Anh Thanh Video
Shop 29, Mid City Complex, 200 Bourke Street,
Melbourne
Phone: (03) 9662-2827
Anh Thanh have a fabulous selection of Chinese videos from both cinema and
television, and carry many titles on VHS that are otherwise unavailable via the Australian
and UK video labels. The downside is that the tapes are copied from various sources, and
the quality varies (e.g. the occasional disappearing subtitle). However, if you're not set
up to watch VCDs, this is your ticket to a lot of movies you may otherwise be unable to
see. Membership for tape hire is $30 for the refundable deposit and $1.00 for the
membership card. Membership for VCD or DVD is $25.00, plus $50.00 deposit. Tapes and VCDs
are $3.00 overnight, DVDs $5.00. The city store has also recently begun stocking cantopop
CDs and karaoke VCDs.
China Books
2nd Floor, 234 Swanston Street, Melbourne
Tel: (03) 9663-8822 Fax: (03) 9663-8821
Website: www.chinabooks.com.au
Email: info@chinabooks.com.au
This wonderful Chinese language bookstore is a treasure trove of Chinese art,
literature, language and culture. They also mail order all over Australia - see the website for details. Dropping in can be tricky, as
they close early (5:30pm), but it's well worth making the effort. Get your tapes to learn
Mandarin or Cantonese, a handful of Chinese Opera CDs and an armload of classic Chinese
literature: translated versions of all the wuxia classics are stocked, such as Journey
to the West (used as the base for the TV series Monkey), Romance of the
Three Kingdoms, and comic adaptions of Louis Cha's popular swordplay novels. If you
don't know what wuxia is, then read Spike's article on wuxia
right now, then get down to China Books and stock up.
Chinatown Cinema
200 Bourke Street, Melbourne
Phone: (03) 9662-3465
See my Chinatown Cinema page for more info
The Chinatown Cinema has two screens showing new Hong Kong movie double-bills six
days a week (closed on Tuesdays). Tickets are $12.00 for two movies. They also have the
entire range of Chinatown Video titles on sale in the foyer ($29.00 each), along with a
range of cool snack treats.
Comics World
Shop 20-21, 108 Bourke Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
(Paramount Centre)
Tel: (03) 9663-0779 Fax: (03) 9663-0797
Email: ching_hsiu@hotmail.com
This comics store is open seven days. They are jam-packed with shelves of Chinese
comics in big thick volumes. However, the stores also stock a selection of Chinese and
Japanese music CDs. The range is current and the prices are good ($25.50 is the standard
price or a new CD). You can also order any title with a 7 day turnaround (I suggest you
get a photo of the cover from the Internet first, unless you know and can pronounce the
Chinese title!). There are some soundtracks in stock, such as A Man Called Hero,
but mostly it's pop stuff. I enjoy going to Comics World a lot -
nice people, great prices!
Ha Ha Pty Ltd
208-210 Little Bourke Street, Melbourne
Tel: (03) 9663-3791 Fax: (03) 9662-9099
Ha Ha carry a huge range of goods: cantopop CDs and tapes, latest release VCDs,
Chinese computer games, all kinds of entertainment newspapers and magazines, comics, idol
photos, posters, jigsaws, and lots of other neat stuff. Their Asian music section is the
largest I've seen in Melbourne, and includes a handful of soundtracks; the Once Upon a
Time in China soundtrack is a perennial item.
HK-Video City
Shop C, 234 Russell Street, Melbourne
Tel: (03) 9663-6412 Fax: (03) 9663-7613
HK-Video City have a fine range of new tapes for rent. Most are from Hong Kong television
shows from the HK-TVB network (not subtitled, alas), but they also have some movies. There
is no joining fee, but a deposit is required, which varies with the amount of ID you
present - $30.00 is standard. Tapes are $3.00 overnight.
Hobby Japan
Shop 14, Mid City Complex, 200 Bourke
Street, Melbourne
Tel: (03) 9639-1219 Fax: (03) 9639-1219
Website: www.animex.com.au
Email: ax@animex.com.au
Hobby Japan is primarily an anime shop, but they also carry a large slab of the Chinatown
Video range for both sale and rent. They also have a good selection of Anime and Hollywood
DVDs for sale, with a few HK DVDs as well as VCDs. Check their website for the full range.
Annual membership for renting anime and Chinatown Video tapes from the store is $10, tape
hire is $2.50 overnight.
Inferno
1st Floor, 349 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne VIC
3000
Tel/Fax: (03) 9640-0304
This awesome counter-culture video store is a treasure trove of hep movies from all
over the world - martial arts, Italian horror, US sci-fi, it's all here. They buy, sell,
rent and exchange, and carry videos, CDs, posters, books and magazines.
Laser Concept
Shop 15, Tivoli Arcade, 235-251 Bourke Street,
Melbourne
Tel/Fax: (03) 9650-8363
Laser Concept is conveniently located smack in the middle of town, and rent out
LDs, VCDs and audio CDs. The latter is a unique feature, and makes them well worth joining
if you want to try some cantopop without shelling out $30 for a CD of an artist you
haven't heard before. VCD rental joining fee is $10, CD joining fee $10, and a combined
VCD/CD joining fee $15. VCDs and CDs are $3.00 per night, for a maximum of three nights.
In all cases an initial $50 deposit is required.
Mind Games
244 Swanston Street, Melbourne
Tel: (03) 9663-4603 Fax: (03) 9663-8332
Mind Games carry a complete range of roleplaying games, including the rulebooks and
supplements for Hong Kong movie-based RPGs: Hong Kong Action Theatre, Swords
of the Middle Kingdoms and Feng Shui.
Minotaur
121 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne
Tel: 9670-5414 Fax: 9670-7670
Website: www.minotaur.com.au
Email: shop@minotaur.com.au
Minotaur is a pop culture emporium, specialising in comics, music, movies and
television. They have a large range of sell-through Hong Kong videos, with heaps of tapes from the Chinatown Video,
plus the UK labels Made in Hong Kong and Eastern
Heroes. Expect to pay upwards of $50 for the UK imports. They also
carry books on HK film, as well as current issues of
magazines such as Giant Robot and Asian Cult Cinema.
Moviola
199-201 Lt Collins Street, Melbourne
Tel: (03) 9650-9983
Moviola is a movie specialty store, with lots of books and posters from Hollywood
films. Their selection of Hong Kong film books is not vast, but it's such a funky little
store it's well worth a visit. They have US posters for some John Woo and
Wong Kar-wai films. Prices range from $35 - $45.
One Stop DVD Shop
K1 Village City Centre, 206 Bourke Street,
Melbourne
Tel: (03) 9663-9801 Mob: (0411) 517-080
This cute little place is convenently parked right next to the Village Cinema in
Bourke Street. There are DVD players on sale, and also DVDs and VCDs for sale and rent.
Rental membership is $35.00 per year, $3.00 per day for VCDs and $6.00 for DVDs, plus a
credit card imprint is taken for each rental.
Po Hong Company
108-110 Bourke Street, Melbourne
Tel: (03) 9663-7333
On the Po Hong bag I have here they list themselves as: Publisher, Printer,
Stationer, Importer, Exporter, Books, Magazines, Newspapers, Stationery, Toys, Handicraft,
Printed Matter. Whew. Add in VCDs and music CDs and you have an idea of the scope of the
Po Hong experience.
Robot Sushi
12 Blight Place, Melbourne
Tel: (03) 9620-3646 Fax: (03) 9620-3647
Website: www.robotsushi.com
Okay, let me confess: this is not a Hong Kong Movie store. It's a
cool bar run by my friend Andre, one of our regular Chinatown Cinema crew.
Robot Sushi has a fine selection of Asian beers and sake. You can enjoy
sushi at lunchtime, and neat Japanese snacks in the evening. It's open
late, and the coffee is damn fine. Take the trouble to seek this
place out, it's a haven of bliss.
Star Wall
Shop 9, Mid City Complex, 200 Bourke Street,
Melbourne
Tel: (03) 9662-3331 Fax: (03) 9662-3331
Website: www.heroic-cinema.com/starwall/
Email: starwallaussie@heroic-cinema.com
The finest store in Melbourne. No shopping trip is complete without a visit to Star
Wall. A goldmine of Hong Kong movie merchandise, including T-shirts, soundtracks, VCDs,
postcards, posters, stills, phonecards, and more. You must go here. Open seven days from
midday to 7:00pm (2:00pm to 7:00pm on Sundays.)
Stars Photo
Shop 23A, Mid City Complex, 200 Bourke Street,
Melbourne
Tel: (03) 9662-2626 Fax: (03) 9662-2626
This is a photo processing outfit right near the entrance of the Mid City Arcade.
They carry stocks of posters of some of the bigger Hong Kong Movies - e.g. Love
Generation Hong Kong ($8.00), etc. They'll laminate anything, from posters to
bookmarks. They also have a bunch of Cantopop star photos on their window from various
Australian concerts. Nice pecs, Andy!
BOX HILL
This is my suburb. It's good for either a day trip or for the rest of your life. The
Chinese population keeps growing, and in Box Hill Central on the weekend you'd swear at
times you were in Kowloon - which is why I like it! The businesses are predominantly
Hongkie, with some from Taiwan, the Mainland and even a small strip of
Korean shops.
Anh Thanh Video
13-15 Carringon Street, Box Hill
Phone: (03) 9899-6992
Shop 5/115 Nicholson Street, Footscray
Phone: (03) 9687-0175
194 Victoria Street, Richmond
Phone: (03) 9428-2479
Video rental. See City store listing for details.
Anime Zone
908 Whitehorse Road, Box Hill
Tel: (03) 9899-1668 Fax: (03) 9898-1438
Website: www.animezone.com.au
Email: info@animezone.com.au
Now in a big new store - in fact, the largest premises for anime I've seen in all my
travels! As you can guess, the focus in Anime Zone is on anime, but Scott also carries a
few Chinatown Video titles for both sale and rent. Scott is a big HK movie fan from way
back, so get him going on the topic and see what you learn! While you're in there, check
the eye-popping range of Japanese models, keyrings, soundtracks, books and the occasional Michelle
Yeoh action figure (cool!). Annual membership is $10, tape hire is $2.50
overnight. If you can't make it into the shop, the brand new Anime Zone website offers
secure online ordering for a range of HK titles. (This store was formerly known as the Box
Hill branch of Hobby Japan.) Open Monday-Thursday 10:30am - 6:30pm, Friday 10:30am -
8:00pm, Saturday 10:30am - 6:00pm, Sundays and Holidays 11:00am - 5:30pm.
Century Culture Company
593 Station Street, Box Hill
Tel: (03) 9898-5166 Fax: (03) 9899-5166
This joint has everything - books, mags, CDs, beckoning cats, and some dreadfully kitsch
posters of cute babies. Ugh. But the rest of the stuff is cool, and you'll find plenty of
neat things to browse through. You can also rent and buy VCDs. Newer 1998 titles are $3.00
overnight and $30 to buy, but older titles are $2.50 overnight and a very reasonable
$15.00 to buy.
Comics World
7 Market Street, Box Hill VIC 3128
Tel: (03) 9899-8022
Email: ching_hsiu@hotmail.com
Comics for rent and CDs for sale. See the City store entry for details. The Box
Hill store does not seem to have many CDs on sale, but you can still order them from here.
Crown VCD
537 Station Street, Box Hill VIC 3128
Tel: (03) 98992788 Fax: (03) 9899-6580 Mob: (0417) 557-428
Yet another one of Box Hill's VCD stores, offering VCDs & CDs for both sale and
rent. This place can also sort your travel plans and your internet connection.
Eddie Jim Photography
554 Station Street, Box Hill
Tel: (03) 9898-1688 Mob: (0411) 401-458
Eddie is a cool guy who has worked as a photographer in the HK entertainment
industry. Check the front window for snaps of Eddie with Andy Lau, Leon
Lai and others. So, chat about HK movies with Eddie while you get your photos
developed or book his services for your wedding or portrait photography!
Hobby Japan
Shop 7/1 Market Street, Box
Hill
Tel: (03) 9899-8808
Website: www.animex.com.au
Email: ax@animex.com.au
This is the new Box Hill outlet for Hobby Japan. It has a few cool SDU
action figures and a couple of HK DVDs, but apart from that is almost
entirely devoted to anime products. Annual membership for renting anime tapes from the store is
$10:00, tape
hire is $2.50 overnight.
Instantlink Video CD
578 Station Street, Box Hill
Tel: (03) 9897-3311 Fax: (03) 9897-3533
Website: http://www.heroic-cinema.com/instantlink/
Email: chenfuqian@one.net.au
This is my favourite source for VCD hire. At Instantlink you'll find an unmatched
range of VCDs, a growing range of DVDs, and all-round excellent service from Andre
& family. You can also buy VCDs and DVDs - see the website for the
latest releases - plus affordably-priced DVD players as well. For VCD
rental, the joining fee is $25.00 with a $25.00 deposit, and rental is $2.50 overnight,
with rental extended by one day for every extra disc hired. There is also non-member rate
of $3.00 per night, with a $50.00 deposit.
(For a bit of fun, see me Y2K Lion Dance at Instantlink
photos!)
Jinette VCD / Leader VCD
16 Rutland Road, Box Hill
Tel: (03) 9899-3833 Fax: (03) 9899-3877
This is a friendly VCD & DVD store located just off Station Street. The range
is excellent. There is no joining fee, but an initial $50 deposit applies. VCDs are $3.00
overnight, with an extra day for each additional disc rented. This business was originally
called Jinette VCD, but I hear it has changed its name recently to Leader and is under new
ownership. Happily, the new guy is just as friendly!
Laser World
Shop 7, 938-940 Whitehorse Road, Box Hill
Tel: (03) 9899-6692
Laser World is a cosy little shop tucked away in an arcade. They predominantly
carry laser discs, and have a great range. They also have a selection of VCDs for both
rent and sale, and a burgeoning stack of DVDs. Membership is $25.00 for a year. VCDs are
$3.00 overnight, but you can save money by buying a ten-rental voucher for $25.00. You can
also pick up a VCD player - a single speed machine costs $330, and a quad speed costs $380
(info from James, a satisfied Laser World customer!).
Po Hong Company
601 Station Street, Box Hill
Tel: (03) 9890-4968
Stationer, VCDs, music CDs and more - see the City store listing for details.
Thuan Hung Grocery & Video Pty Ltd
55B Carrington Road, Box Hill VIC 3128
Tel: (03) 9898-1612
This grocery store has a counter down the back where you can rent ATV television
series on video. There is also a few VCDs. The refundable depsit $20.00 with a $1.00
joining fee to cover the cost of your membership card, and rental is $2.50 per day. As per
usual, each additional tape hired adds one day to your rental period.
FOOTSCRAY
Footscray has a high Vietnamese population, which is why the best spring rolls in
Melbourne are found right here! I haven't been over there in a long time, but here are a
few places:
Anh Thanh Video
Shop 5/115 Nicholson Street, Footscray
Phone: (03) 9687-0175
Video rental. See City store listing for details.
Ha Ha Pty Ltd
10 Paisley Street, Footscray
Tel: (03) 9687-9389
CDs, VCD, magazines and more! See the City store entry for details.
Ultimate Science Fiction and Fantasy
1st floor 152 Hopkins Street, Footscray
Tel: (03) 9362-0788
Website: www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Spa/1086/
Email: scifi@alphalink.com.au
This is a science fiction and fantasy shop in Footscray with a wide range of stuff
related to television, anime, movies, etc. They include some Chinatown Video tapes in
their range, and you can also order via their website.
RICHMOND
Victoria Street offers Melbourne's most bustling strip of Chinese and Vietnamese
businesses - from egg tarts to teak furniture to VCD players, this is where to go. I
haven't done a proper crawl yet, but we drive past a lot - just walk along Victoria
Street, and you'll find plenty of funky places for yourself.
Anh Thanh Video
194 Victoria Street, Richmond
Phone: (03) 9428-2479
Video rental. See City store listing for details.
Chinatown Video
23 Wangaratta Street, Richmond VIC 3121
Tel: (03) 9429-9555 Fax: (03) 9429-9333
Website: www.chinatownvideo.com.au
Email: info@chinatownvideo.com.au
Chinatown Video are Australian publishers of Hong Kong, Manga and Arthouse movies
on PAL VHS video. Although I list them in the Richmond section, they do not have a retail
store here - instead, you can get their tapes via mail order, or from video stores and
department stores around Australia. Check their website for the range, or email them for a
catalogue. Postage and packing free within Australia. The video
section of this site has my reviews of their recent titles. If you want to see the range,
far and away the best place in Australia to buy is the Chinatown Cinema foyer - they have
them all there.
SPRINGVALE
This outer east suburb has plenty of Vietnamese and Chinese
businesses. Here are just two of them:
Golden Video CD
283 Springvale Road, Springvale. (Opposite railway
station)
Tel: (03) 9562-4588 Fax: (03) 9574-2988
My good buddy Mike swears this is the largest VCD renter and retailer in Melbourne, and he
oughtta know.
JT VCD
25 Lenore Street, Springvale
Tel: (03) 9574-6668 Fax: (03) 9546-3338
I saw this place advertised in the The Chinese Australian Newspaper. I
haven't checked it out yet, so that's all I can tell you about it! Opening time varies
between Midday and 1:00pm, and closing time between 7:00pm and 8:00pm - aim for somewhere
in the middle and you should be fine.
This list of HK-related stores in Melbourne has been compiled at the
request of Ryan for inclusion in the Hong Kong
Movie Resource, a list of places to find HK film worldwide. Check it out, and
contribute if you can. Currently Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney are represented.
To print out this guide, remember to set your Page Setup options to
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