Last month my wife and I spent a week in Halls Gap in the Grampians. It's a lovely part of Victoria with many hiking trails that feature beautiful views and the chance to spot Australian wildlife. We both had a great time. Sadly now, just a month later, the National Park is closed to both locals and tourists as a huge bushfire rages through the area, threatening homes, businesses and lives. I hope everyone there is ok.
On our way to Halls Gap is the town of Ballarat. It's a large historic town built during Victoria's gold-rush period from the 1850's. The town almost feels like a time capsule to the past, especially as the popular tourist attraction of Sovereign Hill is also located there.
However the town is also fortunate to have many excellent secondhand book stores, and I was able to visit most of them during our travels...
1) Everybody Knows Books, Ballarat
This marvellous book store, located on Sturt Street, has been open for just 3 years. The friendly owners, Marion and John, are very enthusiastic about books and literature, and while they deal almost exclusively in secondhand books, they also promote newly published works from local authors. The store contains hundreds of well loved books on a wide variety of categories and subjects. It's well organised and has a great relaxed feel to peruse and explore the shelves. Ps. I'm told the store's name was inspired by a Leonard Cohen song.
Web: https://everybodyknowsbooks.com.au
2) Book Bazaar, Ballarat
This store has thousands of paperbacks on its shelves. Located on Curtis Street, who knows what titles are waiting to be purchased in this old-school book exchange. The books were well organised over a variety of genres.
3) That Little Bookshop, Soldiers Hill
This neat little book store located on Doveton Street in Soldiers Hill, a short distance from the Ballarat city centre, has been operating for 7 years. Wayne, the owner, is passionate about books and walking around his well maintained store you can see his business is more than work to him. There are lots of titles on offer and the prices are very reasonable. During a friendly chat with Wayne he explained that once a year he also hires a local hall where he sells books at $3 each. Last year he sold 1,900 books and made around $5,000 in sales, of which 20% of the takings he donated to charity.
4) The Known World, Bakery Hill
After I told Wayne from That Little Bookshop which book stores I'd already visited in Ballarat, he told me I should next visit Michelle's secondhand book store on Main Road. The building housing The Known World must be early 1900's at a guess, and the inside and layout of the store is just as interesting. Walking into this fine store feels like an experience. It sounds like a vinyl record is playing, dim lighting glimmers over shelves of classic books, and a staircase near the rear of the shop oozing an optimism of what surprises await downstairs with every descending step. Awaiting are many mystery and detective novels... as well as a collection of vintage James Bond titles. There are also many hardbacks from famous authors still in their dust jackets; sadly no Ian Fleming that I could see.
An abundance of secondhand book stores for readers and collectors alike. And in my next post I'll post about other book sellers in the area. Meanwhile, here's some photos from our holiday in Halls Gap:
