★ Write at home in Melbourne

Bookworms, wordsmiths, poets and storytellers can get inspired at one of the many events or venues dedicated to the written word – starting with the Melbourne Writers’ Festival (20 – 30 August). This year, the two-week festival of all things literary will celebrate its 30th birthday by hosting the biggest and best festival yet.

More than 500 local and international artists will come together over the 11 days, with 500 events to be held at 50 venues, and an expected audience of more than 56,000. That’s more than 11 times the number of attendees the festival attracted in its first year, when it comprised 18 events at five venues and 57 artists. It is fair to say that the Melbourne Writers’ Festival has grown to become a suitably significant event for a city that, in 2008, joined the UNESCO Creative Cities Network when it was designated the first and only City of Literature in Australia, and the second in the world.

Melbourne earned this title by being home to an array of literary organisations, as well as a generous portion of Australia’s literary talent, including C J Dennis, Peter Carey, Helen Garner and Christios Tsoilkas. Melburnians also consume more books, magazines and newspapers per capita than any other city in Australia and enjoy the highest concentration of community book clubs in the country.

Whether attending the Melbourne Writers’ Festival or not, visitors to Melbourne can channel their inner bookworm at one of the many events and venues dedicated to the written word.

State Library of Victoria Beneath the iconic 100-year-old dome at the State Library of Victoria, Australia’s oldest public library has been inspiring writers, artists, researchers, students and visitors for generations. The State Library has lots offer modern library-goers, with a kids hub, a reading room and a range of ever-changing exhibitions. 328 Swanston St, Melbourne,  +61 3 8664 7000

Melbourne by the Book walking tourHosted by Hidden Secrets Walking Tours, this tour operates during the Melbourne Writer’s Festival (and at other times, by request) exploring the wonderfully diverse bookshops of Melbourne’s city centre, and some of the heritage that encouraged UNESCO to name Melbourne a City of Literature. +61 3 9663 3358

The Wheeler CentreEvery great city has its grand cultural institutions – art galleries, theatres, museums and concert halls. The Wheeler Centre was founded out of the view that there should also be a place for discussion, debate, practice of writing and ideas. As such, The Wheeler Centre is Melbourne’s home for smart, passionate and entertaining public talks on every topic imaginable, it hosts more than 200 events each year, with some of the city’s – and the world’s – finest speakers sharing their expertise, imaginations and ideas. 176 Little Lonsdale Street, Melbourne, +61 3 9094 7800

Literary lanewaysMany modern writers work in Melbourne’s inner city, retreating to rooms just out of earshot of the buzzing streets and laneways below. Writers and readers can find their own nook in the Flinders Lane precinct bounded by Swanston and Elizabeth Streets. Writers’ Victoria, Aboriginal Literacy Foundation, Centre for Adult Education, Letterbox, and City Library are all here, as well as the literary-leaning Journal cafe.

Specialty bookshopsThe vast array of bookshops that are scattered throughout the city, and beyond, are testament to Melburnians’ love of literature. Everything from hard-to-find historical treasures to popular fiction is available at retailers dedicated to art, design, food, comics, history and simply good books – some of which have recently received international accolades.

Australian PoetryBased at The Wheeler Centre, Australian Poetry is the national peak body for poetry and aims to promote and support Australian poets and poetry both locally and internationally, as well as to make poetry more accessible. Its calendar of national poetry events is recommended for word-lovers.

State of GraceWhile not exactly the pinnacle of literary intellect, State of Grace is a European-style restaurant in the city centre, that is also home to a luxe hidden cellar bar. The catch is, the bar can only be accessed ‘by the book’. To say any more would be to give away the ending.

International Book SculptorFrom his tiny Melbourne studio, Australian book sculptor Nicholas Jones stacks, folds, tears, cuts and sews pages, transforming books into works of art. Jones dissects unwanted books and in doing so, casts new light on books as an everyday commodity and questions the way books are read.

Out of town:

Bendigo Writers’ FestivalNow in its fourth year, Bendigo Writers Festival features more than 70 events in five venues on August 8 and 9. Bibliophiles will enjoy literary interviews and debates about everything from grief to romance, all set within Bendigo’s historic streets, surrounded by good food, wine, boutique shopping, and magnificent buildings and monuments.

ClunesFor book lovers happy to get out of town, Clunes, just a 90-minute drive from Melbourne, is the Southern Hemisphere’s only internationally recognised Booktown, a title awarded to several small towns across that globe that have a large concentration of second-hand and antiquarian bookshops. Each year in May, Clunes hosts Australia’s largest booktrading event, in which tens of thousands of rare, second hand, new, small press and collectable books are up for sale.