Hands up who has the best dad! You do? That’s great!
And now hands up who struggles to find the perfect gift for dad. You again huh?
Dads can be notoriously difficult to buy Father’s day or birthday gifts for, regardless of whether they are your biological dad, father figure, grandpa, baby daddy, or fur baby daddy. So we’ve gathered together a list of our top Father’s Day gifts for dad in 2021 to help you out.
Start with a great Father’s Day card
We are very lucky to have access to an abundance of local Australian greeting card designers who are creating beautiful, funny, and thoughtful Father’s Day cards. If you are buying online be prepared and source your card early so it arrives on time, and you don’t end up rushing to the news agency for a cheap cliché card at the last minute. Then, once you have the perfect Father’s Day card, it’s time to write something genuine and thoughtful! If you’re stuck for ideas you can also visit our blog page for our top tips on what to write in a greeting card.
Where to buy Father’s Day cards online
If you can’t get to your local design market (or it has been temporarily closed, as is often the case this year in Melbourne due to you-know-what) you can still support your favourite local artists and buy Father’s Day cards online. Most artists have a website and online greeting card store, or you can almost always contact them through social media!
Classic Father’s Day gifts for dad
We all know the classic dad gifts, the kind that spring to mind instantly when you think of Father’s Day: socks, chocolate, and alcohol. But just because they are common doesn’t mean they have to be boring! These Australian businesses are doing the classic Father’s Day gifts in a quirky, ethically made, and high quality way that will blow dad’s socks off (pun intended).
Father’s Day Socks
There is no shortage of novelty sock brands out there, but there is something special about Lambchops Socks. This Melbourne based business create small batch designs that are ethically and sustainably made, and support the slow fashion movement. These ‘odd-sock’ designs are wonderfully mis-matched, colourful, and super fun! They also have a ‘Big Feet’ range for the larger footed fathers out there.
Image by Lambchops Socks
Father’s Day Chocolate
Bahen & Co are an Australian chocolate brand, family run and produced in Margaret River, Western Australia. Their chocolate is amazing, fair trade, and packaged in simple beautifully deigned printed wrappers inspired by the origin of the cocoa beans.
Or, if you’re looking for something a little different, and want to take your dads tastebuds on a wild Australian adventure, Chocolate On Purpose create award winning ‘Bush Food Chocolate’ from native Australian botanicals. The business is 100% indigenous owned, and sources their botanicals from Indigenous growers and communities all around Australia. Flavours include Garal (Wattleseed), Boombera (Macadamia Nut), Gulalung (Finger Limes), and Wyrrung (Wild Rosella). Yummy!
Father’s Day Beer
As a Melbourne brand we admittedly love our local craft beers. With so many breweries and micro-breweries to choose from, why not build your dad a local beer tasting box full of unique brews and crazy flavoured sours. You can count on local producers like Stomping Ground Brewing Co and Two Birds Brewing for great beers, and Moon Dog Brewery for wild flavours like Banh Mi and Black Forest cake!
Gifts for dads who have everything
Is your dad the kind of man who seems to have everything? Sure, it’s great if you need to borrow a hammer or an obscure kitchen utensil, but it does make it tricky to buy gifts. Here are a couple of ideas for Father’s Day you might not of thought of yet.
Gifts for dads who like food (and games!)
Consider gifting a voucher for your dad’s favourite restaurant, or take him on a surprise lunch date to a restaurant he’s never been to. A fun way to select your destination is to play a game of restaurant roulette. Have your dad pick a number between 1 and 60 and visit the corresponding restaurant on this list of Melbourne's top 61 restaurants. Or write a few down and have him draw from a hat!
Gifts for dads who like books
My guess is if your dad likes to read probably already has lots of books, maybe even too many books, but what about book themed art? The Nonsense Maker has an entire range of book themed art prints playfully illustrating classic stories such as Alice in Wonderland, Gulliver’s Travels, Pride and Prejudice, Treasure Island, and many other old favourites. A similarly quirky Melbourne brand is Upswitch. Owned by artist Michael Hanley, Upswitch create unique one of a kind lamps from all kinds of objects, including vintage books!
Gifts for dads who like cooking
If your dad already has all the kitchen gadgets and gizmos he could ever want, he might appreciate a cooking class in something he (probably) hasn’t ever tried. Let your master chef dad try his hand at making mozzarella with That’s Amore Cheese, or choose one from the many classes listed on Class Bento where you can learn to make anything from sushi to smoked meats!
Gifts for dads who like films
If your dad is a bit of a film buff, check out ACMI (The Australian Centre for the Moving Image) for any upcoming exhibitions and take your dad on a day trip. Or go one better and get him an ACMI premium membership pass, where he gets invitations to opening nights, curated exhibition talks, and a private tour of the museum.
Gifts for dads who want nothing
When it comes to gifts, ‘nothing’ rarely actually means nothing. If you dad really truly actually means it when he says he wants nothing we suggest taking some time to sit down and write him a beautiful heartfelt letter or greeting card, cook him a meal, or just spend some quality time together.
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