Hares & Hyenas Shops in Melbourne – GayOut Guide
Gay Shops ⭐ Featured LGBTQ+ Friendly

Hares & Hyenas

GayOut (20) 4.8
Google (202) 4.8
Tripadvisor See reviews ↓
What reviewers say

Visitors frequently praise Hares & Hyenas for its extensive selection of LGBTQAI+ books and media, friendly and helpful staff, and its role as a valuable community business. However, one reviewer reported a negative experience with the owner, Rowland Thomson, regarding a misplaced consignment of books and a lack of compensation or apology.

96
/ 100
GayOut Score
4.8 G4.8
✅ Link copied!
Address
63 Johnston St, Fitzroy, Melbourne VIC 3065
📞
Phone
+61 3 9495 6589
🌐
Website
hares-hyenas.com.au
💰
Price Range
$
🟢
Be the first to check in
Real-time community presence
No live tips yet — share what's happening here right now.

Hotels near Hares & Hyenas

via Stay22
Hotels near Hares & Hyenas
Loading map…

About this place Hares & Hyenas

Hares & Hyenas on Johnston Street, Fitzroy, is one of Australia's most significant LGBTQ+ cultural institutions — a bookshop, events venue, and community space that has been at the centre of Melbourne's queer intellectual and cultural life since 1993. The shop stocks an extensive range of LGBTQ+ fiction, non-fiction, biography, theory, children's books, and zines; the events programme — author readings, launches, panels, screenings, community gatherings — reflects a genuine commitment to LGBTQ+ cultural production rather than simply retail. Fitzroy is the natural location for Hares & Hyenas: the suburb's arts and creative culture, its history of political engagement, and its street life are consistent with the bookshop's identity. The venue has been a platform for LGBTQ+ writers, thinkers, and artists from Australia and internationally, and has survived the pressures that have closed many comparable shops globally through a combination of community loyalty, programme quality, and genuine cultural necessity. For LGBTQ+ visitors to Melbourne who want to understand the city's queer intellectual culture — who want to see what Melbourne's queer scene looks like beyond the dance floors — Hares & Hyenas is essential.

Opening Hours

Closed
Monday 11:00-18:00
Tuesday 11:00-18:00
Wednesday 11:00-18:00
Thursday 11:00-18:00
Friday 11:00-19:00
Saturday 10:00-19:00
Sunday 11:00-17:00

Insider Tips

No tips yet — be the first to share a local secret!

Community Reviews

Write a Review

Google Reviews

Verified by Google
4.8
202 reviews

Based on 202 Google reviews.

Muhammad riaz
Muhammad riaz May 2026

Rowland and Sage, you are the real champion 🏆

Victoria Beach Tennis
Victoria Beach Tennis Apr 2026

Great variety of LGBTQAI+ flags available

Alistair Sutton
Alistair Sutton Apr 2026

Well-run and friendly small business that supports the community and us struggling LGBTIQA+ authors! Roland has always been great.

zak davies
zak davies Apr 2026

Love this place, one of the most valuable queer businesses in Melbourne. Customer service is always excellent, large selection of books and physical media

Jonathan Butler
Jonathan Butler Mar 2026
Oscar Filippi
Oscar Filippi Feb 2026

They had a large range of Queer books, the staff were friendly & helpful

Andrew Sloan
Andrew Sloan Jan 2026

TripAdvisor

Powered by TripAdvisor

Write a Review

Share your experience to help other LGBTQ+ travelers

Log in to write a review

Your experiences help the community find great LGBTQ+ spaces.

Log in to review

Last updated on 3 August 2026

Stay in the Loop

Get the latest LGBTQ+ events and venue openings in your inbox.

Enter your email to receive Pride event updates and new-venue alerts.

Already a subscriber? Unsubscribe

Your privacy choices. We use cookies to run GayOut and, with your consent, measure usage. Learn more