Australia’s Wodonga Water Tower Finds New Life as Bookstore

For more than a hundred years, Wodonga’s water tower stood as a concrete landmark in the heart of this regional Australian city.

Taken out of service in 1959, the tower remained an empty shell until Melissa Boyle and her husband decided to give it a fresh purpose. During lockdown, the couple began renovating the space, carpeting the interior and building bookshelves by hand.

What was once a stark concrete structure, and even briefly home to a shoe repair business, is now the Booktower, a cozy second-hand bookshop that invites readers to explore its unusual setting.

Now, the Booktower not only preserves the memory of Wodonga’s historic structure but also writes a new story, one where a city icon becomes a cultural hub for book lovers.