While you can't fault the old masters, these days it seems that contemporary art is where it's at…read more Fresh and exciting, these are the artists who are forging new design concepts and innovations. Whether you adore it, or it leaves you feeling puzzled and claiming "my 3-year old could have made that", it really doesn't matter. This is what art is all about. There is no contest, the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art (ACCA) is easily Melbourne's best destination for contemporary artwork. Even amongst a city such as Melbourne where art galleries reign supreme, the ACCA is a special place. Showcasing works by both Australian and International artists, it is a must-see for anyone interested in art, photography and design. With five exhibitions held annually, there's bound to something to please everyone form the experienced art-lover to the gallery virgin. At the moment ACCA is showing 'Power to the People Contemporary Conceptualism and the Object in Art.' Recalling the interactive art of the sixties, that saw happenings and interactive audience projects replace traditional art work, it promises to be an interesting experience.

I'm always surprised when friends of mine who live in Melbourne tell me that they've never been to…read morethe Australian Centre for Contemporary Art. Located just outside the CBD, this free gallery exhibits some really striking and impressive contemporary art, by celebrated artists from around the globe. In terms of the art on display at any given time, it can be a bit hit and miss, but I have seen several exhibitions at ACCA that have really blown me away. They also quite often have shows that are particularly good for kids (in terms of family-friendly content and accessibility). But be sure to check online before making a visit with children in tow. I see that during October they have been running nude tours of the gallery, which gives you an idea of the weird and wonderful world of ACCA.

Following Borders's demise, Dymocks is, as far as I am aware of, the only remaining bookstore on…read moreBurke Road, Camberwell. Based in the Well, it could not be more conveniently located in the heart of Camberwell shopping. I really like this store. It's got a broad range of books to suit all needs and wants. The staff are great, really great in fact. Borders Camberwell were good, bigger however you were never able to find someone to give you a hand and assist you in finding what you were after. Dymocks, on the other hand, offers more (in my view) of that personalised service that I like. Oh and yes there's an ABC store in there as well.

Having recently moved to the area, I have been in search of a good quality book shop with helpful…read moreand knowledgable staff for myself and family. We buy a lot of books. I have visited most other local book shops with very mixed results. I was so pleasantly surprised with the service that this will now become my local bookshop.

Excellent place! Unlike the name suggest, I highly doubt you'll find such a person in there as…read morethere is 'bound' to be something for everyone. Haha the pun was indeed intended! Offering a wide genre of publications you'll find a great selection of the non- mainstream authors and publications that only the hippest of hipsters will read amongst the many top ten or twenty paperbacks trending at the moment as well as garden, architecture, design and cookery books. But speak to the owners as their passion is about books and they can recommend or source for you. Brilliant! The mood is perfect inside and you'll while away hours and forget your worries inside. Jazz plays in the background, the lighting is perfect for reading as browsing and there's a children's section at the back of the shop that's obviously there to engrain in little ones what a joy reading can be. There's also a nice selection of great gifting items from quirky gifts like time robots to some alchemy and of course cards. Nice, arty, humourous cards that will make you lol. I did. 10/10. And the prices ain't bad. I am in love with this shop as I'm a non reader but this definitely makes me want to.

You'd think being an independent shop there would be better customer service! So rude therefore…read moreNEVER going back there again! Several of us were outside the bookstore recently an hour before closing time and there are 2 sales people in the shop purposefully ignoring us all. 2 people had walked 45 mins to visit your shop and even checked the closing time before making that trek to you, only to be completely ignored.

Great book store just a few minutes from Alburn station in Hawthorn. Can Do stock a great range of…read moretitles from sewing, knitting, papercraft and cooking to name a few. Staff are knowledgeable and lovely to chatter to. Perfect place to track down a crafty book! P.S ask about their meet up groups :-)

Great service and selection. And the owner Warren is so friendly and such a joy to talk to! Easily…read morethe best and my most favourite record store in Melbourne!

Fabulous record store, lovely staff. Take time to browse and chat to Woz and the gang.read more

For anyone into vintage records, Dixon's is the place for you…read more There is such a huge selection they are bound to have exactly what you are looking for. I walk in and I don't know where to start. I could spend hours browsing through the offerings, and I often do! The cool thing about Dixon's, is you can not only buy all you old faves, but you can also sell your records there. On more than one occasion I have been tempted to take down mums Bony M collection because I'm sick of hearing it played everytime I go over! But that's a whole other story.. Dixon's also have a good range of DVD's, CD's and Bu Ray DVD's.

Growing up in Blackburn one of the most favourite things to do was head down to the second record…read moreplace and spend a Saturday flicking through records and CDs. The notion of buying and selling second hand goods only came to me after being in this store. The quality of wares is good - the Blackburn one having a stronger selection of Metal and Hard Rock than most of the others - and as it turns out they had to move due to the quantity of stock. Rest assured it only ended up being a few shops up the street, taking over an old garage and converting it into a huge warehouse space. There is even enough room to house a piano in the foyer area, though I'm yet to see any play it. The guys working there have been there since my early days in the store, and are keen music antiquity men and fonts of music knowledge. They can tell you who was having it off with who's girlfriend in the band while making a certain record. Their historical music gossip will make you blush.

While the focus of this place lies somewhere between vinyl and second hand books, the fact that…read morethey specialise in both reading and quality listening material is near and dear to my heart. They have a sizable collection of both and they do seem to have a pretty good handle on what is actually worthwhile as collectible and what's a pile of crap. Discerning as they are, they aren't willing to part with their goods for bargain prices, so The Searchers falls into that slightly irritating 'quality second hand' kind of realm where you're expected to cough up near-to-new prices for used goods. On plenty of occasions I've scanned the milk crates in here for vinyl and found a pile of the stuff that I need. At the last second though, I weigh up the prices of what I'm about to scoop and decide I'd be better of spending those bucks on nice new reissues or releases from a little indie book shop or record store. Still, I love to dig around in here and the folk are pretty open to that. It's a great place to browse, and I guess some people just dig on that shit.

I discovered this bookstore the other day with my partner - we were drawn in by the array of…read morediscounted books out the front and the sounds of Nina Simone from within. Inside is a large store with bricks lining the inside, large bookshelves and some tables in the middle. The music comes from a record player at the front, just behind the large collection of vinyl records. We found Pink Floyd, Bruce Springsteen and other classics in mint condition. There is a large collection of books including a generous non-fiction and fiction section along the left hand side. I spotted some Wordsworth, Patrick White and Hardy in amongst other classics. Out the front of the store are boxes of books discounted to between $4-7. All the books seemed in great condition, and there were some old Penguin editions for sale too. The only problem I had was that the sales assistant was a little unfriendly; she seemed busy but didn't really seem interested in what the customers were doing.

Located beneath Glenferrie station is a book shop like no other in the area…read more Behind the glass you feast your eyes upon the novels and bound volumes that await you. Open the door and the smell hits you, the kind of smell that knowledge seeps from. Printed pages a plenty, this book shop is known for it's rare and hard to find pieces, both in quality and in quantity. The staff, when you can find them (often found amongst the books) are helpful and knowledgeable on most questions regarding the shop's contents, though on a few occasions I've discovered a book they didn't know was there. What this really means is it's worth having a good look yourself.

This is a beautiful store, and I adore the fact that it is tucked away and secluded from the busy…read moremain street. The books spill out onto the walkway in boxes on tables and include classics and more contemporary literature. The inside of the store is the perfect balance between antique library and organized and clean shop front. The atmosphere is more on the library side, and you can take as long as you want just walking around and either flipping through beautiful editions of classics or staring into the cabinets at the antique and collectables within. The sales assistants are really helpful and don't make a fuss about you touching the books or taking your time. It is all about enjoying the books and having a read. Alley Tunes is next door and you'll be able to grab a great coffee, then you can browse the book collections outside that are a little less expensive.