Loading ...Clunes Back to Booktown , first weekend in May. Booksellers from all over Victoria and Australia come to the historic village of Clunes and set up shop for the weekend in the gracious old buildings. Wine, Music, and thousands of books.
Suggested by: Dr Tess Brady
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An inspiring community event with great atmosphere that offers so much in life for both locals and visitors. Clunes has a special place in our hearts as it has historical connections for our family as my father-in-law was born there in 1908. The family network has ensured several from Victoria have enjoyed participating and some from Canberra now plan to attend next time.
When you come to Clunes on the first weekend in May for Back to Booktown it is like get the keys to one of Victoria’ s most intact gold era towns - and the chance to fossick through thousands and thousands of great second hand and collectible books. You find yourself in rooms stuffed with books and offering wonderful views over the old township - or in buildings like the Old Butcher’s Shop that is just as it was left when it stopped trading decades and decades ago. It is this wonderful blend of history and literature - and good food and wine - that makes this event so special.
This brilliant community organised event has the lot - gorgeous picturesque township and fascinating book bargains aplenty. The folks at Clunnes deserve a big pat on the back!
Watching what a community can achieve by working together is an inspiring and pleasing sight. ‘Back to Booktown’ is one such endeavour and such an enjoyable way to spend a weekend.
A fantastic event held in a fantastic little town. Great food, great people and of course great books. Clunes came alive and I look forward to coming back next year. Well done Clunes for all your hard work. Congratulations to all involved.
In such a fabulous historic township that retains it’s heritage, Clunes put on a wonderful show for the weekend. This is my 2nd year visit & just love it. I will never ever miss a year of attending this amazing place.
Huge range and variety of books available, good food and wine (!) And what a friendly lot.
Congratulations to all at Clunes responsible- this is a great weekend just to get lost
in all the pages.
It is a great event and it brings people together.
My husband and I have been to Hay-on-Wye, the wonderful booktown in the United Kingdom and are thrilled that Clunes is offering booklovers of Victoria the chance to experience their very own Booktown. What a beautiful little town it is with it’s beautiful historic buildings, creek walk and friendly people. It is a day we will look forward to each year.
We had a fantastic weekend in Victoria’s first gold town, Clunes, surrounded by books of all types and sizes, new, second-hand, rare or highly collectable - and all for sale. It was great fun; good food and entertainment as well as the books and it’s quick to get there from Melbourne.
We loved it!
A wonderful weekend for the booklover, in a charming historic town. Looking forward to 2009. Well done Clunes.
A Fun Filled Weekend For All People Interested In Reading, With Lots Of Entertainment In Lovely Surrondings.
Book Town event at C lunes over 2 days featuring over 50 secondhand book stalls
Clunes is a gorgeous little town that transports you to another time. It is a perfect setting for this great Booktown event. Beautiful historical buildings are filled with an array of literary treasures. The place buzzes with excitement, with people seeking out special finds, just as they did when the town was known for another form of treasure - gold! Add into the mix a gorgeous autumnal backdrop, welcoming locals, boutique wines and great food, and its little wonder that there is new rush to Clunes..
Wonderful event put together by a hardworking and dedicated team. Book buyers and book sellers had a great time and the community spirit was felt by all who attended. Well done Clunes! Although only an annual event this is a ‘must do’ for everyone.
Arranged by the Clunsiens themselves who, by their organizational skills, in only two tries have turned ” Clunes Back to Booktown ” into a national event, with world-class potential for Australian Tourism
It is inspiring to see the transformation of this already unique historical town into a book collector’s paradise each year. The variety of books on offer as well as the wonderful food makes this a destination well worth exploring.
Where else would you find such autumn colours, such friendly company and such literary compilations. Aah, the moods of Clunes.
This was a fantastic weekend. It felt like real community. I loved the variety of books and thougth it great that writers were on panels to make the written word so alive. Well done Clunes! Next year, more I hope.
A fantastic opportunity for book lovers to browse lots of booksellers stock and purchase books on their favourite subject
Clunes is quite close to Ballarat and Creswick with local wineries, providores and each year has a Back to booktown Weekend which is fabulous and a must attend.
A fantastic weekend in an historical town. Great organisation by the volunteers to bring together so many book lovers from around Australia. A fabulous event that takes you to a town with a lot of heritage.
Fantastic to see such a large scale event so well organised and so brilliantly supported. An excellent model for other country towns - look what can be achieved when a community gets behind an event.
Not only for its excellent Book Week but
throughout the year for its fascinating history from the Gold Rush days to
the present
Clunes Back to Booktown , first weekend in May.
Booksellers from all over Victoria and Australia come to the historic
village of Clunes and set up shop for the weekend in the gracious old
buildings. Wine, Music, and thousands of books.
What a relaxing way to spend a weekend. Good food, good coffee and so many books on so many subjects, it was a feast for brain and body and I’m planning for next year already. Its great to see a small town embrace such a wonderful idea and I hope that more people learn the beauty of the well crafted word, like Clunes has.
It is a books and writing fest extraordinaire. Well organised. Very friendly. A lovely historic location. It’s nirvana for we thousands of bookaholics.
What an amazing event in such a special town. I think it is vitally important for every book lover to attend this event. My favourite aspects were seeing the town come to life as well as listening to well known authors talk about themselves and their books.
Marvellous, melodic and medicinal!!! A fabulous celebration of literature set amidst the glories of the gold rush. Great food, music and meet-the-author readings. A wonderful ‘mental health’ break in the country far from the stresses of city life. Congratulions Clunes.
This was fantastic and the locals really got together in putting on an impressive event. It got the thumbs up from the Premier and the Cabinet when Community Cabinet visited Hepburn Shire a couple of weeks later.
Clunes Booktown continues to grow and expand each year. It’s a great voyage of discovery, So many books and diverse group of booksellers, interesting authors giving inspirational talks. Exploring the many historic buildings scattered throughout the very picturesque and almost timeless town is an adventure in itself. Warm and friendly country hospitality, together with good food and wine, what more could you want on a glorious autumn weekend. Can’t wait for Return to Booktown 2009.
My favourite place to drive to is the annual Clunes Booktown during the first weekend of May. It’s just awesome, the town the locals and all of the booksellers and there books. With so many book lovers in the one place and time, you can loose yourself in the historical surrounds while talking and doing everything book. There are thousands of folks everywhere and it has a carnival atmosphere with the bands echoing through the sleepy towns valley. There are various foods to taste and wines from around the region, you must book your accommodation well in advance as it is a rare commodity as this event is so popular. It’s also close to the other gold mining towns of Maryborough, Ballarat and the mineral springs town of Daylesford.
Simply. a wonderful, meaningful, experience.
A wonderful idea to draw attention to a previously neglected part of the world- fabulous setting , lovely old buildings and perfect for such an event , it deserves its undoubted success. Great hospitality and welcoming from the locals . Long may it prosper!
A fantastic event which brings the whole community of Clunes together.
Visitors come from all over Victoria for the weekend to enjoy the country hospitality,
meet well known authors, thousands of books to browse through, historic buildings
to explore, food and wine. A great weekend - not to be missed.
A very different experience in a unique historic setting and centrally located to explore the region. And only an hour from Melbourne !
Wonderful opportubnity for any bookworm to find a one-stop-shop for their special interest. With over 50 booksellers and much variety of subjects, your book can be found at Clunes. Food and entertainment backs up a well run and professional event.
Amazing weekend. Great writers talking about their books. Huge amount of booksellers selling every imaginable type of literature. Food, wine, entertainment. A beautiful historic town transformed once a year into a book lover’s heaven.
I’ve participated in Clunes Booktown for the past two years and will be back next year - it is a fabulous event showcasing this historic township with loads of booksellers, entertainment, music, local wines - there really is something for everyone.
What a great weekend! Everybody relaxing ,chatting, friendly and gathering books. With great writers,great food and music, not to mention books by the thousands, why be anywhere else
I visited from New South Wales and enjoyed a thoroughly delightful book-filled weekend. The local population were very friendly and hospitable and went out of their way to welcome their visitors. A delightful town to visit at any time, not just on the Back to Booktown wekend.
Fantastic weekend with something to offer everyone. Historic buildings, great food venues, thousands of books, music for everyone. So many smiling faces and people really enjoying themselves in the lovely autumn weather, fresh air and brightly coloured trees. Friendly locals and so many different things to do for all the family members.
‘Back to Booktown’ is truely unique - the overnight transformation of a small rural village into a sizeable township buzzing with people and activity - like in the gold-rush days when Clunes once came into being. Oh - almost forgot - it’s a ‘Mekka’ for book lovers, too.
Fantastic event occuring over 2 days which is a celebration of all things literary and entertaining. Well known authors in attendance, gourmet foods and boutique wines. The Clunes popoulation explodes from 800 to 12,000 over 2 days. Now in its third year. Destined to become a major rural event