Spoilt for choice at Booktown

EACH May for the past 12 years Clunes morphs into Australia’s largest book shop.

This year its heritage buildings will host celebrated authors and guest speakers while the streets will again accommodate purveyors of rare and collectable books.

Louise Permezel, Clunes Booktown Festival programmer said this year’s festival is packed full of events for every book lover.

“Our program of author talks is extensive, embracing the current topics we are all talking about, the latest trends in crime writing, and the power of stories in our lives,” she said.

Writers and experts will cover the hot topics in a series of curated conversations.

Take a seat under the vaulted ceiling of the Town Hall on Saturday to hear Melbourne authors Tony Birch and Alicia Pung discuss Blaze a Tale: The Power of Story.

Birch and Pung will give their take on what it is like to be a story teller in today’s Australia.

Authors Alicia Sometimes and Nicole Hayes will chat about their book A Footy Girls Guide with Kate O’Halloran in the National Hotel on Sunday morning.

There you can hear what they have to say about the coming of age of women’s football and what the sports revolution really means for women and girls.

Visitors to Booktown can also take a break and listen to live music, grab a bite to eat and a glass of local wine, enjoy street performances or simply walk Clunes and marvel at the gold-rush-era architecture.

“There are also loads of creative activities for the kids,” Ms Permezel said.

Junior fiction lovers can join in the Heroes Journey Dress-up Parade by coming as one of their favourite book characters.

Kids, mums and dads can also have fun finding their way out of the Straw Bale Maze, constructed from 300 bales in the Kids Village on Fraser Street.

“The festival really is an escape weekend,” Ms Permezel said.

Clunes Booktown Festival is on Saturday, 4 and Sunday, 5 May. Entry is $10 with tickets available at clunesbooktown.com.au.