Christmas Island isn’t known as a shopping destination, but its duty-free status means you can pick up plenty of bargains.

Most shops are located at the Barracks shopping centre on Gaze Road or the Poon Saan shopping centre.

As well as general groceries and healthcare items, you’ll find plenty of souvenirs, crafts, clothes, and handy holiday accessories such as fishing and snorkelling gear.

Christmas Island has a little-known shopping secret: the whole island is duty free! That means you can score a great deal on popular duty-free items such as fragrances, leather goods, electronics, jewellery, watches and sunglasses.

It also means Christmas Island has some of the cheapest alcohol in Australia – perfect for treating yourself to a beer or a gin and tonic as the sun goes down.

Other facilities

Christmas Island has most of the facilities you’d expect to find in a small country town, including:

• a bank (Westpac) and ATMs. Most shops and restaurants also accept credit and debit cards
• a pharmacy
• a small hospital, which includes GP and dental services
• a post office
• a police station
• several restaurants, cafes and pubs.