Melbourne City of Literature: A Self-Guided Booklover’s Walk
Melbourne was the second city in the world to be designated a ‘City of Literature’ by UNESCO. There are now 53 such cities around the world, but it’s still not an honour that’s bestowed lightly.
To become a City of Literature requires evidence that literature is a vital part of a city’s culture and that this love of literature is part of everyday life. In Melbourne, this commitment to the power of words can be experienced through our rich mix of libraries, bookshops, literary events and history.
Last week, I decided to celebrate Melbourne’s love of literature by taking myself on a 3-hour walk in the CBD, with visits to five famous literary institutes. Join me as I indulge my love of reading and meet some of the people who have helped foster this vital connection. And of course, there will be a coffee or two along the way.
Walking the City of Literature
First stop, The Paperback Bookshop
60 Bourke Street
This tiny, colourful, crammed space offers everything a ‘real’ reader might want. New releases jostle for space with classics and re-releases of books you didn’t know you’d missed.
The Paperback Bookshop is also a great source of eclectic cards and postcards for messages to friends who love and appreciate fine art and quirky images. It was established in the mid-60s with the intention to stock paperback editions of contemporary works not widely available, including some censored works. It’s exceeded its brief and now offers a lively instore catalogue as well as a great website, newsletter updates, reading lists and recommendations. There is also a free salon series which is open to all , but if you wish to attend, you’ll need to book.
#Coffeebreak 1: Pellegrini’s
This literary walk is thirsty work, so it’s very easy to pop into Pellegrini’s famous espresso bar across the street from the Paperback to enjoy a beautifully crafted latte.
Hill of Content Bookshop
32 Bourke Street
Next I head to the Hill of Content which has been located on the corner of Exhibition and Bourke Streets (86 Bourke Street) for 103 years. But of course, it’s no longer there. When the building was sold recently, Hill of Content owners Diana and Duncan needed to make other plans.
Happily for Melbourne residents they found a great space just a few doors up Bourke Street, at number 32. You may have seen the news coverage of fans of this much loved bookshop forming a human chain to pass stock from the old premises up the hill to the new ‘home’. The day I chose to visit the new premises were still being finished with classic burgundy paint and stock was still arriving, so I was unable to browse. But I’ve been a customer for years and can see the new store will allow the same easy access to great reads as the original store did.
Kay Craddock – Antiquarian Bookseller
156 Collins Street
As I head towards my next destination I realise that it’s not just the books, but the heritage buildings where they are housed that makes Melbourne such a fabulous book lovers’ city. For instance, from Bourke Street it’s just a short walk to the Assembly Hall Building at 156 Collins Street, where another beloved Melbourne literary institution Kay Craddock – Antiquarian Bookseller Pty Ltd is located. Originally established as the Essendon Treasure Chest in 1965 by her parents, Leslie and Muriel, they moved premises frequently until coming to settle in the current location in 1990. The Assembly Hall Building is gorgeous – a fine example of Neo-Gothic architecture and honey coloured stonework.
Kay Craddock’s has all the space that the Paperback Bookshop lacks, with large rooms full of shelves, display cabinets and chairs where you can rest mid-browsing and listen to the classical music. above the shelves are thousands (yes!) of owls. They form a permanent collection first inspired by two small wax candles in the shape of an owl, made for Kay by her nieces, Marilla and Kylie, in the 1970s. More have been added by customers and friends. The bookshop doesn’t buy or sell the owls – or ask for any. But still the collection grows.
Buying a second-hand book always feels like a small act of respect — for the author, and for whoever owned it before you. The books at Kay Craddock’s are in excellent condition – so many stories of people and their endeavours. So much respect for human toil, the telling of stories and those who’ve treasured those stories along the way.
Melbourne Athenaeum Library
188 Collins Street
A few short steps down Collins Street towards the Melbourne Town Hall and I’ve arrived at my next destination. Yes, it’s the famous Athenaeum Library at 188 Collins Street– which is probably better known as a theatre, built in 1839 and described as restrained boom-style Neoclassical architecture. The library and reading room can be found on the first floor of the Athenaeum Theatre.
The first public lending library in Melbourne, it is home to more than 30,000 books, magazines and DVDs. But it’s the incredibly warm welcome that most impresses, and the light-filled space above Collins Street where visitors and members can browse, read, work, enjoy a coffee and perhaps some conversation about recent reads. You can also enjoy unrivalled views, across Collins Street, of the immaculately restored Regent Theatre through the expansive windows.
Membership fees are relatively modest and allow access to all of the above as well as free or discounted entry to musical events and author talks.
State Library of Victoria
Swanston Street
My last literary stop involves a walk up Swanston Street to the State Library of Victoria (SLV). I am still thrilled each time I approach the classic façade. The SLV is the oldest library in Australia, but arguably also the most vibrant – the centre of student life, cultural events and often the starting point for political protest marches. Melbourne is well and truly humming in the forecourt.
#Coffeebreak 2: Mr Tulk
But it’s time for #coffeebreak2, so I head into the fabulous Mr Tulk coffeeshop, named after Augustus Henry Tulk, the first Chief Librarian.
State Library of Victoria and the World of the Book
I’m at the SLV for the World of the Book exhibition. It’s the 21st year of World of the Book: the Rare, the Sacred and the Iconic, which can be found on Level 4 in the Dome Galleries until 16 May 2027. Over the past two decades, the library has showcased some 5000 objects to five million visitors, which makes the World of the Book Australia’s longest running, most popular book exhibition.
The exhibition is refreshed annually, and this year highlights the history of printed text from Asian origins. On display for the first time are two recent acquisitions, a 15th Century medieval scribal knife and the earliest recorded example of mass printed text – the Hyakumanto Darani, a Japanese paper scroll more that 1250 years old.
These treasures, of course, are just two of the many iconic items on display, with celebrations of translations, art, nature, surrealism, colour and even children’s author Andy Griffiths. Says Griffiths, ‘The power of books never ceases to amaze me: they spark ideas, open our eyes to new possibilities and fuel our imaginations.’
I’m with Andy – that’s exactly what they do and why I’m so happy to live in this amazing City of Literature!
Don’t Miss: Melbourne Rare Book Week and Fair
If you, too, are a booklover, then don’t miss the Melbourne Rare Book Week (23 July – 1 August). There are a range of talks, events and educational sessions across Melbourne during the week. Separately, in Wilson Hall at the University of Melbourne, The Melbourne Rare Book Fair will showcase manuscripts, books, prints, and ephemera, a growing annual event worth marking in your calendar.
There’s even a guided tour of this event on the Saturday from 11.00 am – 12.00 pm, but places are limited, so be sure to book ahead if you’d like to join Professor Emeritus Chris Brown to learn more about the antiquarian books and booksellers.
Serious collector or casual browser, Melbourne’s City of Literature is worth a slow afternoon and a full tote bag.
Getting there
The whole route sits inside Melbourne’s Free Tram Zone, so you can hop on any passing tram along Bourke, Collins or Swanston Street without paying a fare if your legs need a rest partway through.
Public transport: Melbourne Central Station on Swanston Street is the closest train station to the State Library end of the walk, while Flinders Street Station is an easy walk from Collins Street and the CBD end of the route.
Parking: Metered street parking and several multi-level car parks are available around the CBD grid, though weekday parking in this stretch can be tight and pricier than a train or tram trip in.
Pace: Budget the full three hours if you want to browse rather than just pass through. It’s a flat, compact loop across Bourke, Collins and Swanston Streets, so there’s no steep walking, just a fair bit of standing and browsing in each shop.
Accessibility
State Library Victoria has lift access while the Melbourne Athenaeum Library has one flight of steps.
Kay Craddock and the Paperback Bookshop are compact, heritage spaces with narrow aisles, lovely to browse but tighter for wheelchairs or walking frames than the libraries.
Seating is limited inside most of the bookshops, though both libraries offer plenty of places to sit and rest.
Public toilets are available inside State Library Victoria and at Melbourne Central, both directly on the route.
Now a Guided Walk, Too
This article inspired something beyond the page. Paul Daffey, a lifelong Melburnian, tour guide and storyteller, has turned this same love of literary Melbourne into a three hour guided walking tour, running Thursdays from 10am to 1pm.
The tour starts on the steps of State Library Victoria and takes in Swanston Street, Collins Street, Little Collins Street, Dame Edna Place and Howey Place, with stops at the State Library, the Athenaeum Library, the Block and the Paris end of Collins Street. There’s a 30 minute tea or coffee break at Dymocks Café Melbourne along the way, before the walk finishes on Swanston Street in front of Melbourne Town Hall.
Tickets are $60 per person. Book online here.
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