Australian Made Toys? Please Enlighten Me

I was watching the news a few nights ago paying particular attention to the piece on Mattel’s Toy Recall. A lady who was asked who should be involved in checking the standards of quality for toys entering Australia suggested that imported toys should be avoided. If the term ‘imported’ refers to all toys that are manufactured overseas and brought into the country to be sold locally, can someone please point me to the right place to shop for Aussie made toys? I believe imported toys include those that are made in Europe, the UK and the US, not just China. (Yes, this nanny is aware that China is now producing the bulk of the toys available today.) If all imported toys are under scrutiny, is this lady trying to say that Aussie made toys are of the top most quality?

I recently searched high and low for Australian Made toys for a little ‘relative’. It all started because I ‘scored’ a great buy on Ebay. It was an auction for a brand new pair of Clarks boots. They were one size larger than what this little ‘relative’ was wearing at the time. The price and service were excellent but the best thing was that the boots (from older stock) were ‘Made in Australia’. I couldn’t believe my eyes. The savings ($$) allowed me to buy another gift to go with them. The idea was to keep things Australian made.

After visiting various toy and department stores, I found a basic plastic tea set in a plastic hamper, a plastic rugby ball stand, a set of quoits, pieces of sandpit toys, a very expensive tepee and a toddler swing seat. I also found a nice rocking horse online somewhere. The tepee and the rocking horse were immediately struck off the list because of costs. The toddler swing seat was beyond my budget as well but the child was already 4 and has a swing set in her back yard. Being raised as a modern day Aussie princess, I didn’t think this child would ever encounter a rugby ball stand or want a set of quoits for that matter. In the end, I bought the picnic/tea set from Big W. They weren’t pink but I thought this would be a great opportunity to introduce other colours into this lucky child’s wonderful world.

Hey, what about the pieces of sandpit toys? They were Aussie made alright, but I am in no hurry to part my hard earned cash on toys so poorly made, even though they were the cheapest on my list. I love Australia but I hate to lie. These toys were awful. The little rake was flimsy. The edges were uneven (not sharp) on most of them. They just didn’t look well made. Of the whole range, only the sand scoop was pretty good. My gift would have look really odd if it had consisted of a scoop and a pair of boots.

I didn’t find many Australian made toys. Do you know where I can find more variety? Email me to tell me please. If I don't have to, I prefer not to shop from online stores because of exorbitant postage quotes.