Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Opposite the north end of the bus stand is the
Flea Market
(Mon-Sat 8am-6pm), a great
place to buy cheap clothes and souvenirs.
The Municipal Market
South end of Rodwell Rd • Mon-Sat 6am-6pm
Towards the city centre, the colourful
Municipal Market
is the largest in Fiji, with a huge
variety of fruit and vegetables for sale. Upstairs are the
yaqona
and spice stalls, although note
that
kava
drinking has been banned by the City Council. On Friday and Saturday mornings,
Fijians from miles around visit the market, which spills out into the streets amongst the BBQ
sellers and shoe-shine boys. Keep an eye out for pickpockets at these times.
Mark Street, Cumming Street and around
Southeast of the Municipal Market, a cluster of Chinese and Indian
merchant shops
can be
found around
Mark Street
and
Cumming Street
. Crammed with an unbelievable array of
homewares and astoundingly colourful clothing, these are great places to poke around in. At
the eastern end of Mark Street, Toorak Road leads inland to the blossoming residential area
of
Toorak
, home to the city mosque, while
Waimanau Road
- with the raucous bars of the
Kings Hotel
on its corner - heads north into the hills towards the Colonial War Memorial
Hospital and beyond to grand Borron House, a government residence and ballroom used for
ceremonial events.
South Suva
Sitting on reclaimed land dug out from the hill surrounding Albert Park,
Victoria Parade
is
the administrative centre of Fiji, with modern high-rise office buildings lining the road. At
the north end is the attractive whitewashed FINTEL Building built in 1922. Behind, the mod-
ern 1970s-style Civic Hall is the venue for occasional dance performances. Heading south on
Victoria Parade is one of the prettiest buildings in Suva, the
Old Town Hall
with its cast-iron
columned veranda. The building is now a Chinese restaurant downstairs while upstairs is the
headquarters for Fiji's branch of Greenpeace. Next door is the imposing
Suva City Library
.
A few hundred metres to the south, the solemn-looking
Old Parliament
, built in 1939, sits
at the end of Carnarvon Street, facing Victoria Parade and Albert Park. It's now Fiji's judicial
headquarters and houses various government departments.
Albert Park
There's usually a rugby game or cricket match going on at the muddy quagmire of
Albert
Park
, used as a sports ground. The park also hosts provincial
soli
, or fundraising events, with
handicraft stalls and meke performances, and in the August school holidays is the main ven-
ue for the Hibiscus Festival. Overlooking the park on Victoria Parade is the
Grand Pacific
