Eclectic Bookshops Walk

On Saturday, I joined 19 other people for the Eclectic Bookshops Walk from Federation Square - one of the Melbourne Writers' Festival's more energetic events, involving nearly two hours of walking round the city.

If you've seen the Writers' Festival program, thought the walk sounded interesting, then baulked at the $45 fee ... seriously, this walk is well worth the money. I discovered a couple of bookshops I'd never heard of before - the amazing and arty Metropolis Bookshop (up three steep flights of stairs ... also worth it!) and the sci fi/fantasy bookshop Science and Swords - as well as the Sticky Institute, which produces zines, and Mag Nation, three floors of wall-to-wall magazines. And it included some great bookshops already known to me, but definitely worth a visit or re-visit: Kill City, Minotaur, the Haunted Bookshop, and the very lovely Kay Craddock antiquarian bookshop.

Time allowed only five minutes or so in every shop, though we did get a bit more time in Metropolis (our penultimate destination - the last one was a cafe, for more than welcome coffee and cake). This was probably a good thing, given the walk was strenuous enough without having bags of books to carry! It was also a chance to explore some of Melbourne's lanes and alleys, and to see buildings once part of Melbourne's publishing history - such as the original Herald Sun building.

Apparently the tour will change slightly for next year, as they are planning to add some new bookshops. In the interim, I'll need to go into the city a few times and spend a lot more time browsing in Kay Craddock, the Haunted Bookshop, et al. ...

Inner-city bookshops

It's time I got out of country Victoria and into Melbourne, isn't it? Today, thanks to picking up an eBay purchase from Malvern, I did just that ... via a couple of bookshops in Armadale.

Grant's Bookshop used to be in Prahran, but is now located in Armadale's High Street ... sort of. The sign resides in High Street, but the shop itself is at the back of number 909, down a little laneway. This bookshop has a very erudite feel about it ... I think it's the sheer volume of massive old tomes on various subjects on display! There are loads of books in the shop itself, and more in another room out the back. The shop is particularly good for Australian fiction - all the genres contain shelves full of Australian novels as well as the ones from Britain, the USA and other countries.

Just along High Street is Berkelouw Books, which I was keen to visit having loved the one opposite Eumundi Markets in Queensland when we were up there a couple of years ago. The Eumundi one was huge, with new books at the front of the shop and an amazing second-hand collection at the back. The Armadale shop just doesn't have the space for them to do that, however, and it's mostly new books, with just a couple of cases of antiquarian titles. It's still worth going in for a browse, however!

Wormhole Books

When you read a great book like Connie Willis's The Doomsday Book and want to read more by this American sci-fi writer, where better to head than Wormhole Books in Belgrave Heights?

As its name suggests, Wormhole Books started off specialising in sci-fi, but is now a general bookshop. The owner, Sandy, is very knowledgable. There was no "Who?" when I said I was looking for something by Connie Willis, and she straightaway found something for me: Passage, which isn't one of the time-travel ones, but is about near-death experiences and looks interesting.

The shelves are full of books on every topic: crime, plays, literary fiction, hobbies ... Sandy began life selling new books in nearby Upwey, but changed to second-hand because she liked hunting down old books and the eccentric customers.

Wormhole Books is a little off the beaten track and is close to the Birdland Reserve, a great place for a picnic and walking for those spending a day or weekend in the Dandenongs. Along with Rainy Day Books in the Basin and Vintage Cookbooks and Kallista Books in Kallista, it makes up the Dandenong Ranges Book Trail - don't forget to call in at new bookshop Through the Looking Glass as you drive through Belgrave if you decide to do the trail.

Fishy tales!!

Fish Tales second-hand bookshop in Fish Creek is a great little stopping-off point if you're on your way to Wilsons Promontory National Park from Melbourne. It's an atmospheric little shop, with log fire, a piano in the music section, and a typewriter to the right of the door as you enter. It is also, of course, crammed with books - and has a very good children's section, including vintage kidlit as well as more recent titles. There's an excellent crime fiction section too, plus shelves of poetry and plays, and lots of literary fiction. About the weakest area, fiction-wise, is sci-fi and fantasy - just a couple of shelves. Usually that wouldn't bother me, but I've just discovered a new-to-me author whose work I love - sci-fi writer Connie Willis. I discovered this bookshop about six years ago and no trip to the Prom is ever complete without dropping off here first.

Through the Looking Glass ...

Through the Looking Glass is a new second-hand bookshop in Belgrave - in the main street not far from the roundabout, so conveniently close to Puffing Billy. The sign isn't on the bookshop yet, but you can't miss it - there are lots of books in the window!

It's a beautiful little shop, with lots of good-quality books, candles burning in the fireplace, and owners (a mother and daughter) who love books and know loads about them. There's a good fiction section, a glass case containing some collectibles, lots of non-fiction, and an excellent selection of picture books, children's novels, and young adult fiction at the back.

This is a welcome addition to Belgrave - and judging by the number of people browsing when I was in, I'm not the only one to feel this way. It's been a very long time since Belgrave's main shopping strip had a second-hand bookshop and that one was nowhere near as good as this one is. Through the Looking Glass opened only a week ago and hopefully it'll be there for a very long time.

More Gippsland bookshops

If you're heading for Wilsons Promontory National Park from Melbourne and like browsing in secondhand bookshops, then the township of Meeniyan is a good place to take a break.

It has two bookshops in the main street: Antiquities, which specialises in collectibles, and Meeniyan Books, which is a bookshop/cafe/gallery in one.

I hadn't been to Antiquities before - it opened two years ago - and while it contains lots of old books and first editions, I was a bit disappointed with the lack of order; vintage kids' books could be found on various shelves and tables, and I didn't come out confident that I'd seen everything I might be interested in. I also found some of them a bit pricey. My husband, who's interested in Victorian history books, thought the same thing. However, it's definitely worth visiting, especially if you collect first editions (there were lots of Nevil Shute books) or books/magazines about guns and shooting. I don't think I've ever seen as many publications on this subject all together in one place! Visit quickly, as the bookshop is up for sale.

Meeniyan Books has been there for years, and is an atmospheric place, with books lining a passageway and two rooms of the building it's located in. The aroma of coffee and soup and the log fire in the cafe add to the atmosphere. Books here are a lot cheaper than the ones down the road, and you can still come across the odd gem. On this visit, I found an Elinor Lyon and a Geoffrey Trease for $2 each, both in lovely condition.

As well as being en route to the Prom, Meeniyan is close to the south Gippsland coastal towns like Inverloch and Venus Bay, and can be included in a drive taking in bookshops in nearby Loch and Fish Creek.

New shop in Loch

In an age when so many people are predicting the demise of the printed book, it's heartening to come across new bookshops. Last weekend, having got up very early to watch the World Cup, we went out for a drive and found ourselves in the little Gippsland township of Loch. Here we found Bluebird Books and Records, which opened last December.

The shop contained a lot of thrillers and crime fiction and I bought a copy of Denise Danks's The Pizza House Crash, while my son bought a few Goosebumps titles from the children's shelves. Most of the books were in the main part of the shop, with a few more, plus some records, in a back room. The owner had thoughtfully set up a table of Lego in the back room so kids could keep themselves amused while their parents browsed - but I'm not sure if this is a permanent fixture or if it was set up for the public holiday weekend, which Loch was celebrating with a wine-tasting festival, thereby attracting plenty of visitors.

The books were inexpensive, and this is definitely a good place to go if you're on holiday or spending a weekend in south Gippsland and are looking for something to read - especially if you enjoy thrillers.