Newtown's Vinyl Voyage:

Vinyl record sales have soared in recent years, as music fans continue to embrace the nostalgic and traditional method of music listening. In the process, the resurgence of record stores has accelerated, and Newtown has become a gold mine for crate diggers, whether on purpose or not.

We've put up a fun record store trail to help you uncover those musical jewels of all genres, in honour of the Sydney music community's strong support for vinyl records.

1. Halcyon Daze Records - 498a King St, Newtown NSW 2042

Starting your walk on South King Street, away from the noise and bustle of King Street's main roadway, is a good idea. With a mix of coffee shops, antique stores, pubs, and well-established local restaurants, locals will proudly proclaim this portion of King St as still the authentically local side of Newtown. Halycon Records, tucked in the heart of it all, proclaims to 'enjoy the lost, the strange, and the simply fantastic.' This is a record store where you go to find something you won't hear on Spotify or Apple Music and to broaden your horizons by listening to something old, which will be your unique something new.

2. Something Else Records – 488 King St, Newtown NSW 2042

Something Else Records is a short walk from Halycon Daze Records. With their extensive knowledge of European-centric dance and electronic music, these former music promoters turned record store proprietors will transport you from Sydney to Berlin. For all of your four to the floor foraging needs, you can flick through and discover new music in the worlds of Minimal / House / Techno / Dub Techno / Electro / Ambient & Electronica. The store also has a large selection of equipment to ensure that you have the greatest possible equipment to perform and listen to your musical treasures.

3. Repressed Records – 413 King Street Newtown, NSW, Australia 2042

Repressed Records, which opened in 2002, is undoubtedly one of Newtown's most well-known long-running record retailers. They feature a large collection of mainstream, punk, and classical records, as well as CDs and cassettes for those who still prefer them. So make sure that walkman is dust-free!

4. Egg Records – 3 Wilson St Newtown, NSW, Australia 2042

The family-owned Egg Records is another long-standing Newtown landmark, best known for their huge Homer Simpson sporting a 'Inner Westie' t-shirt at the storefront. Egg mostly sells rock, classic pop (think David Bowie), and old school metal, and takes pride in purchasing, selling, and swapping records (e.g. Black Sabbath). Egg is a wonderful site to attempt to find something uncommon because of its big vinyl supply.

Papa Disquo Records - 109 Enmore Rd, Newtown NSW 2042

When renowned Brisbane record collector Ken Perkins died in 2018, leaving his family with a library of over 80,000 recordings to sort through, Gunjuo Discopantz stepped in to save the day.

Following an internet bidding war to secure Perkins' full collection, the Sydney DJ opened Papa Disquo Records in Newton, stacking the shelves with Perkins' famed collection of rare blues, surf, dub, soul, and funk records, as well as a wide range of new releases.

A trip to Papa Disquo is like a walk through the annals of music history for vinyl lovers, and it's worth a visit just to marvel at the massive collection in the store.

Cottonmouth Records – 182 Enmore Rd Enmore, NSW, Australia 2042

What better way to round out your vinyl journey than with a record store that also serves as a bar? While sipping on one of the numerous locally produced craft beers on tap or a small-batch whisky, peruse their extensive vinyl collection. It's not uncommon to find a live DJ spinning vinyl on a Friday or Saturday night if you're lucky enough to be there. Cottonmouth is the ideal spot for a laid-back record peruse where you can listen to a wide range of music and keep track of what you've found on the your Newtown crate digging adventures.