Hay Street Mall and the parallel Murray Street Mall form the pedestrian shopping heart of Perth's CBD, a several-block stretch of mainstream retail that includes David Jones and Myer department stores, the major Australian chains, and a mix of international brands and local retailers. London Court (the Tudor arcade) connects Hay Street through to St George's Terrace, providing a more characterful shortcut than the surrounding glass-fronted shops. The malls are functional rather than inspiring as a retail experience, but they are well-shaded, air-conditioned in the arcades, and represent the practical core of city shopping.
The more interesting retail is in the streets around the malls and in the arcades that connect them. The Heritage Precinct around the old Treasury Buildings on St George's Terrace has some better independent shops. For genuinely distinctive Perth shopping — Indigenous art, Australian opals, local designer clothing — the better bets are the gallery shops in Northbridge (particularly around the Cultural Centre), the Fremantle Markets, and the boutiques of Subiaco's Rokeby Road. The CBD malls serve the practical needs of city workers and are convenient if you need to replace something or pick up mainstream goods; they are not a destination in themselves.