The northern corridor has its first shopping centre at Eglinton, and after a few weeks of trading the verdict from locals looks straightforward: about time, and in the right spot.
Eglinton Shopping Centre sits at 1K Imperial Entrance, just off the main roundabout on Marmion Avenue.
It was supposed to be at the beach
The original plan and local rumours put the main Woolworths down near the coast, close to Ocean’s 27 and the Alkimos shipwreck end of things. It moved.
The reasoning, as understood locally: research pointed to Marmion Avenue pulling significantly more traffic than a beachside site. Passing trade over postcard views.
A few weeks in, that looks like the right call. It’s been busy. However, it would be great activate the commercial zone at the front of Shorehaven Estate at some stage (lets just hope it doesn’t become more residential and we can get the Burleigh Heads on the beach vision we would desperately love).
Who it actually serves
This is the piece the developers’ catchment maps don’t quite capture. The centre sits at a junction between suburbs rather than inside one:
- Shorehaven North Alkimos
- South Eglinton Amberton Estate
- Elavale and Allara Estate
- Anyone driving along Marmion Ave up this way
For anyone in those estates, this replaces a drive. That’s the whole value proposition, and it’s why it lands as such a welcome addition.
What’s actually there
Open now:
- Woolworths — the anchor. Mon–Thu 8am–9pm, Fri 8am–8pm, Sat 8am–5pm, Sun 11am–5pm
- Barber Nation — (08) 6147 6508
- Eglinton Dental Care — 08 9564 1007, and open Saturday mornings
- Healthy Life — (08) 9548 9040
- Nailoholic — 0401 848 386
- Salon Diadem — 0455 222 627, closed Mondays
- Il Posto —open Tue-Sun 4pm ’till 9pm
Also still to come:
- Subway — August
- Oh Wow Brow — late September
- Sushi Sushi — late September
- BWS — November
So it’s opened at roughly two-thirds capacity, with the bottle shop the longest wait. That’s normal for a staged opening, but worth knowing before you drive over expecting the full complement.
The feel of it
Clean, bright, and generous with space. The car park at the fron is a bit pokey, but it’s generally easy to get around. You can hook in off the roundabout, do what you came for, and get out, which is exactly what a suburban centre needs to be.
For an area that has spent years as estates without a middle, it’s the first thing that functions as a shared destination and the locals are certainly happy about it.
The details
Eglinton Shopping Centre 1K Imperial Entrance, Eglinton WA 6034 Centre hours: 8:00am – 9:00pm eglintonshoppingcentre.com.au
More on the area: our guide to Eglinton and our guide to Alkimos.