Robyn Kirkland, owner of ‘At Robyn’s Nest’ in Warrimoo – a little store full of antiques, gifts and collectables including her current favourite item, a ‘tall artistic articulating giraffe’.
Story and photos by Julie Nance
Op shops, antique stores and other secondhand sellers in the Lower Blue Mountains offer an eclectic mix of practical, fun and rare pre-loved items. We took a tour of the treasure troves helping to boost the circular economy. From a unicycle to an 1800s sailing ship lamp, there is something for everyone! Learn where to go, what’s on offer and how you can reduce waste by donating your own gear.
Jump to a section:
- Interactive Map
- Charitable Op Shops
- Antiques & Collectables
- Secondhand Bookshop
- Free Stuff
- Donating Sustainably
- Check Out Katoomba Secondhand Shops
1. Interactive Map
Hover over the map (or click on mobile) to see details of each store. Click here to view the map full screen.
2. Charitable Op Shops
Vinnies Blaxland Shop
Karen Hurtado, staff member at Vinnies Blaxland who enjoys sharing her love of fashion and styling.
Address: 132A Great Western Hwy, Blaxland
Open hours: Mon – Sat 9am-4pm; Sun closed
Contact: (02) 4739 8402
Website: https://www.vinnies.org.au/nsw/shops/blaxland
What’s for sale:
This is a fabulous shop overflowing with secondhand bric-a-brac, books, toys, jewellery, clothing and accessories, DVDs, CDs, magazines, kitchenware, household items, linen, curtains, sporting goods and more. By shopping at Vinnies, you’re helping the Society continue its good works including providing homeless services for men, women and families; support for those living with mental illness; employment services for people with intellectual and other disabilities; budget counselling; and youth programs.
Select from a large array of pre-loved goods.
Favourite item:
Karen Hurtado: “I love fashion, so I enjoy presenting nice clothes on the mannequins. I like that the shop is here for everyone and by reusing, we are helping the planet.”
Getting there:
On the Great Western Highway, a few doors up from the petrol station. If you don’t score a park out the front, there’s a carpark at the rear of the shop. Walk up to the shopfronts via a small lane.
How to donate goods:
You can place your goods in the donation bins at the rear of the store in the carpark. If items aren’t suitable for the bins, you can donate items in store during trading hours. Leaving donations outside the shop can lead to weather damage, meaning they can’t be sold and will be sent to landfill.
There’s quite a few things Vinnies won’t accept including electrical items, furniture, cots and cot mattresses, bikes, baby prams and booster seats. Please don’t donate anything ripped, torn, stained, broken, cracked or unusable.
Volunteering:
Share your skills, develop new ones and make new friends. Ask about volunteering when you are in a Vinnies store or email: retailvolunteering@vinnies.org.au or visit www.vinnies.org.au/shopvolunteernsw
Rotary Recycles Op Shop
There’s a great atmosphere at the Rotary Recycles Op Shop, and a lot to choose from.
Address: 3/156 Great Western Hwy, Blaxland
Open hours: Mon – Fri 10am-4pm; Sat 9am-1pm; Sun closed
Contact: Manager Pamela on 0447 778 870
What’s for sale:
This social enterprise is a project of the Lower Blue Mountains Rotary Club, run by a close-knit group of Rotary and community volunteers. Proceeds support a wide range of youth, community and international projects. There’s an abundance of pre-loved clothes, knick-knacks, kitchenware, framed pictures, games, yarn, fabric, DVDs and small electrical goods, all tested and tagged by a local, volunteer electrician.
Favourite item:
Volunteer Diane Greenaway: “A small platter with a peacock is aesthetically pleasing and is a little bit different from the other stuff we have here at the moment.”
Volunteer Lois Gasking: “I particularly like a set of beautiful plates that would be perfect for a high tea.”
Op Shop volunteers Diane and Lois show off their favourite items for sale.
Getting there:
Located on the Great Western Highway, near the corner of View Street, Blaxland. There’s a little carpark at the rear of the shop as you turn the corner into View St, handy for dropping off items or loading bigger items into your car.
How to donate goods:
Donate items within business hours or place them in the basket at the back door. Avoid leaving goods outside the basket as they risk ending up at the tip if they are ruined. The shop doesn’t accept furniture, large electrical items, toys or babies’ clothes.
Volunteering:
If you’d like to lend a hand and have fun in the process, contact Manager Pamela on 0447 778 870.
Find out more:
Read about Rotary’s green initiatives: Lower Blue Mountains Rotary: Modelling a Path to Zero Waste.
3. Antiques & Collectables
Whimsical Notions Antiques
Don’t forget to look out the back when you visit this fascinating trip down memory lane.
Address: 293 Great Western Highway, Warrimoo
Open hours: Thursday to Sunday 9am-4pm
Contact: P: 02 4753 7700 M: 0411 332 537
Email: whimsicalnotions1@gmail.com
Website: www.whimsicalnotionsantiques.com
What’s for sale:
This little store is packed full of Victorian, Georgian, Art Nouveau, Edwardian, Art Deco and retro furniture, collectables and gifts. The website lists many of the items for sale and some prices. At the time of writing furniture included church pews and a retro rocking chair as well as pottery and ceramics, lighting, glassware, garagenalia (e.g. motor oil tins), tools (e.g. Japanese Fireman’s Axe and carpenter’s saw), radios and more. The website also includes ‘recent additions’ including a Sydney Harbour Bridge Walker’s Certificate signed on the grand structure’s 19 March 1932 opening.
Gordon Rodgers opened the shop 30 years ago and says you can buy items from $1 up to several thousand dollars. “Many people don’t realise we also have an area out the back with plenty more goods on sale. It’s always worth having a chat as you may end up with something free!”
Favourite item:
Gordon: “I’m fond of a late 1800s masthead lamp off a sailing ship – the size of it for one thing as they are usually a lot smaller. The only other one I’ve seen is in America on ‘1stDibs’ for $3,000.”
Gordon with the ship masthead lamp selling for $2,000, with a bargain $50 dressing table and small items below it.
Getting there:
Turn off the Great Western Highway onto the slip road where there is street parking. It’s located just up from Monte Italia restaurant.
Can you trade in your secondhand goods here?
Gordon: “Yes, we’ll trade in virtually anything.”
At Robyn’s Nest
The store’s owner Robyn Kirkland took out a 2023 Blue Mountains Local Business Award for antiques and gift shops.
Address: 282 Great Western Hwy, Warrimoo
Open hours: Friday, Saturday 10am-4pm; Sunday 10am-2.30pm
Contact: (02) 4753 7786
Email: atrobynsnest@hotmail.com
What’s for sale:
At this quirky little antique, gift and collectables shop you’ll find everything you didn’t think you needed and practical items thrown into the mix. When I visited there was a vintage wicker peacock chair, a 1950s glass cabinet, vintage toys, ornaments of all shapes and sizes, interesting lights, pictures and a book area where customers have been known to relax and read.
Robyn Kirkland has owned the shop for 19 years and says people come from everywhere to find “something quirky, a little bit different”. She says: “I try to source items that aren’t generally found elsewhere, and they are priced to sell, suiting the average person.”
There doesn’t appear to be any rivalry between Robyn and Gordon up the road. “He’s a great mate. We had dinner last night,” Robyn declares. Both Robyn and Gordon have helped locals after bushfires who have lost everything, giving them free furniture and household items.
The shop has three rooms and a garage full of interesting items and furniture. There’s a large turn-over of stock.
Favourite item:
Robyn: “I love the tall artistic articulating giraffe – I think he’s rather beautiful. I’m quite arty and realise arty things aren’t everyone’s cup of tea.”
Getting there:
Turn off the Great Western Highway onto the slip road where there is street parking. It’s located next to Murray’s Porters Liquor, not far from Warrimoo General Store and Post Office.
Can you trade in your secondhand goods here?
Robyn: “Yes, people can bring goods in or email me to see if I’m interested.”
4. Second-Hand Bookshop
Blue Dragon Books
What’s on the shelves is only a fraction of the books available, including online.
Address: Shop C, 11 Ross St, Glenbrook
Open hours: Mon-Fri 10am-5pm; Sat 9.30am-3pm; Sun 10am-2pm
Contact: (02) 4739 2466
Email: bluedragonbooks@aapt.net.au
Website: www.bluedragonbooks.com.au
What’s for sale:
Discover rare books, best sellers and everything in between at this wonderful shop opened by Mark and Diane O’Neill 16 years ago. It boasts thousands of titles, with an enormous stockpile of extra books in storage from which they add to the shelves every day. You can also shop online.
Mark says they have a wide cross-section of genres and categories including fiction, children’s fiction, non-fiction etc.
Favourite items:
Mark: “Lately we’ve been buying thousands of classic sci-fi books from the 60s and 70s, selling them in the shop and online. These books were not reprinted, and you don’t get that sort of artwork on covers anymore. We also have another massive collection of bird books collected by a late 70-year-old gentleman. They go back 100 years!”
Mark with books from the bird and classic sci-fi collections.
Getting there: Located at the back of the arcade, directly across from the carpark entrance.
Can you trade in your secondhand goods here?
The shop deals in quality second-hand books of all genres and categories. Mark says they are always short of certain categories of books including philosophy, classics and literature. “People don’t want to part with them and end up keeping them forever,” he says.
The store’s website explains the trade approach: “We have a credit system whereby books that a customer brings in that we wish to buy, we create a store credit to be used against future purchases of secondhand books. We do not buy any books on Sundays. Condition is very important; we preferably only stock books which have no age spotting and are not overly creased and worn. This especially applies to fiction, unless it is a classic or hard to get and out of print. We will pay cash for large collections, depending on what we have in stock and in storage.”
5. Free stuff
Blaxland Resource Recovery and Waste Management Facility
Fancy a unicycle, surfboard or games? There’s an ever-changing array of free goods on offer at the Reuse Shed.
Address: 28-30 Attunga Rd, Blaxland
Open hours: 8.00am-4.45pm, 7 days a week
Closed Good Friday and Christmas Day
Contact: (02) 4780 5000
Website: www.bmcc.nsw.gov.au/facility-drop-off/blaxland-resource-recovery-and-waste-management-facility
What’s on offer?
For almost 12 years the Reuse Shed has been offering an abundance of free goodies including furniture, books, toys, household items, sporting goods and more. When I visited the loot included a surfboard, golf clubs, fish tank, set of 8 dining chairs, lounges, office chairs, a large office desk, games, a basketball hoop and net, and a TV unit.
Favourite item:
As it is a help yourself approach at the Reuse Shed, I’ll nominate the unicycle as my favourite. I didn’t dare give it a test-run.
Getting there:
The Facility is located on Attunga Rd, Blaxland. To browse the Reuse Shed or to bring in items, arrive at least 15 minutes prior to closing time and wear closed footwear.
Bringing in items
The Fees & Charges 2023/2024 factsheet on the Facility’s website is a helpful guide.
Council staff rescue items from landfill and place them in the Reuse Shed for the community to take away for free. Regular disposal fees apply, so try to give your items away via online community groups or check with your local charity store before disposal at Resource Recovery and Waste Management Facilities. The following are accepted free of charge if they are source separated/sorted and uncontaminated: Household recyclables including paper; glass containers etc.; scrap metal including car bodies; e-waste such as TVs, desktop computers and printers; white goods e.g. stoves and refrigerators; expanded polystyrene; X-rays & PP5 plant pots. Households in the Blue Mountains community can book in to have a Kerbside Pick Up for certain items. Check https://www.bmcc.nsw.gov.au/BookedWasteService
The facility also has a Textile Recovery Bin where you can drop off clothes and accessories such as belts, hats and shoes. You can also donate home and outdoor soft furnishings, towels, sheets, cushions and soft toys.
The Textile Recovery Bin, located not far from the Reuse Shed.
Find out more
Read about the innovations happening at the Blaxland Resource Recovery and Waste Management Facility: Turning Tonnes of Trash into Treasure.
6. Donating sustainably
- Secondhand stores don’t accept anything broken, stained, soiled, torn, wet or unusable, or used underwear or socks. The Vinnies website explains it well: “If you’d give it to a mate, it’s perfect to donate! If you wouldn’t buy it yourself or gift it to a friend, don’t expect others will.”
- Take donated items in during business hours. Avoid leaving items out where weather can wet or damage them.
- Know what stores take what. Avoid donating indiscriminately. If unsure, and for non-standard items, try calling.
- Take unsaleable items including textiles to the Blaxland Resource Recovery and Waste Management Facility.
7. Katoomba’s op-shops & second-hand shops
Visit:
Katoomba’s Boom in Secondhand Shops
Katoomba Op Shops & Antique Stores Driving the Circular Economy
This story has been produced as part of a Bioregional Collaboration for Planetary Health and is supported by the Disaster Risk Reduction Fund (DRRF). The DRRF is jointly funded by the Australian and New South Wales governments.
More from around the region
We all need clean air to breathe, but how can we tell how clean our air is?
Thankfully the Air Watch subcommittee of Blue Mountains Unions & Community has worked for years to find ways to help us measure the quality of the air we breathe. Over the past year the Blue Mountains Planetary Health Initiative has worked with them to install Purple Air Quality monitors across our bioregion from Lithgow to the Lower Mountains. You can now view real time air quality on each of our Local News Sites!
Air Watch`s Purple Air quality monitors give the Blue Mountains` 78,000 residents, workers and 3 to 5 million/year visitors the power to make timely, informed decisions about their activities and health. It will also be a reliable source of data for the scientific community.
To coincide with the start of the Bushfire Season on Tuesday 1 October, we`re inviting the whole community to join us to launch Air Watch Blue Mountains and Lithgow at the Planetary Health Precinct. If you`d like to join us book a place here https://bit.ly/4dp2qko (link in profile)
#airquality #purpleair #bluemountainsunionscouncil #planetaryhealth #bluemountains #katoomba #bushfireseason
Today`s the day for the Blue Mountains Sustainability Festival! @bluemtns_sustainability_fest
We`ll be at the Speakers Forum at the Blue Mountains Cultural Centre at 10.15, talking about volunteer opportunities with the Blue Mountains Planetary Health Initiative, and then giving a presentation at 2.30pm. There`s a jam-packed speakers program, community stalls and workshops, and a Shopping Trail through Katoomba and Leura. You can find more information on the website at https://resilientbluemountains.org/sustainability-festival/
#sustainability #slowfashion #slowshopping #fashiontrail #circulareconomy #planetaryhealth #community #katoomba
Our newsletter is out! Read about the Blue Mountains Sustainability Festival this Saturday, the Air Watch Launch next Tuesday and the upcoming World Animal Day: Promoting Respectful Cohabitation Event at the Planetary Health Precinct on 5 October. And check out the comprehensive Springwood & Lower Mountains Repairers Guide (link in profile): https://bit.ly/3TJiKFR
You can subscribe to receive this newsletter via any of our local news sites.
#sustainability #biodiversity #worldanimalday #airwatch #airqualitymonitors #sustainablefashion #circulareconomy #planetaryhealth
The Blue Mountains Planetary Health Initiative is hosting its first World Animal Day Event on Saturday 5 October at the Planetary Health Precinct (former Katoomba Golf Course at 33-39 Acacia St Katoomba). It will be a fun-filled and informative day with stalls, presentations, storytelling for children by Sharon Baldwin and Naomi Crew, children’s craft by Julie Refferty, a Wildlife Exhibition including work by Merryl Watlkins and Holly Jayne, live music by Mem Davis, Joe Flood and Duck Keegan, plant based food provided by Bibi’s Kitchen and Clean Cravings, and a Plant Based Cheese Degustation to launch the Plant Inspired Community Cooking Project.
Bookings for this free day via Eventbrite (link in profile)
Stalls and presentations will run from 9am to 2pm but a highlight before the event will be a Breakfast with the Birds, led by Paul Nagle from the Blue Mountains Bird Observers. People are encouraged to bring binoculars for a guided bird walk around the Planetary Health Precinct, visiting different habitats on the site to observe and talk about the birdlife that are resident and those that visit the site.
The Blue Mountains Bird Observers will also join WIRES, Wombat Rescue, Action for Animals Blue Mountains, the Blue Mountains Conservation Society and others to provide more information on how we can best live with the many species that share our common home.
During the day the Women’s Shed will demonstrate how to make a Possum Box and provide suggestions on how to manage possums that have chosen our roof spaces for their homes. There will be a session on Biodiversity Sensitive Urban Design which will include actions everyone can take to support more biodiversity in urban areas. For those who’d like to get hands on experience doing this there will be an opportunity to observe and learn more at the Planetary Health Bushcare Group from 1.30-4.30pm.
Guest speakers throughout the day will include Elizabeth Ellis, author of Australian Animal Law; Hal Ginges, Action for Animals; Mark Berriman, President of the Australian Vegetarian Society, NSW; and Teya Brooks Pribac, author of Enter the Animal and Not Just Another Vegan Cookbook.
#plantbased #worldanimalday
Healthier Waterways, Happier People: Springwood resident Phillip Birtles believes that there is an essential connection between people and water. Through his work at Sydney Water, he taps into that connection, strengthening it and contributing to healthier, happier communities while simultaneously improving waterway health. Read more in Springwood Area Local News (link in profile): https://springwoodlocalnews.com/healthier-waterways-happier-people/
#healthierwaterways #waterforlife #planetaryhealth
Find out how the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service built a rain garden with the help of NPWS Bushcare volunteers. The garden filters water from the roof of the new shelter in Blackheath and slows runoff, limiting erosion. It reduces nutrient levels, disadvantaging introduced weeds. Watch the video and read the full story in Blackheath Area Local News (link in profile): https://blackheathnews.com/a-rain-garden-for-community-and-country/
#howtovideo
Find out how @nswnationalparks built a rain garden with the help of NPWS Bushcare volunteers. The garden filters water from the roof of the new shelter in Blackheath and slows runoff, limiting erosion. It reduces nutrient levels, disadvantaging introduced weeds. Watch the video and read the full story in Blackheath Area Local News (link in profile): https://blackheathnews.com/a-rain-garden-for-community-and-country/
#raingardens #stormwater #watermanagement #gardenbeds #blackheath #planetaryhealth #bushcare
Local permaculture expert, Rowe Morrow, has adapted her home to reduce her impact on the environment, cope with climate change, flooding, heat, drought, fire and rising energy and food costs. She provides inspiration and guidance for how we can too. Read more in Katoomba Area Local News (link in profile):
https://www.katoombalocalnews.com/rowe-morrow/
#permaculture #permaculturedesign #planetaryhealth #rowemorrow #rosemarymorrow #katoomba #systemicthinking #systemdesign #ecologicaldesign
The South Eastern Glossy Black Cockatoo is one of Australia`s rarest native birds, with a population of just 8,000. Happily the staff and students at Glenbrook Public School were not willing to give up on the flocks who make their home in the Blue Mountains region, with the Glossy Black Cockatoo as the theme for their recent National Science Week program. Read more in Lower Mountains Local News: https://lowermtnslocalnews.com/glossy-black-cockatoos/ (link in profile)
#endangered #vulnerable #biodiversity #glossyblackcockatoos #lowermountains #glenbrookpublicschool #planetaryhealth #generationrestoration @glenbrookpublicschool
The Blue Mountains Planetary Health Initiative is looking forward to having a stall at the @glenbrookrotarymarkets this Saturday, alongside the RFS! Come along and say hello, share your stories and learn more about exciting upcoming events and programs and how we`re working collaboratively to strengthen community and prepare for future extreme weather events. You can read one of our previous stories about the Markets in Lower Mountains Local News: https://lowermtnslocalnews.com/glenbrook-rotary-markets/ (link in profile)
#rotary #rotaryinternational #markets #lowermountains #planetaryhealth #beprepared #community #environment #sustainableliving
The Mid-Mountains Garden Festival is celebrating its 40th Birthday, showcasing nine local gardens across Lawson, Linden, Woodford and Hazelbrook. These inspiring gardens can be viewed today and next weekend. Read more in Mid Mountains Local News: https://bit.ly/3zkILnO (link in profile)
#gardenfestival #inspiration #spring #MidMountains #gardenideas #natureconnection #planetaryhealth
@midmountainsgardenfestival
Today we`ll be at the @bluemountainsculturalcentre for a fantastic Biodiversity Discovery Day! Come and check it out.
#biodiversity #spring #planetaryhealth #togetherwecan #restorethehealthofourplanet
