The Castlemaine Bookshop Trail: Part 1

Over the weekend, we headed out to Castlemaine, a former gold-mining town north-west of Melbourne. There are plenty of bookshops in the goldfields region, but we only had time to explore Castlemaine on this visit. Castlemaine has its own bookshop trail, with a helpful map to help you find the bookshops.

Since the map was printed, Books Plus has closed (though it may now have a stall at the nearby Castlemaine Vintage Bazaar, which we didn't visit). Stoneman's Bookroom no longer has a second-hand section, the owner explaining that with so many second-hand bookshops close by, it was better to focus on selling contemporary books. It's a beautiful, well-stocked bookshop with an extensive children's section, so it's certainly worth checking out if you're looking for new or recent releases.

Our first stop on the bookshop trail was Mount of Alex, opened seven years ago by owner Andrew Long. This elegant and atmospheric bookshop contains a wide range of books in excellent condition. There are vintage children's paperbacks on the bookshelves to the right as you enter the shop (I found a copy of A Traveller in Time by Alison Uttley, which I'd been looking for forever), with hardbacks to the left (including, when I visited, a lovely copy of Louise Mack's Teens). Crime hardbacks, ranging from Golden Age to more recent, are in one of the alcoves further into the shop. The owner is extremely knowledgeable, and says his aim with the shop is to create an antiquarian feel. He's definitely succeeded in that. This is a bookshop we'll certainly return to.

From there, we walked up to Soldier & Scholar, but discovered it didn't open until 2pm. So it was back in the car and a quick drive to nearby Campbells Creek to visit Book Heaven.

To be continued...

A bookshop not just for a rainy day

Former school librarian Meryll Williams named her bookshop Rainy Day Books after a friend remarked on how much she liked reading on a rainy day.

Well, Rainy Day Books, in The Basin at the foot of Mount Dandenong, is worth a visit whatever the weather.

Meryll's speciality is children's books, particularly 'girlsown' books like the Chalet School, etc. But the bookshop also has a well-stocked crime section, including a bookcase devoted to cosy crime, along with romance, sci fi and general fiction. There's a very good history section too, including books and brochures on local history.

Rainy Day Books has been open since 2006 and is one of only two bookshops (the other one is Kallista Books) that still survive from the old Dandenong Ranges and Yarra Valley Book Trail that Meryll helped set up in around 2007.

Meryll also helped establish the annual Mountains of Books Book Fair that takes place in Ferny Creek over Melbourne Cup weekend.

There are a couple of local cafes and a playground across the road should you want coffee or lunch or somewhere to let the kids burn off energy. We always have coffee at the Chocolate Dragonfly, but the other local cafe always seems busy so it must be good too.

Organised chaos!

When I visit a second-hand bookshop, I'm on the hunt for specific books - usually a 'girlsown' or crime fiction title that's missing from my collection.

My husband, on the other hand, isn't looking for anything in particular, but likes to browse and see if he can turn up anything quirky.

Guess which one of us copes best with a visit to McLeods Books in Nunawading?

To be fair to the owner, if you ask her where something is, she can tell you. And there are signs around the shop informing you whereabouts you can find bestsellers like Nora Roberts and Jodi Picoult. But the piles of books cluttering the floor, the double-stacking of shelves and the lack of alphabetical order don't make me want to hang around.

My husband, though, was happy to settle in and rummage, and found an old book he was interested in buying. There was no price on it, and the owner did a quick internet search and decided she didn't want to sell it. She admitted she hadn't known it was in the shop, so lucky for her that he brought it to her attention.

Anyway, McLeods Books will be closing in a few weeks' time (most likely at the end of October) and the business is going online after 13 years as a bricks-and-mortar shop. The thousands of mostly paperback titles include a good range of crime fiction, and lots of romance and sci fi and fantasy. There are specific genre sales on at the moment, so it's well worth visiting if you're on the hunt for more reading material - as long as you can cope with the chaos!

Kallista Books

One thing that hasn't changed since when I started this blog in 2010 and when I revised it a few weeks ago is that the gorgeous Kallista Books in the Dandenong Ranges is still going strong.

There are a few reasons I can suggest for why this bookshop has survived while others have failed. The building itself is distinctive - it began life as a dairy in the 1930s. Inside, the shop has a cosy vibe that makes you want to settle in and browse. And the owner, Willie, is friendly, helpful, and hugely knowledgeable about books.

The bookshop boasts an extensive children's collection, plus shelves full of Australian history, including Dandenong Ranges history. There are gardening books, the classics, crime, and lots of quirky titles as well, including, when I visited, an old Foy and Gibson catalogue.

Willie knows his prices, so while the books aren't cheap, they also aren't excessive. And the quality of his stock is excellent.

There's book-related furniture and a particularly delightful and unusual rotating bookcase to be found within the shop as well.

Kallista Books is open on Saturdays and Sundays (follow the signs from the village roundabout). If there's a particular title you're looking for, ask, as not all of Willie's stock is on display (hard though that may be to believe, with so many books).

Other places to visit in Kallista include Grant's Picnic Ground, which has walking trails and birdlife, and the Kallista Tea Rooms, if you're looking for somewhere for coffee or lunch.

Tyabb Packing House

If you're into antiques as well as antiquarian books, then Tyabb Packing House is the place to go!

We've been making annual visits for years now and it's always a great day out. Tyabb Packing House is a massive old shed, crammed with antiques, memorabilia, and books. Shelves and shelves and shelves of books.

In the children's section, there are some books behind glass that are very expensive. Way too expensive. In fact, the same copy of Fardingdales by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer has been priced at $300 for at least three years now.

However, there are bargains still to be found, and over the years I've picked up a few girlsown titles quite cheaply, including a 'Dimsie' book and a couple of Tim Kennemores. When I visited the other day, there were a few Malcolm Saville paperbacks on the shelves, including Treasure at Amorys and Home to Witchend.

Whatever genre you collect, you're likely to find something here. There's a great crime fiction, an extensive sports section, travel books, cookbooks, politics, religion... You name it, they've got it.

My other favourite areas of the shed are the sporting memorabilia section, right at the other end from the children's books, and the old furniture section, which often has old writing desks and printers' chests.

If you're hungry, check out the Rattling Red Cafe (an old train carriage) just outside - the scones are delicious. There are more antiques and curiosities to be found in the 'village' shops next to the Packing House.

Bookshops in Belgrave

When I first started this blog, Through the Looking Glass was a brand new second-hand bookshop in Belgrave run by a mother and daughter.

Although the mother and daughter have long moved on, pleasingly the shop is still there, now run by its third owner. Apparently its first birthday under the current owners was celebrated last week.

It's a small, but well-stocked bookshop with a great vibe. The man behind the counter when I visited told me that the new owners want it to be a community hub as well as a bookshop. Evidence of this is that they gave free books to children who visited the bookshop last week, as part of Australia's Book Week celebrations.

Through the Looking Glass has a diverse range of books, and the children's section includes traditional favourites like Alan Garner and Enid Blyton as well as novels by more recent popular writers like Philip Reeve and Rick Riordan. There's a nice little nook with cushions where kids can curl up and read, and a Harry Potter uniform was on display when I visited.

Through the Looking Glass is at the roundabout end of Burwood Highway. At the other end of town, next to the Cameo Cinema, is the Book Barn, a modern bookshop that also stocks art supplies. This is well worth a visit if it's contemporary books you're after and their children's section is very strong.

Non-literary things to do locally include a ride on Puffing Billy, just down from Through the Looking Glass. There are lots of eateries along Burwood Highway, and if you want to watch a movie, the cinema is great too.

Yarra Cottage Books

Just as Warrandyte is one of my favourite places in Victoria, so too Yarra Cottage Bookshop, in its main street, is one of my favourite bookshops.

I've been visiting this bookshop for years now, mainly because it has a great children's section at the back. I've stumbled across a good many GO titles here down the years, and several years ago, my son was delighted to find a box full of old copies of the Beano.

Last year, I found a copy of a play I'd been searching for for a long time - John Misto's The Shoehorn Sonata. And it has a good crime fiction section too, as you enter the shop.

Something I noticed when checking out the children's section today was that there are a lot of more recent titles on sale - series by authors like Robert Muchamore and Garth Nix that were popular about ten years ago and can still be found in modern bookshops.

There are still some old titles there, though, as can be seen from my photograph.

If you're visiting with children, there's a great playground just down from the bookshop. And right next door is a bakery that's well worth a visit. Watch out for magpies trying to steal your pies and cakes!