Annual Yarragon Book Fair 2024

The annual book fair in Yarragon was held last weekend.  My wife and I made our yearly journey to the small Gippsland town for the event which is organised to raise money for the local fire brigade.

The weather on Saturday was great for the one hour 40 minute drive.

Upon arrival we made our way to the town hall where the book fair is held.  

As usual there were lots of books along with heaps of other visitors.  In the main part of the building were the fiction books separated by size (trade versus standard), hardbacks, science fiction and romance.  The other three rooms contained kids books, travel, non-fiction, autobiographies, vintage as well as several other categories.

My wife and I both scoured the boxes of books for James Bond titles and found several recent continuation novels as shown below.  I purchased the pictured trade edition of Sebastian Faulk's "Devil May Care" despite already having several copies of the same edition.  A copy in such great condition for just $2 could not be passed by, especially as it has no indication of having been previously read.

Only one book for me today however my wife purchased several books for herself.  What amazes me is what great condition all of the books are for sale.

Here's a couple more photos from the day:

The old steam train on display between the town and the main highway

A photo taken by my wife of the sun setting from our car while driving home

And for dessert that night I enjoyed a slice of carrot cake purchased from the Yarragon Bakery for the bargain price of just $12.  A yearly ritual purchase for me, and as usual it was delicious.

Annual Yarragon Book Fair 2023

Yesterday we visited Yarragon again for the annual book fair.  As usual my wife and her parents were on board, but sadly, and for the first time, my wife's sister was absent.

Being a wet day we avoided the occasional idiot on the road to safely reach the Gippsland town in just over two hours.

The place was packed with people who had also made the same trek.

Once we reached the town hall we paid the gold coin entry fee and splt up to start our own book hunts.  My wife and her parents are avid readers, while I was searching for additions to my James Bond collection and PizGloria.com.  Small paperbacks were $1 each while trade size paperbacks and all hardbacks were $2.

Unusually this was the only Bond novel we found in the entire book fair, a copy of the continuation novel "Devil May Care" by Sebastian Faulks.  I didn't need to purchase it though as I already have several copies with the same cover.

My wife on the other hand purchased ten books for $11 while my parents-in-laws another 10 for around $10.  For a short time I felt disappointment until I visited the local bakery which bakes the best carrot cake on the planet.  I know it's a big call but I've tried many carrot cakes from around the world and none come close to their recipe.

We also had a delicious lunch at the local pub like usual.  I had a great pizza (no photo necessary) however here's a photo of my wife's lamb roast.  She said it tasted fantastic.

Another year, another Yarragon book fair.  Plenty of books purchased although no luck for me.  We will definitely return next year.

Daylesford Bookshop And Another Fair

After visiting the Clunes Booktown Festival on Saturday my wife and I then drove thirty minutes to the town of Daylesford.  The town was on our way home anyway, perhaps not the quickest route, but it made sense as we were so close.

First we visited the cafe by the lake that also sold second hand books.  Well it used to anyway because the books have long gone now.

Next we visited Paradise Books on the main street.  This store sells both new and secondhand books.

The store was busy as it always seems to be.   And there were plenty books neatly organised on the shelves.

I managed to find these three copies of "Devil May Care" by Sebastian Faulks but I decided not to make any purchases.

On Sunday morning I woke early to attend the Vintage And Modern Toy Fair at the Malvern Town Hall.  

Considering entry was in 30 minute waves I was surprised how many people were already inside when I arrived.  And the hall was full of stalls.

Sadly though, apart from a few complete sets of James Bond trading cards these were the only Bond collectables I could find.  These two Corgi "The Spy Who Loved Me" vehicles, still on their unopened cards, would have been a great buy for someone (especially at only $35 and $40).  In fact when I returned just a few minutes later I noticed the white Lotus had already been sold.

So no purchases today for me but it was great to see all the different toys and collectables from my youth.

A Trip To Daylesford

Last Monday my wife and I spent a day in Daylesford.  The drive took just under two hours and we arrived at 10am, just as the Mill Markets were opening.  Unfortunately I forgot to take a photo of the building from the outside (it's basically a giant shed), but here's one I've borrowed from their website.

Inside the building there are seemingly hundreds of stalls, many selling books.  As you can see below I took a few pics however to avoid repetition I only included one photo of Sebastian Faulks' "Devil May Care".  It was very popular at many of the other stalls too.

About an hour and a half later we left the Mill Markets and drove into Daylesford proper.

Here we visited Paradise Bookshop.  I managed to find five Bond novels in the store including a Jonathan Cape first edition of Ian Fleming's "Live And Let Die".  It was a nice copy but my wife wouldn't let me buy it.  Only gagging... it was a little bit over my budget !

I also found this unusual copy of "Devil May Care"... which again I didn't purchase for different reasons (this version is obviously not a Bond novel).  What is it with Daylesford and "Devil May Care" ?  They're everywhere !

After lunch we visited the Book Barn just near Daylesford Lake.  Here I purchased my first book of the day, a Pan copy of Robert Markham's "Colonel Sun".  I already have several copies of this paperback however as it was in such good condition I thought one more wouldn't hurt.  They also had a copy of John Gardner's "Licence Renewed" and another "Devil May Care".

After visiting the Book Barn we returned home just managing to avoid peak hour.  Here's some more photos from the day...

The drive to Daylesford

Daylesford Lake

Lunch at Cafe Koukla.  I had a delicious beer battered fish and chips, and my wife roast chicken with sweet potato chips.