The Blue Mountains Bookshop Trail; A Book Lovers Adventure
Did you the Blue Mountains has it’s own bookshop trail? The brainchild of the Good Earth Bookshop, the trail features 12 Blue Mountains bookshops between Glenbrook and Lithgow and includes new, secondhand and specialty bookshops.
If you’re looking for a unique idea for a Blue Mountains weekend away, fun day out with a few girlfriends a book club gathering with a difference or even a way to spend a rainy day, the Blue Mountains Bookshop Trail can easily form the basis for a great day! I love the space in many of the bookshops in the Blue Mountains, they invite you to sit down and spend time rather than just get in and out as quickly as possible.
October 7th was Love Your Bookshop day, which was coincidentally the date my book club girlfriends had chosen to explore the bookshops on the route. During the whole month of October you can grab a map from any of the stores and get it stamped at each of the stores you visit, and go into the draw to win a prize at the end of the month.
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Plan your Blue Mountains Bookshop Trail
Most likely you’ll be thinking about visiting the Blue Mountains Bookshops on a weekend, so its important to check out the opening hours of each of the stores. A number of them will operate reduced hours on weekends which may impact the order you need to check them off to complete the trail in a day. If you are book lovers like my friends and I you’ll understand that its not hard to while away a fair chunk of time in a bookshop, and with travel time factored in fitting in all 12 in a day is a challenge!
Alternatively, give yourself a weekend to take your time and explore some of the other activities on offer in the Blue Mountains! We chose to start our day in Glenbrook and spend the night in Lithgow. We were relaxed about how many we tried to squeeze into the day, knowing we wouldn’t get to all of them and would have the next morning to finish the trail. Ultimately we finished up in Leura on the first day and visited the remaining bookshops the next morning.
If you are doing the Bookshop Trail on a weekend and want to attempt it in a day, you’ll need to consider your order carefully as both the first and last bookshops close early on a weekend. Also think about where you might like to stop for meals, there’s some great places to eat in the Blue Mountains, many in the same towns as the bookshops on the trail, so you might like to factor this into your timings.
To help you plan your day read on for the details of each store and travel times. Some parts of the Blue Mountains have recently installed paid parking for non-residents so if you are visiting you’ll need to be aware of where you park. Alternatively, most of the Blue Mountains Bookshops could be ticked off easily by catching a train between mountains towns, but this will add to your time significantly, especially on a weekend train timetable.
Blue Mountains Bookshops
Blue Dragon Books
Address: 11 Ross Street Glenbrook
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 10am – 5pm, Saturday 9.30 – 3pm, Sunday 10am – 2pm
Parking: If you are unable to nab parking in the street there is a parking lot on the left as you travel down Ross Street or another at the end of the street.
If you start your day off in Glenbrook you may like to enjoy breakfast or a coffee first at one of the great cafes that Glenbrook has on offer.
Located in an arcade off the main street of Glenbrook is this great little secondhand bookshop. Well spaced for browsing and a great range of books to select from. I ended up with a couple of purchases from my visit to Blue Dragon!
You can check out their stock online at Blue Dragon Books.
Springwood Book Lounge
Address: 252-258 Macquarie Rd Springwood (down the end where the train station is)
Opening Hours: Mon-Fri 9am to 4pm, Saturday 9-2.30pm
Travel Time: Glenbrook to Springwood is approximately 11 minutes
Parking: If unable to find street parking the railway station carpark is nearby, or the parking lot accessed from Springwood Avenue is between the 2 bookshops.
This is the epitome of the stereotypical secondhand bookshop! Barely room to move and we didn’t even see the proprietor sitting behind the pile of books on the counter. My friend found a copy of a book she had lost years before and had been looking for since so there’s the chance to find yourself a rare gem!
The Turning Page Bookshop
Address: 125 Macquarie Rd Springwood (down the end where the Oriental Hotel is)
Opening Hours: Mon-Fri 9.30am – 5.30pm, Sat/Sun 9.30am – 3pm
Travel Time: Walking Distance
Parking: Underground parking beneath The Turning Page is accessible from Greenway Lane if you don’t find street parking.
A Springwood icon, The Turning Page has been around as long as I can remember, celebrating 40 years of business in 2023.
Selling new books and a selection of games and novelties, it features a great children’s area.
You can check out their website at The Turning Page Bookshop.
Chapters and Leaves
Address: 7-9 St Georges Crescent Faulconbridge
Opening Hours: Mon/Wed/Thurs 9.30am – 2pm, Friday 9.30am – 5pm, Saturday 9.30am – 3pm
Travel Time: 5 minutes
Parking: Street parking or there is parking a short distance away on Home Street in front of the Community Hall
Plan this one for your morning tea stop. Its more a cafe than a bookshop, with only a handful of shelves full of books on display, but the coffee is good (as is the tea according to my friends) and the cakes were delicious! I understand it has new owners as of recently and is now a much bigger and more inviting space than it used to be.
You can check out their tea room and menu at Chapters and Leaves.
RoseyRavelston Books
Address: 1 Badgery Crescent Lawson
Opening Hours: Tue-Fri 9am – 6pm, Saturday 9am – 5pm, Sunday 10am – 4pm
Travel Time: Faulconbridge to Lawson is approximately 11 minutes
Parking: There is a parking lot directly in front of the bookshop.
RoseyRavelston was definitely the highlight of my day. The bookshop is warm and inviting, with wooden floors, a large table in the centre of the room, armchairs tucked into the corner and a resident dog. While I didn’t try the coffee myself there is an adjoining shop which sells produce and coffee.
RoseyRavelston also offer coworking space and host regular events both indoors and in the garden out the back, including a monthly book club where you can talk about your favourite book from the month. Even better – they are a social enterprise so 50% of their profit is donated to amazing causes.
Check out their website at The Good Earth Bookshop.
Good Earth Bookshop
Address: 28-30 Station Street Wentworth Falls
Opening Hours: Tues – Sun 10am – 5pm
Travel Time: Lawson to Wentworth Falls is approximately 7 minutes
Parking: You can often be lucky enough to grab a street park in Wentworth Falls, though weekends can get busy. There is a car parking area directly in front of the bookshop or the station carpark on Station Street.
This store was another of my favourites! Again nice and big with room to wander round without feeling cramped and spaces which are made available for other events. The owner of this shop is behind the Blue Mountains Bookshop Trail idea and was really excited when we told her we were doing it as a book club outing!
Wyrdbooks
Address: 32 Station Street Wentworth Falls
Opening Hours: Thu-Sat 9am – 4pm, Sunday 10am – 4pm
Travel Time: Walking distance
Wyrdbooks is a bit of a unique offering on this list, being that it does cater to a specific genre; science fiction, fantasy and horror. Even if this isn’t your jam it is worth popping your head in as the owner is a true collector, and will take great delight in showing off some of the special and unique editions he has in store.
It completely slipped my mind to grab a photo in this one but you can check them out online at Wyrdbooks.
Wentworth Falls makes a great point to stop for lunch if you are working your way up the mountain.
Megalong Books
Address: 183 Leura Mall Leura
Opening Hours: Mon- Sat 9am – 5pm, Sunday 10am – 5pm
Travel Time: Wentworth Falls to Leura is approximately 6 minutes
Parking: Leura Mall will get very busy especially on a weekend but its worth checking anyway. Entry to the Woolworths carpark behind the street is off Megalong Road.
Leura is another great option for a lunch stop with cafe options spread all along the Mall. Megalong Books is found on the Katoomba side and stocks new books.
Check them out online at Megalong Books.
The Little Lost Bookshop
Address: Shop 10 Hapenny Lane Katoomba
Opening Hours: Tues – Sat 10am – 4pm, Sunday 10am – 3pm
Travel Time: Leura to Katoomba is approximately 5 minutes
Parking: Its always worth checking Katoomba street for a spot, otherwise head for the Woolworths carpark off Parke Street.
This is a charming little bookshop with a split level located in a little alleyway between the main street and the shopping centre. The upstairs features a piano and chairs for perusing and they sell a selection of games and new books.
Check them out online at The Little Lost Bookshop.
Mr Pickwicks fine old books
Address: 84 Katoomba Street Katoomba
Opening Hours: 7 Days 10am – 5pm
Travel Time: Walking distance
You might be forgiven for not knowing this place was here. Its the lower level of a large antiques and collectables store and only a small sign out the front indicates it’s presence. They have a good selection of classics and Australiana.
Gleebooks
Address: Shop 1 Colliers Arcade, Govetts Leap Rd Blackheath
Opening Hours: 7 Days 9am – 5pm (there are 2 parts to Gleebooks and the secondhand part of the store closes earlier)
Travel Time: Katoomba to Blackheath is approximately 13 minutes.
Parking: There is a small parking lot behind the Victory Theatre which is a short walk away.
Tucked away in Colliers Arcade which runs off Govetts Leap Road, there is a new and secondhand part of Gleebooks. Each has their own store but they face each other across the walkway of the arcade. We did arrive to find the secondhand store had closed earlier than the new but got to have a wander in this light and airy bookshop!
Check out their website at Gleebooks.
A Readers Heaven
Address: 184 Mort Street Lithgow
Opening Hours: Mon/Wed/Thurs/Fri 9.30am – 5.30pm, Sat/Sun 9.30am – 3pm
Travel Time: Blackheath to Lithgow is approximately 30 minutes
A Readers Heaven was another of my favourites on the day with a good space and selection to choose from. Make sure you have a rummage through the bargain shelf by the window which has some great books for just $1!
Check them out at A Readers Heaven.
Top Tips for enjoying your Blue Mountains Bookshop Trail adventure
- Plan it! Download your map ahead of your trip.
- Take your time. Shops like RoseyRavelston, Good Earth and the Little Lost Bookshop are just made for enjoying the space for a while.
- Are there any shops on the trail you particularly want to visit? You might want to start there!
- Check the opening hours on your planned day – you don’t want to get to that shop you really want to see and find it closed!
- There’s some amazing places to eat and things to do in the Blue Mountains – what else do you want to factor into your day?
- Why not make it a weekend and really relax and take your time
- Are you driving or taking public transport? You’ll need to plan your stops around the train timetable
Where to stay in the Blue Mountains
If you are planning to make a weekend of it my recommendations would be to either stay at the Lithgow end, heading back into the mountains to finish the top part of the Bookshop Trail on the second day, or stay in the upper mountains around Katoomba and carry on to complete the Bookshop Trail on day two and stop for lunch in Lithgow before heading home after a fun weekend!
