Australian Hobby Shops.

[Peterm]

I went to Austral Modelcraft and was impressed not only with the range and variety of their stock, but also their willingness to chat and give some insight into their own experiences.

Which is why you often can't get in the door for all the old men lounging around the checkout counter

Yep, and I was probably one of them. Ray and Eileen are always ready to pass the time of day and do have a good amount of stock for us expats.

[AustralisRico]

A 'new' hobby shop I found recently is Australian Modeller, it's specifically trains and supplies only Australian stuff (which can be harder to find at other places).

https://www.australianmodeller.com.au/

I just bough 4 ESU lokpilot decoders from them for $35 each, seemed to be the only place that had much stock even hattons didn't have this.

There is also Alco world and Casula hobbies. I wouldn't go near Bergs hobbies as his prices are usually more expensive than even Hobbyco in the city.