Bookshops

Information

Clunes was the site of Victoria's first gold strike. Clunes is located in a hidden valley surrounded by rolling hills which are extinct volcanoes. The volcanoes can best be seen 3 km south along the road to Ballarat.

Bookshops and Traders 2010

Discover antique books, nostalgia, and treasures held in eighteen bookstores dotted across the historic gold town! Well over 50 booksellers are offering their stock over the weekend.

For full stock and contact details for each trader please refer to the program, which you can downloaded as a pdf. or pick up free on the day.

 

 

1. Carbon Neutral Booktown - Information Tent, Fraser St

 

It's easy to have a carbon neutral Booktown experience and offset the emissions for the average car driven from Melbourne. Purchase three books of any kind from any store and three trees from the Information Tent, which the Ulina Landcare Group will plant for you in their landcare project. Cost of trees $1.20 each. .

 

2. The Lee Medlyn Home of Bottles, Bailey St

 

Built in 1881 as a State school for 500 children, it was designed by the Education Department architect Henry Bastow. With the decline in population after the collapse of mining in Clunes the building was used as a knitting mill, once owned and run by Sugar Roberts and John Wren. It currently houses the Lee Medlyn Home of Bottles and the Clunes Tourist Information Centre.

• Bookstall - Nothign over $2. Proceeds to the Lee Medlyn Home of Bottles.
• Embedded Lives: Scultpural biographies of Clunes identities. A community arts project coordinated by papermaker Rosalind Lawson and photographer Lynden Nicholls. Funded by Regional Arts Victoria and Arts Victoria

 

3. Town Hall , Bailey St

 

Designed by the architect Percy Oakden, the building was opened on 30th May 1873 by the Governor Sir George Bowen. It is not known when the supper room, which had previously been the Bible Christian Church, was relocated from Fraser St. This building is one of the most significant town halls in Victoria, and is used extensively by the Clunes community.

• The House of Arcade. Marquee at Town Hall.
• Ken Piesse Cricket Books
• Kookaburra Books
• Slouch Hat Publications
• Astrolabe Booksellers
• Vintage Cookbooks
• Bookbarn @ Daylesford
• Bound Words
• Wendouree Books
• Ramalama Book Exchange
• The Book Cover Company
• Page After Page
• The Known World

 

4. The Court House, Bailey St

Designed by the architect Percy Oakden, the building was opened on 30th May 1873 by the Governor Sir George Bowen. It is not known when the supper room, which had previously been the Bible Christian Church, was relocated from Fraser St. This building is one of the most significant town halls in Victoria, and is used extensively by the Clunes community.

• Ankh Antquarian Books
• Huc & Gabet
• Revolve Records Relics
• Facts and Fiction

 

5. All Nations Lodge, Service St

The building was built in 1868 at a cost of £903 and was initially used as a Primitive Methodist church. In 1908 it was sold to the Masonic body for use as a lodge. The conversion to a lodge involved blocking most of the windows and refacing the Service Street façade. It currently houses the Clunes All Nations Masonic Lodge, which will celebrate its 150th year in November 2008.

• Raymond Nichols Books
• I & J Hinks Books
• Len Vincent Secondhand Books

 

6. Wesley Bluestone Church, Service St

 

Fund raising to build a Wesleyan stone church began in 1862 and two years later sufficient funds were available to build the front section. The architect was J A Doane and on the first day of 1864 Rev J S Waugh laid the foundation stone. In 1870 it was decided to enlarge the church to be able to seat a congregation of 900. This work was completed the following year. The church is currently part of Wesley campus and is used for student activities.

• Poets and Thieves
• Reader's Niche
• Independent Authors & Publishers Inc.
• Enchanted Books
• Tomorrow Graphics
• Book Camel
• Stella Ramble Books

 

7. The Old Post and Telegraph Office, Bailey St

The present building is one of the most intact Italianate Palazzo post office buildings in the State. It was built in 1887 by Lewis and Roberts to a design accredited to George Watson. The Post office hall which contains the bookshop was repai9nted in the 1980s in the original scheme of light blue with brown dado.

 

• David Bornstein's Index on Literature 102 Bailey St, Clunes 3370 Ph5345 3705

 

8. 99 Bailey St, Cr Bailey and Service St

 

 

• Fine Books Classic Stamps

 

 

 

 

9. School of Mines

This is the only known School of Mines building in Victoria outside of the larger cities. A retort furnace can still be seen in the rear room. The School of Mines was an important hub of mining technology research and training in Clunes during the 1850s. Once mining declined it was used by the Australian Natives Association and now houses the Clunes Angling Club.

• The Book Collector
• Books'n'Bits

 

10. Publishers and Writing Groups Marquee

• Free Writers Talks - see program for details
• Bookshop of guest writers books
• Signing table
• Victorian Writers Centre display
• PEN display
• Australian Book Publishers display

 

11. Booktown Bookshop, Fraser St

 

The corner site was purchased by J Black and W Rose in 1860 and the Black's Royal Hotel was erected. It operated until 1869. By 1870 the shops were built and housed a boot store and a drapery. Until recently they have been operating as a post office and pharmacy run by the pharmacist, Jim Kerin, our local CFA Captain.

The shop is now The Booktown Bookshop, operated by Creative Clunes Inc for the Clunes community.

• The Booktown Bookshop . A permanent shop with over 8,000 books.
• Courtyard. Assorted Literary The Clunes John Longstaff Centre Station Railway Restoration Appeal

 

12. Wesley Weavery, Fraser St

 

The confectioner Thomas Lowe set up his business here in 1870. The building gained its current name when Gillian Robson set up her looms and opened her studio here in 1991. The Weavery is currently used as a class room for Wesley students.

 

• Out of Print Books
• Good Reading Second Hand Books
• Allen's Emporium

 

13. Clunes Neighbourhood House Reading Room and Internet Cafe

 

Take a break in our marquee where you can relax or use the internet - on your laptop or ours. Just off Fraser St in the laneway beside the butcher.

 

14. Central Highlands Regional Library, The Clunes Library, Fraser St

 

The shop and dwelling was built and enlarged in 1869-70 during the peak of Clunes prosperity. Edwin Kent Hotchin set up a drapery which he operated until 1889. Part of the rear of the building was demolished in 1984-5 when it was refurbished as the Clunes Library.

• Book Roadshow - Saturday 2pm - 4pm and Sunday 11am - 1 pm Bring your special books to be valued and assessed by Kerry Bolton - a bookseller with 25 years experience.
• Display of some of the library's treasures with quality collectable books and reproduction maps on sale.

15. The Clunes Museum, Fraser St

 

A former warehouse, the building dates from c 1858 and was modified and enlarged by Nichol and Wallace who opened it on 3rd June 1869 as a shop, timber yard and carpentry workshop. It was subsequently occupied by the merchants George Chapman and Joseph Preston. Now it houses the Clunes Museum collection and its research facility.

• Books about Clunes will be on sale at the Museum.

 

16. AAG Real Estate Office, 45 Fraser St

 

The original 3 shops at 45, 47, and 49 Fraser Street were burnt down in 1870. By the following year Thomas Jones had erected three new brick shops on the land and 45 Fraser St was occupied by Joseph Oldham, the hairdresser. Later Jones conducted a store from these premises. In more recent times the shop has been a newsagent, a café and the original Clunes Friday night wine bar. It is currently the office for AAG property consultants.

• Sainsbury Books
• Kenneth Hince Old and Fine Books

 

17. Fraser St Marquee 1

 

• Andrew Barns Booksellers
• Military Melbourne
• Mother Russia

 

18. Fraser Street Marquee 2

• Fly By Night

19. RSL Building, Fraser St

Designed by the architect Leonard Terry as the Clunes London Chartered Bank the building commenced in 1871. In 1921 it became the English, Scottish and Australian Bank and is currently used by the Clunes RSL as club rooms and to house their collection of memorabilia.

 

• Bellcourt Books
• Essex Books and Colletables

20. Union Bank Arts Centre, Fraser St

Erected in 1865 as a branch of the Union Bank of Australia it was possibly designed by Leonard Terry. In 1869 the dwelling was added. The building is substantially intact and with its modern extension has been converted for use as an art studio facility and accommodation.

 

Bank Chamber

• Hunt for Books

Studio

• Books Illustrated
• Mini Publications
• Bookfossicker
• Page Two

Marquee

• Robert Ratcliffe and Sebastian Ratcliffe
• Manyhills Book Store

 

 21. Cnr Fraser and Templton St Book Marquee

• Permanent Press
• Book Affair
• Greg Cottrell

22. Senior Citizens Centre, Cr Templton & Fraser Sts

 

The Senior Citizens club was formed in 1966 and by the following year had established a meals-on-wheels service. Land was donated by R Dolan and C J Drite and in 1973 the shire commissioned M Murray as the architect. The building was opened in 1975 by His Excellency Sir Henry Winneke and remains the meeting place for the Clunes Senior Citizens.

• Bookworm Ink
• Denise Jepson Books
• Flinders Books
• Brown and Bunting, Booksellers

23. Double shop at 31 Fraser St.

CTC BOOKS 1000's of books from 50cents to $8.00 and nothing over

 

For more information on any of these buildings please visit The Clunes Musuem