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For bookings, details of membership and subscriptions, contact:
Friends of the NLA
National Library of Australia
Parkes Place
CANBERRA ACT 2600
Tel: (02) 6262 1698
Fax: (02) 6273 4493
Email: friends@nla.gov.au
Web site: www.nla.gov.au/friend
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April
Friends
Autumn is such a beautiful time of year to hop in the car with your loved ones and spend the day away from your usual stamping ground. One of my favourite pastimes is trawling around secondhand bookshops; there are a number of these which support our Friends program by offering discounts to members. This month, I want to give you a bit more detail on two that are located in southeast New South Wales.
The Southern Highlands region is approximately half way between Sydney and Canberra. It is full of attractions including museums, wineries, cafes and antiques traders, and one of the best spots of all is Berkelouw’s Book Barn in Berrima, just off the Old Hume Highway. The Book Barn is home to over 300 000 books on all manner of subjects—fiction and non fiction, adult and children’s literature. It is housed in a huge converted barn, complete with a hayloft and surrounded by paddocks, cattle and all manner of rural paraphernalia. It is the kind of place where you can easily lose track of time. Fortunately, it is one of those oases where wisdom has reigned, and the Barn includes a café serving wholesome food and good coffee, so you can spend hours away from your hectic daily life. For those of you who are serious collectors, Berkelouw’s Rare Book Department might be more your style, and they have a website where you can search their collection (www.berkelouw.com.au).
Friends of the National Library of Australia receive a 10 per cent discount on items from Berkelouw Books. The Book Barn is open 9.30 am – 5 pm seven days a week, and the Rare Book Department is open 8.30 am – 4 pm on weekdays. The Berkelouw Book Barn and Rare Book Department are located on the left of the Old Hume Highway, 3 km out of Berrima as you head towards Mittagong. They can be contacted on (02) 4877 1370.
If you are driving to the New South Wales South Coast, perhaps you should consider stopping at Bungendore to visit Winchbooks and A Suitable Book. Winchbooks was the first secondhand bookseller to operate in Canberra back in 1976, but in 2005 they moved to 24 King’s Highway in Bungendore. Winchbooks also covers all genres, and has a large collection of art, Australian history, military, theology, philosophy and horticulture. They have a lovely sunny courtyard and are open >11am to 5 pm seven days a week, and offer Friends 15 per cent off all purchases.
A Suitable Book is not strictly speaking a secondhand bookseller, but I have never let that stop me! It has a healthy selection of new and remaindered books, a range of high quality educational toys, CDs and audio books, a selection of gorgeous gift cards and, believe it or not, some exquisite rugs from Herat in North Western Afghanistan. A Suitable Book can be found in Heritage Square, Malbon Street, Bungendore, and is open 10 am – 5 pm Monday to Friday and 9.30 am – 5.30 pm on weekends. Friends receive a 10 per cent discount on all purchases. Happy travelling!
JILLIAN EDWARDS
Executive Officer
Friends of the National Library of Australia
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