Join us on a magical Melbourne adventure this Christmas!
It’s that time of year again, our Melbourne City Treasure Hunt is returning in 2022 for a new bookish adventure. Collect a free treasure map from Mary Martin Bookshop in Southbank during December and embark on a quest for clues among Melbourne's historical places.
This year's treasure hunt was created by children's author Amelia Mellor based on her magical new book, The Bookseller’s Apprentice. Set in the 1800s Melbourne The Bookseller’s Apprentice and The Grandest Bookshop in the World are race-against-time adventure books, loaded with tricks, riddles, magic and mayhem. Traces of the places that feature in the books still exist in Melbourne today and the treasure hunt will take you back in time to explore them.
The book’s illustrator Sylvia Morris has drawn the map’s beautiful design, as well as beautiful illustration on the window of our Southbank store.
The map’s route will take treasure hunters to historical locations around Melbourne’s CBD and a QR code on the map will allow children to see photos of each stop in the olden days. The treasure hunt begins and ends at Mary Martin Bookshop and is aimed at children between 6 and 14 (although all are welcome to take part). This year's route takes approximately 1 1/2 hours to complete.
Participants do not need to have read The Bookseller’s Apprentice to enjoy the adventure or solve the clues, although of course reading the book before or after would enrich the experience!
Children who complete the treasure hunt and solve the riddle will receive a special bookmark with a fortune and a treat as well as the chance to win one of several book prizes that we’ll be giving away over the month.
WHEN:
Anytime during store opening hours between 1st - 31st December 2022
Please note we close at 3pm on Christmas Eve and are closed on Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
MEET THE AUTHOR: Amelia will be in store signing books at 2pm Saturday 3 December and 11am on Tuesday 20 December. Come and meet the author and have your book signed personally!
WHERE :
The treasure hunt begins and ends at Mary Martin Bookshop, Ground Floor of the Southgate Centre in Southbank.
WHO:
The treasure hunt is aimed at children aged 6-14, but all are welcome to take part. Younger children may need an adult’s assistance to find the answers to the clues.
HOW TO PARTICIPATE:
Visit the bookshop during opening hours to collect a treasure map and begin your adventure. The route takes approximately an hour and a half to complete. Remember to bring a pen or pencil with you so you can fill in the letters as you find each clue.
FREE OF COST