A short, pedestrianised stretch of Elizabeth Street between Liverpool and Collins streets, with the usual mix of mainstream Australian retailers, food courts in the arcades behind, and a handful of long-running independent shops. The Mall is the busiest pedestrian space in the city outside Saturday's Salamanca Market — buskers in summer, lunchtime rallies on quieter days, and a flow of office workers and shoppers throughout.
For visitors, the main interest is the Cat and Fiddle Arcade off the western side, an idiosyncratic 1962 shopping arcade whose namesake clock features mechanical animations of the nursery rhyme every hour. Hidden side lanes leading off the Mall, particularly Wellington Court and Centrepoint Arcade, hold the city's small independent bookshops, vintage clothing, and specialty food shops.