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3w ago

Volunteers Form Human Chain to Relocate Melbourne’s Oldest Bookstore

Three hundred volunteers passed 17,000 volumes along Bourke Street into refurbished premises, preserving heritage features, improving accessibility.

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Hundreds of booklovers gathered in Melbourne's CBD to help the city's oldest bookshop move after 103 years.

Overview

  • The three-storey heritage-listed building on 86 Bourke Street sold for A$5.3 million in April, forcing Hill of Content to vacate its 103-year-old home.
  • Owners Diana and Duncan Johnston secured a nearby former 24-hour café at 32 Bourke Street and enlisted their son, architect Nick Johnston, to oversee renovations.
  • On July 10, about 300 volunteers including book lovers, tradespeople and families formed a human chain to move 17,000 books into the new shop.
  • The community-driven effort was organized via an Instagram call and was inspired by a US “book brigade” concept.
  • Hill of Content has reopened in its refurbished location, blending historic character with improved accessibility under growing CBD property pressures.