deco stall near the cafe. The dealer has only moved in recently and has some great art deco items including some great cigarette holders and picnic baskets.

I should also note that there is a lot of furniture of varying quality. There's a lot of traditional Australian-made stuff - not my thing but if you're into it, it's worth a look. The stalls in the middle have a selection of more high-quality mahogany and walnut furniture but I would advise checking the quality of it as it can vary.

I also highly recommend the cafe for lunch or afternoon tea. They are licensed and do great alcoholic milkshakes and serve a variety of local wines. They also serve lunches such as pasta, pies and baguettes and have a range of cakes for dessert. The quality is good and the menu changes regularly. Service is quick but it can get a bit frantic between 12-2 on the weekends.

Tyabb is well known as an antiques area and weekends can be very busy with coachloads of tourists. However, the Packing House is usually large enough that it isn't a problem.

Summary:
Tyabb Packing House Antiques Centre
14 Mornington-Tyabb Road, 3913.
Ph: (03) 5977 4414
Open: 10am - 5pm Thursday to Sunday and Public Holidays