Chadstone Shopping Centre facts for kids
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| Location | Malvern East, Victoria, Australia |
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| Coordinates | 37°53′16″S 145°04′57″E / 37.88767712473403°S 145.08256453887242°E |
| Address | 1341 Dandenong Rd, Malvern East VIC 3145 |
| Opening date | 3 October 1960 |
| Developer | Novion Property Group |
| Management | Vicinity Centres |
| Owner | Colonial First State Retail Property Trust and Vicinity Centres (50%) Gandel Group (50%) |
| No. of stores and services | 530 |
| No. of anchor tenants | 10 |
| Total retail floor area | 230,442 m2 (2,480,457 sq ft) |
| No. of floors | 5 |
| Parking | 10,944 spaces |
Chadstone Shopping Centre, often called Chaddy, is a huge shopping centre in Malvern East, a suburb of Melbourne, Australia. It is known as the largest shopping centre in Australia and also claims to be the biggest in the Southern Hemisphere.
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Getting to Chadstone
Chadstone Shopping Centre is easy to reach by bus. There are 11 bus routes that connect it to nearby areas like Chadstone and Caulfield. These buses are run by CDC Melbourne and Ventura Bus Lines.
While there isn't a train station right at Chadstone, you can take a bus from nearby stations. The closest train stations are Hughesdale and Oakleigh on the Pakenham and Cranbourne lines. You can also get there from Holmesglen and East Malvern on the Glen Waverley line.
For visitors, the Chadstone Tourist Shuttle offers daily trips from Federation Square in Melbourne city directly to the shopping centre and back. If you're driving, Chadstone has many multi-level car parks with over 10,944 spaces.
Chadstone's Story
Chadstone Shopping Centre has a long and interesting history, growing from open fields into the huge shopping destination it is today.
How It Started
Before Chadstone was built, the land was mostly open paddocks where cattle grazed. In the mid-1950s, a company called Myer bought the land.
The idea for Chadstone came from Ken Myer, who was inspired by large shopping centres he saw in the United States. He wanted to create a similar place in Melbourne where people could drive and find everything they needed in one spot. Construction began in February 1959.
Opening Day in the 1960s
Chadstone Shopping Centre first opened its doors on 3 October 1960. It was a big deal because it was the first large, self-contained shopping centre in Melbourne and the biggest in Australia at that time. It changed how people shopped, moving away from just city streets to these new mall-style centres.
When it first opened, Chadstone was an open-air mall with 73 stores. It had a large Myer department store and a Dickins New World supermarket. It was designed to be a "one-stop-shop" with services like a post office and a child-minding centre. In 1964, an American-style bowling alley called Chadstone Bowl was added under the Myer store.
Changes in the 1980s
In 1983, the Gandel Group bought Chadstone Shopping Centre. This led to many big changes. One of the most important was in 1984 when the open-air mall was covered with a roof. This made shopping much more comfortable, especially during Melbourne's changing weather.
More expansions followed, including a new two-level wing with a new Coles supermarket. In 1986, an 8-screen Hoyts Cinema Complex opened, giving shoppers more entertainment options.
Growth in the 1990s
The 1990s brought even more growth to Chadstone. In 1990, The Galleria Mall was built, which included Australia's very first food court. This was a new idea, offering many different food choices in one place.
In 1995, a Kmart store opened, and the first of many multi-storey car parks were built to handle more visitors. By 1996, a new "Loop Mall" was added, bringing the total number of stores to 325.
A major expansion happened between 1997 and 1999. The Myer store was rebuilt and expanded, and a new David Jones department store opened. This made Chadstone even bigger, with 385 stores. The Hoyts cinema also grew to 17 screens, offering more movies.
The 2000s and Beyond
In the early 2000s, Chadstone continued to grow. An entertainment area opened with a Timezone arcade, a relocated AMF Bowling alley, and many food outlets.
Chadstone aimed to reclaim its title as the "largest shopping centre in Australia." To do this, major redevelopments took place. In 2008, a new area called "Chadstone Place" opened, featuring a new Woolworths supermarket, an Aldi supermarket, and other stores.
Another big redevelopment started in 2008, focusing on the oldest part of the centre. In 2009, a new luxury wing opened, featuring stores from famous international fashion brands like Louis Vuitton, Gucci, and Prada. After these changes, Chadstone once again became the largest shopping centre in Australia and the Southern Hemisphere.
Modern Chadstone: 2010s and 2020s
The 2010s and 2020s saw even more massive expansions. In 2014, a huge $580 million expansion began. This included a new Target store that opened in 2015, featuring a cafe and other unique services.
On 13 October 2016, a major part of the $660 million redevelopment opened. This new section, called "The New Chadstone," featured a stunning glass-roofed atrium and over 60 new stores, including flagship H&M, Uniqlo, and Zara stores. New food areas like "Food Central" and "The Dining Terrace" also opened, along with a new state-of-the-art Hoyts Cinema.
A fun addition in 2017 was the Legoland Discovery Centre, an indoor theme park that was the first of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere. In 2019, a 250-room hotel, M Gallery by Sofitel, also opened.
More recently, in the 2020s, Chadstone has continued to evolve. Parking areas were upgraded, and a new dining, entertainment, and leisure precinct called "The Social Quarter" had its grand opening on 1 March 2023. This area features exciting new entertainment options like Archie Brothers Cirque Electrique, Strike Bowling, Holey Moley, and Melbourne's first Hijinx Hotel. It also added new restaurants and a brewery.
By March 2025, even more new areas opened, including "The Market Pavilion" with a large Woolworths supermarket and 50 new shops. A new office building, One Middle Road Tower, also opened, offering office spaces, a skygarden, and a childcare centre.
What You Can Find at Chadstone
Chadstone Shopping Centre is home to a huge variety of stores and attractions. With over 230,442 square metres of space, it has something for everyone.
Major stores include:
- David Jones
- Myer
- Kmart
- Target
- Aldi
- Coles
- Woolworths
- Fashion brands like Cotton On, Culture Kings, H&M, Sephora, Uniqlo, and Zara
- Specialty stores like Muji, Apple, Rebel, and JB Hi-Fi
- Entertainment options like Archie Brothers Cirque Electriq, Hijinx Hotel, Holey Moley, Strike Bowling Bar, Legoland Discovery Centre, and Hoyts Cinema.
Images for kids
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Aerial panorama of Chadstone Shopping Centre and its surrounds
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Chadstone Shopping Centre aerial perspective facing south
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Aerial panorama of Chadstone Shopping Centre with the Dandenong Ranges on the horizon
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Ground level shops towards Myer
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Western wing shops
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Lower Ground level shops
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Ground Floor shops
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"Food Central" food court
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Level 1 restaurants
See also
- List of shopping centres in Australia
