Published in suBLURBan: a little guide book to Melbourne, as part of the Melbourne Writers Festival, August 2007

Camberwell’s main street might look like an ordinary shopping strip, but the suburb is a treasure hunter’s paradise.

Bookworms are in for a treat. Three of the major retailers battle it out over Burke Road – Borders, Angus and Robertson, and Dymocks, which has a great ABC Centre. But head around the corner and you’ll find two excellent secondhand booksellers. Sainsbury Books (534 Riversdale Road) is a bright, airy shop specialising in an outstanding collection of quality art books in addition to its more general stock. On the other side of the border, Camberwell Books and Collectibles (207 Camberwell Road) has more of a rabbit-warren feel, with its narrow aisles and books crammed on shelves and in boxes all the way to the ceiling. The freakishly knowledgeable staff here also specialise in antique Australian comics and ephemera.

Fashionistas are also spoiled for choice. Blondies (682 Burke Road) stocks quirky pieces by Australian designers such as Akira and Trelise Cooper; further up the hill, find some designer pieces at secondhand prices at Carousel Recycle Boutique (798A Burke Road). And the Lighthouse Shop (5 Cookson Street) sells factory-outlet priced streetwear, with profits going into the Lighthouse Foundation’s work with youth at risk.

For the discerning op shopper, Camberwell’s Salvation Army Family Store (529 Riversdale Road) is huge. Go early in the week as the floor is restocked on Mondays. But the real attraction is the famous Camberwell Sunday Market, run every Sunday morning by the Rotary Club in the car park opposite Safeway. Around 140 stallholders gather every week to peddle their wares, including antiques, secondhand clothing, books, records, plants, and other trinkets and baubles. And of course, Rotary provides the obligatory sausage sizzle.

For something more substantial than a sausage, check out some of the local restaurants and cafes. Highlights include Short Black Café (761 Burke Road) for its big breakfasts and extensive pancake line-up; Afghan Village (923 Burke Road) for a middle eastern meal; Sofia’s (857 Burke Road) for enormous plates of Turkish-made Italian food; and Laurant Patisserie (600 Burke Road) for French-style baked treats. The Fresh Food Market (515-519 Riversdale Road) attracts grocery shoppers from all over Melbourne. Come here for great fresh fruit and vegies, flowers, nuts, deli goods, lollies and ready-made meals.

But Camberwell’s greatest treasure is its Art Deco cinema, the Rivoli (200 Camberwell Road). After your long day of hunting for the jewels amongst the junk, relax in front of an arthouse flick in the grand architecture of one of Melbourne’s most famous buildings.

To visit Camberwell, take a train on the Lilydale, Belgrave or Alamein lines, take the number 70 or 75 trams from Flinders Street or go the long way round through Malvern on the number 72 from Swanston Street.