This iconic Melbourne bookshop is on the move – 120 metres up the road
The three-storey heritage-listed property at 86 Bourke Street changed hands in April last year for $5.3 million, according to commercial real estate agent JLL.
At that point, owners Diana and Duncan Johnston were hopeful they could remain. But on January 7 this year, they were told they would have to vacate.
New owner Qian Yu intends to open a Chinese restaurant in the space. He was contacted for comment.
The Johnstons purchased the Hill of Content – with silent partners Liz and Trevor Watt who owned Collins Booksellers in Sale – in 2005. The Watts will not continue in the relocated business.
After months looking, the Johnstons found a site that fit the bill – historic, in the same area, the size they wanted and needing some TLC – just up the road towards parliament at 32 Bourke Street. Once home to 24 hour cafe Fast Eddys, it was more recently a convenience store. It is currently being renovated and will open on July 12.
Although their friends say they are slightly mad taking on such a massive project in their 70s, the Johnstons are adamant they want to continue.
The new Hill of Content will feel a lot like the current store, says Diana Johnston, but with some changes. 'Same, same but different,' she quips. The floor space is similar to that at the current site and many of its fittings will be used, including some of the original shelving. A bigger dedicated children's area, a stage and a ramp for better accessibility are some of the key additions.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sky News AU
7 hours ago
- Sky News AU
Albanese living in ‘fantasy' as China increases military capabilities
Strategic Analysis Australia Director Peter Jennings has praised former prime minister Scott Morrison for his assessment on the threat of China, while Anthony Albanese was living in a "fantasy". 'The current PM is just living on this fantasy, he goes to nice banquets and the Chinese sort of look after him … everything's fine,' Mr Jennings told Sky News host Steve Price. "Albanese will know on the basis of what the national security system tells him that there are actually serious problems with China. "Problems in the Pacific with Southeast Asia, problems with the growth of their military capability, their continued cyber spying on Australia, which is enormous. "And the Prime Minister is ignoring all of those things in order to maintain the fiction that everything is fantastic.'
Perth Now
11 hours ago
- Perth Now
Xi calls for 'proper handling of frictions' with EU
Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged top European Union officials to "properly handle differences and frictions" as he criticised Brussels' recent trade actions against Beijing at a tense summit dominated by trade concerns and the Ukraine war. Expectations were low for the summit in the Chinese capital marking 50 years of diplomatic ties after weeks of escalating tension and wrangling over its format, with the duration abruptly halved to a single day at Beijing's request. "The current challenges facing Europe do not come from China," Xi told visiting European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa, state news agency Xinhua said. He urged the EU to "adhere to open co-operation and properly handle differences and frictions", after von der Leyen earlier called for a rebalancing of trade ties with the world's second largest economy, saying relations were at an "inflection point". "Improving competitiveness cannot rely on 'building walls and fortresses', Xi added, according to Xinhua. "'Decoupling and breaking chains' will only result in isolation." "It is hoped that the European side will keep the trade and investment market open and refrain from using restrictive economic and trade tools," he said. During the meeting in Beijing's Great Hall of the People, von der Leyen told Xi: "As our co-operation has deepened, so have imbalances," according to a pool report. "We have reached an inflection point," she added, urging China to "come forward with real solutions". She was referring to the EU's trade deficit with China, which ballooned to a historic 305.8 billion euros ($A544 billion) last year. EU trade actions in the past year have targeted Chinese exports of EVs among other goods, and its officials have repeatedly complained about Chinese industrial overcapacity. In a further veiled criticism of Brussels' recent hawkish stance on China, Xi also warned EU leaders to "make correct strategic choices". The two EU officials are set to meet Chinese Premier Li Qiang later. Both sides hope to reach a modest joint statement on climate, now one of the rare bright spots in their co-operation. In a posting on X, however, von der Leyen struck a more conciliatory tone, describing the summit as an opportunity to "both advance and rebalance our relationship". Topics the Europeans are expected to raise in the talks are electric vehicles and China's rare earth export controls that disrupted supply chains worldwide, causing temporary stoppages in European automotive production lines in May.
The Advertiser
11 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Xi calls for 'proper handling of frictions' with EU
Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged top European Union officials to "properly handle differences and frictions" as he criticised Brussels' recent trade actions against Beijing at a tense summit dominated by trade concerns and the Ukraine war. Expectations were low for the summit in the Chinese capital marking 50 years of diplomatic ties after weeks of escalating tension and wrangling over its format, with the duration abruptly halved to a single day at Beijing's request. "The current challenges facing Europe do not come from China," Xi told visiting European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa, state news agency Xinhua said. He urged the EU to "adhere to open co-operation and properly handle differences and frictions", after von der Leyen earlier called for a rebalancing of trade ties with the world's second largest economy, saying relations were at an "inflection point". "Improving competitiveness cannot rely on 'building walls and fortresses', Xi added, according to Xinhua. "'Decoupling and breaking chains' will only result in isolation." "It is hoped that the European side will keep the trade and investment market open and refrain from using restrictive economic and trade tools," he said. During the meeting in Beijing's Great Hall of the People, von der Leyen told Xi: "As our co-operation has deepened, so have imbalances," according to a pool report. "We have reached an inflection point," she added, urging China to "come forward with real solutions". She was referring to the EU's trade deficit with China, which ballooned to a historic 305.8 billion euros ($A544 billion) last year. EU trade actions in the past year have targeted Chinese exports of EVs among other goods, and its officials have repeatedly complained about Chinese industrial overcapacity. In a further veiled criticism of Brussels' recent hawkish stance on China, Xi also warned EU leaders to "make correct strategic choices". The two EU officials are set to meet Chinese Premier Li Qiang later. Both sides hope to reach a modest joint statement on climate, now one of the rare bright spots in their co-operation. In a posting on X, however, von der Leyen struck a more conciliatory tone, describing the summit as an opportunity to "both advance and rebalance our relationship". Topics the Europeans are expected to raise in the talks are electric vehicles and China's rare earth export controls that disrupted supply chains worldwide, causing temporary stoppages in European automotive production lines in May. Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged top European Union officials to "properly handle differences and frictions" as he criticised Brussels' recent trade actions against Beijing at a tense summit dominated by trade concerns and the Ukraine war. Expectations were low for the summit in the Chinese capital marking 50 years of diplomatic ties after weeks of escalating tension and wrangling over its format, with the duration abruptly halved to a single day at Beijing's request. "The current challenges facing Europe do not come from China," Xi told visiting European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa, state news agency Xinhua said. He urged the EU to "adhere to open co-operation and properly handle differences and frictions", after von der Leyen earlier called for a rebalancing of trade ties with the world's second largest economy, saying relations were at an "inflection point". "Improving competitiveness cannot rely on 'building walls and fortresses', Xi added, according to Xinhua. "'Decoupling and breaking chains' will only result in isolation." "It is hoped that the European side will keep the trade and investment market open and refrain from using restrictive economic and trade tools," he said. During the meeting in Beijing's Great Hall of the People, von der Leyen told Xi: "As our co-operation has deepened, so have imbalances," according to a pool report. "We have reached an inflection point," she added, urging China to "come forward with real solutions". She was referring to the EU's trade deficit with China, which ballooned to a historic 305.8 billion euros ($A544 billion) last year. EU trade actions in the past year have targeted Chinese exports of EVs among other goods, and its officials have repeatedly complained about Chinese industrial overcapacity. In a further veiled criticism of Brussels' recent hawkish stance on China, Xi also warned EU leaders to "make correct strategic choices". The two EU officials are set to meet Chinese Premier Li Qiang later. Both sides hope to reach a modest joint statement on climate, now one of the rare bright spots in their co-operation. In a posting on X, however, von der Leyen struck a more conciliatory tone, describing the summit as an opportunity to "both advance and rebalance our relationship". Topics the Europeans are expected to raise in the talks are electric vehicles and China's rare earth export controls that disrupted supply chains worldwide, causing temporary stoppages in European automotive production lines in May. Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged top European Union officials to "properly handle differences and frictions" as he criticised Brussels' recent trade actions against Beijing at a tense summit dominated by trade concerns and the Ukraine war. Expectations were low for the summit in the Chinese capital marking 50 years of diplomatic ties after weeks of escalating tension and wrangling over its format, with the duration abruptly halved to a single day at Beijing's request. "The current challenges facing Europe do not come from China," Xi told visiting European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa, state news agency Xinhua said. He urged the EU to "adhere to open co-operation and properly handle differences and frictions", after von der Leyen earlier called for a rebalancing of trade ties with the world's second largest economy, saying relations were at an "inflection point". "Improving competitiveness cannot rely on 'building walls and fortresses', Xi added, according to Xinhua. "'Decoupling and breaking chains' will only result in isolation." "It is hoped that the European side will keep the trade and investment market open and refrain from using restrictive economic and trade tools," he said. During the meeting in Beijing's Great Hall of the People, von der Leyen told Xi: "As our co-operation has deepened, so have imbalances," according to a pool report. "We have reached an inflection point," she added, urging China to "come forward with real solutions". She was referring to the EU's trade deficit with China, which ballooned to a historic 305.8 billion euros ($A544 billion) last year. EU trade actions in the past year have targeted Chinese exports of EVs among other goods, and its officials have repeatedly complained about Chinese industrial overcapacity. In a further veiled criticism of Brussels' recent hawkish stance on China, Xi also warned EU leaders to "make correct strategic choices". The two EU officials are set to meet Chinese Premier Li Qiang later. Both sides hope to reach a modest joint statement on climate, now one of the rare bright spots in their co-operation. In a posting on X, however, von der Leyen struck a more conciliatory tone, describing the summit as an opportunity to "both advance and rebalance our relationship". Topics the Europeans are expected to raise in the talks are electric vehicles and China's rare earth export controls that disrupted supply chains worldwide, causing temporary stoppages in European automotive production lines in May. Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged top European Union officials to "properly handle differences and frictions" as he criticised Brussels' recent trade actions against Beijing at a tense summit dominated by trade concerns and the Ukraine war. Expectations were low for the summit in the Chinese capital marking 50 years of diplomatic ties after weeks of escalating tension and wrangling over its format, with the duration abruptly halved to a single day at Beijing's request. "The current challenges facing Europe do not come from China," Xi told visiting European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa, state news agency Xinhua said. He urged the EU to "adhere to open co-operation and properly handle differences and frictions", after von der Leyen earlier called for a rebalancing of trade ties with the world's second largest economy, saying relations were at an "inflection point". "Improving competitiveness cannot rely on 'building walls and fortresses', Xi added, according to Xinhua. "'Decoupling and breaking chains' will only result in isolation." "It is hoped that the European side will keep the trade and investment market open and refrain from using restrictive economic and trade tools," he said. During the meeting in Beijing's Great Hall of the People, von der Leyen told Xi: "As our co-operation has deepened, so have imbalances," according to a pool report. "We have reached an inflection point," she added, urging China to "come forward with real solutions". She was referring to the EU's trade deficit with China, which ballooned to a historic 305.8 billion euros ($A544 billion) last year. EU trade actions in the past year have targeted Chinese exports of EVs among other goods, and its officials have repeatedly complained about Chinese industrial overcapacity. In a further veiled criticism of Brussels' recent hawkish stance on China, Xi also warned EU leaders to "make correct strategic choices". The two EU officials are set to meet Chinese Premier Li Qiang later. Both sides hope to reach a modest joint statement on climate, now one of the rare bright spots in their co-operation. In a posting on X, however, von der Leyen struck a more conciliatory tone, describing the summit as an opportunity to "both advance and rebalance our relationship". Topics the Europeans are expected to raise in the talks are electric vehicles and China's rare earth export controls that disrupted supply chains worldwide, causing temporary stoppages in European automotive production lines in May.
