An independent bookshop with book launches, author interviews and intimate gigs from local musicians (check the website). When you've finished browsing through the specials table, switched-on staff will help you find everyone from Lacan to Charlie & Lola on the shelves. Best of all, the shop supports a string of independent publishers, as well as locally produced journals.

Also in the city centre and Carlton.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Luna Park

0.17 MILES

Luna Park opened in 1912 and still has an old-style amusement-park feel, with creepy Mr Moon’s gaping mouth swallowing you up as you enter. There’s a…

2. St Kilda Botanical Gardens

0.27 MILES

Taking pride of place on the southern side of the Barkly–Carlisle–Blessington Sts triangle, the Botanical Gardens are an unexpected haven from St Kilda's…

3. Linden New Art

0.29 MILES

Housed in a whitewashed, wrought-iron-clad 1870s mansion, Linden mainly champions new contemporary art by mid-career artists. The annual postcard show …

4. St Kilda Foreshore

0.47 MILES

With a palm-fringed promenade, sandy beach and eclectic architecture, St Kilda’s seaside appeal lands somewhere between Brighton in England and Venice…

5. St Kilda Pier

0.61 MILES

Jutting out over the bay, St Kilda Pier offers a smashing view of the Melbourne skyline, best seen at sunset. The Edwardian-style kiosk at the end of the…

6. Jewish Museum of Australia

0.62 MILES

Interactive displays and timelines tell the history of Australia’s Jewish community from the earliest days of European settlement, while permanent…

7. Elwood Beach

1.13 MILES

A short drive or a concerted foreshore walk will take you to this swimming beach. Usually less windswept, though often no less crowded, than St Kilda…

8. Artists Lane

1.22 MILES

Running parallel to Chapel St is Artists Lane (Aerosol Alley to southsiders), a long bluestone alley splattered in street art. The project was initiated…