Metung Getaway

My wife and I are currently enjoying the AFL Grand Final long weekend in Metung, Gippsland.  My wife's sister has also joined us for the getaway.  We travel to Metung annually this weekend for a break and it takes around 4 hours to drive from Melbourne via the Princes Highway.

On our way yesterday we stopped at Bairnsdale Bookshop but unfortunately as it was a public holiday it was closed, but I managed to grab these snaps.

However this morning we returned and fortunately it was open this time.  They had a couple of Bond novels but sadly I had them all.

Next we drove to Lakes Entrance where we played some mini-golf (a must in Lakes) and also checked out Just Books.  I've been visiting Just Books for around 35 years so it's a favourite of mine.  No books for me today though.

Here's a couple of quick photos of Lakes Entrance:

And here's some photos from Metung:

And just as an addendum, on our way home from Metung we visited The Cog in Traralgon.  This coffee shop also sells secondhand books.  Unfortunately it doesn't open on Sundays so we'll have to visit again later.

Tyabb & Moorooduc Book Hunt

Tyabb is located on the Mornington Peninsula close to Western Port Bay.  It has a couple of antique markets that I visit regularly, looking for Bond paperbacks.

The first is the Tyabb Packing House Antiques containing a huge number of stalls selling every conceivable item you could think of; car parts, furniture, film posters, toys, cameras, crockery, art, jewellery... the list is endless.  It also sells second hand books.

There are hundreds of second hand books for sale, including a section specifically for Bond novels.

I visited the Packing House with my Mum so we had a coffee break afterwards.  I can definitely recommend the carrot cake on sale at the cafe.

Just down the road is The Bottom Drawer Antiques in Moorooduc.  Unfortunately on the day we visited I learned the place was soon to be permanently closing down.

Lots of antiques and a few books but none for me.  Regardless it's sad to see an antiques store closing.

Malvern Hall Vintage & Modern Toy Fair

This morning I visited Malvern Town Hall to attend the Vintage and Modern Toy Fair, on the hunt for James Bond collectables.  Previously at the same fair last year  I managed to find several Ian Fleming - Pan paperbacks, so I had my fingers crossed this time.

There were hundreds of people already inside, along with plenty of vintage toys.

I scoured all the stalls.  No paperbacks this time, but I did find these collectable James Bond toy cars.

Sadly no purchases for me today, but I will return when the fair is on again.

Sabers Books + Melbourne Movie Market

Apologisies for the lateness of this blog entry but on the day of the Australian federal election, Saturday, May 18, I visited Chapel Street in St. Kilda and Windsor on my constant quest for James Bond books.

First I visited Penny Syber's Secondhand Books.  I was dismayed to see "Moving Sale" painted on the shop front however after speaking to Penny I learnt the store is moving to Glenferrie Road in Malvern near the tram depot.

I'm sure the many friendly residents of the store will be in for a shock too.

I managed to find these Bond novels but had to let them go.  I wish Penny lots of luck in her new store and will visit ASAP.

I've attended every Melbourne Movie Market at The Astor Theatre since they began a few years ago.  My wife and I even had a stall one time and made a dismal $85 profit (anything was better than nothing though).

As usual the market is spread over two levels with about 30 stalls.

One stall in particular caught my interest as it had an entire row of Bond novels.

I ended up purchasing this nice hardback of John Gardner's "The Man From Barbarossa".  

The day may not have ended with the election result we all expected, but at least I managed to find a book I didn't already have.

A Visit To Helena's Curiosity Shop

It's always exciting to find a new second-hand book store.  I've visited so many second-hand book stores here in Victoria I often imagine there are no new ones left to discover.  However a fortnight ago my wife was searching on her phone and found one I'd never heard of before.  So we got in our car and drove to Centre Road, Bentleigh where we visited Helena's Curiosity Shop.

The shop is chock-full of crystalware, vinyl, magazines, knick-knacks and collectables, but the majority of the space is taken up by books.

On entering the shop Helena introduced herself from behind the counter.  She explained she'd established the store in 1990 and over the years the theme has evolved; currently there's a concentration of books.

When I mentioned I was looking for James Bond novels she first pointed out the collection of 007 cars above our heads, and then walked around the shelves pulling out all the Bond novels she had for sale.  She also mentioned many names of continuation authors and how many of those books had graced the shelves over the years.

I ended up buying two of the books shown; a really nice paperback copy of "You Only Live Twice" published by Pan in the 1960's, and a Jonathan Cape first edition "The Man With The Golden Gun" from 1965.  Unfortunately the Cape was without its dust jacket but it's still a really nice copy.

If you get the chance be sure to visit Helena's Curiosity Shop.  Despite being a small store it's got lots of quality books for sale, they're well organised and Helena is very friendly and always ready to assist.  I will definitely return.  Here's a link with further details.