Are These Australia’s Most Fun Souvenirs? Meet +61 Studio Keychains and Magnets
A souvenir should remind you of how a place actually felt—not simply show you another photograph of its skyline.
Sydney is the Opera House and Harbour Bridge, but it is also cancelled trains, weekend trackwork, buses that mysteriously refuse to stop and the small victory of catching the ferry to Manly on a sunny day.
+61 Studio captures these everyday Australian moments through playful illustrations, expressive cockatoos and a very Sydney sense of humour.
Available at 9to5 Studios, the collection currently includes matching keychains and fridge magnets inspired by trains, Metro, buses and ferries. They are colourful, useful, easy to carry and instantly recognisable to anyone who has spent time getting around Sydney.
We think they may be some of Australia’s most fun and design-led souvenirs.
A Sydney Souvenir That Locals Actually Understand
Many Australian souvenirs focus on familiar animals and landmarks. +61 Studio takes a different approach.
The main character is still unmistak unmistakably Australian: a sulphur-crested cockatoo. However, this cockatoo is not quietly posing beside a beach. It is crying over a closed station, collapsing during Metro trackwork, staring blankly after a bus skips the stop or running towards the Manly ferry with a surfboard.
Each character turns a familiar commuter experience into a small visual joke.
For Sydney locals, the designs feel painfully relatable. For visitors, they capture a more personal and humorous side of the city. Instead of simply saying “I visited Sydney,” these souvenirs tell a story about what Sydney life is really like.
Four Sydney Transport Moods
The +61 Studio collection follows four different transport moments, moving from complete commuter disaster to pure harbour happiness.
Train – Station Closed
Trains cancelled. Replacement buses on the way. Your morning plan has officially disappeared.
The Train – Station Closed design features a teary-eyed cockatoo reacting to the exact moment a normal commute turns into chaos. It is a funny gift for train commuters, colleagues who are always arriving with another transport story or anyone familiar with Sydney’s replacement bus experience.
Available as a Train – Station Closed Keychain and Train – Station Closed Magnet.
Metro – Trackwork Alert
You have weekend plans. Sydney Metro has other ideas.
The Metro – Trackwork Alert cockatoo has completely given up, capturing the emotional exhaustion of discovering that the line is closed just as you are ready to leave home.
This design is especially relatable for weekend commuters, university students and anyone who has learned to check transport alerts before every trip.
Choose the Metro – Trackwork Alert Keychain or Metro – Trackwork Alert Magnet.
Bus – Not Stopping
You signal clearly. The bus approaches. Then it drives straight past.
The Bus – Not Stopping design gives that moment a perfectly deadpan cockatoo. Frozen after one delay too many, it captures a very specific kind of commuter frustration without needing any explanation.
It makes a brilliant inside joke for friends who take the bus to work, students waiting in unpredictable weather or anyone who has watched their ride disappear down the road.
Available as a Bus – Not Stopping Keychain and Bus – Not Stopping Magnet.
Ferry – Travelling to Manly
Not every Sydney commute ends in disaster.
The Ferry – Travelling to Manly design celebrates the happier side of getting around the city. A cheerful cockatoo carries a surfboard while racing towards the ferry, ready for sunshine, ocean views and a day by the beach.
It feels especially Sydney and makes a charming souvenir for travellers, beach lovers, ferry commuters or someone who wants to remember a favourite Manly day.
Find it as a Ferry – Travelling to Manly Keychain or Ferry – Travelling to Manly Magnet.
Keychain or Magnet: Which One Should You Choose?
The same four commuter stories are available in two practical formats.
Choose a +61 Studio Keychain if you want to carry Sydney with you
The +61 Studio Keychain Collection is made from premium optical acrylic. Each piece measures approximately 58 × 73 mm and features a double-sided print with a metal clasp.
The clasp can be attached to:
- Keys
- Backpacks
- Handbags
- Tote bags
- Zippers
- Travel luggage
The double-sided format keeps the illustration visible from different angles, while the lightweight acrylic makes it easy to carry every day.
A keychain is a good choice for someone who wants a souvenir they can use immediately or a small Australian-designed accessory that adds personality to an everyday bag.
Choose a +61 Studio Magnet if the fridge is your travel diary
The +61 Studio Magnet Collection uses the same premium optical acrylic with a single-sided print and strong magnetic backing. Each magnet measures approximately 58 × 70 mm.
Place one on a fridge, magnetic noticeboard, office cabinet or another suitable metal surface. It can hold a small note or photograph while turning daily commuter chaos into colourful home décor.
Magnets are also easy to pack, making them a simple gift to take overseas or bring home after visiting Sydney.
Why These Make Such Good Australian Gifts
A good souvenir should be easy to recognise, but it should not feel generic.
The +61 Studio collection works because it combines several distinctly Australian details without relying on predictable tourist imagery.
Each design is:
- Created by a Sydney-based Australian design studio
- Inspired by familiar local experiences
- Centred around an expressive Australian cockatoo
- Lightweight and easy to pack
- Practical enough for everyday use
- Fun to give without feeling impersonal
The humour also gives people an immediate reason to choose a particular character. You can match the design to the recipient’s regular transport—or the commuter disaster they complain about most often.
More Than a Gift for Tourists
These keychains and magnets can certainly be Sydney souvenirs, but they are just as enjoyable for people who already live here.
Give one to:
- A friend moving away from Sydney
- An international student finishing their Australian studies
- A colleague who survives the same commute every morning
- Someone relocating interstate or overseas
- A ferry-loving beach friend
- A new arrival discovering Sydney transport
- A local who collects cockatoo designs
- Anyone who enjoys playful Australian illustration
They also make lighthearted additions to birthday gifts, farewell presents, care packages and small thank-you gifts.
A Different Way to Remember Sydney
The best souvenirs do more than prove that you visited a place. They bring back a feeling, a routine or a story you will still remember later.
For one person, that may be the ferry crossing towards Manly under a bright blue sky. For someone else, it may be the Metro announcement that completely changed their Saturday plans.
+61 Studio turns both kinds of memories into something colourful, useful and unmistakably Sydney.
Visit 9to5 Studios in Haymarket or explore the full collection online to find the cockatoo that matches your commute.
