The Book Orchard

03/10/2026

Campbell Hardy is currently playing in-store…drop by and say hello 🎶📚🎶📚🎶

02/10/2026

The Boss (aka ) has been in charge today….which means not much has been done!! 😁

01/10/2026

Here it is we are getting set to start the hunt. Better get your running shoes on and smile for the cameras. This will be a fun week as we get closer to the show.

30/09/2026

How exciting is this….we are having a special guest performer in-store this coming Saturday (3 October)

Campbell Hardy will be performing some of his favourite tunes for everyone from 11AM

Grab a coffee from Classique Cafe or Paper Chase Café & Providore and drop by to hear one of East Gippsland most talented musicians …. and get yourself some bookish goodness while you’re at it!!!

Visit East Gippsland East Gippsland Marketing Inc East Gippsland Shire Council

30/09/2026

IT’S HERE …..The long awaited THRESHING DAY by Rebecca Yarros has arrived in store…

Grab yours before we sell out!!!

29/09/2026

Apologies for lengthy post but we felt an explanation of the impact of the changes to merchant fees and surcharges on small businesses on 1 October 2026 was needed…

MERCHANT FEES are the charges businesses incur when accepting and processing electronic card payments from customers.

Merchant fees typically consist of several components:

Interchange Fees are paid to the customer’s card-issuing bank. Before 1 October 2026 this was 0.8% of every transaction. As of 1 October 2026 this will be capped at 0.3%

Scheme Fees are charged to cover the cost of operating the card payment network.

Service Fees include charges from payment service providers for processing payments and providing support.

Chargeback Fees are incurred when a customer disputes a transaction and requests a reversal.
International Transaction Fees are applied when a customer uses a card issued overseas or pays in a foreign currency.

Additional Costs include gateway fees, switching fees, fraud-related chargeback fees, and other fees payable to third-party providers.

PRE 1/10/26
To date banks have been charging businesses a fee of approx 1.6% fee on each card purchase - all of this 1.6% and more was paid to the bank by the business out of their own pocket.
A lot of businesses could not absorb this cost and in the past few years passed this on as a SURCHARGE to the customer - they were not allowed to charge the customer more than the bank charged them.

In addition to the above fees, businesses paid monthly or annual fees for leasing or maintaining their EFT payment terminals. These costs ranged from $20 -$40 per machine per month and were not passed onto the customer.

NOW - from 1/10/26
As of 1 October 2026 businesses can no longer pass on the costs of a card transactions to the customer as a surcharge.
With the new cap on interchange fees businesses will be now be charged a fee of approx 1.1% for each card transaction but will have to cover all that out of their own pocket and pay every cent of it to the bank.

The EFT machine rental/maintenance fees have not changed or have increased - depending on provider.

OPTIONS FOR BUSINESSES AS OF 1 OCTOBER 2026
- raise product or service prices (not an option available to businesses who sell products at RRP and cannot change prices independently)
- absorb costs
- go cash only
- try and convince their bank to reduce the charges

Each business will make their own decisions accordingly and may take some time to adjust.

📚At THE BOOK ORCHARD we sell at RRP or less so we will NOT be increasing shelf prices unless the RRP is changed by the publisher.
This means THE BOOK ORCHARD will be absorbing the 1.1% cost on every card transaction our customers make.
Consequently there will be no discount for using cash - although as cash costs everyone a lot less in fees we will be very happy to accept cash all day every day!!

PS We hope this helps in some way to understanding what businesses are having to consider and adapt to in the coming days, and how THE BOOK ORCHARD is approaching these changes.

PSS Our books are guaranteed to be 100% way more interesting than this post !!

29/09/2026

🙏

Victoria Police

24/09/2026

24/09/2026

This weekend, millions of Australians will gather around the TV, pull on their team colours and settle in for one of the biggest days on the sporting calendar.

But for some people, Grand Final weekend can look very different.

Family violence services report increased demand around major sporting events, with risk sometimes escalating around heightened emotions, alcohol and gambling.

Let’s be really clear: footy doesn’t cause family violence. Alcohol doesn’t excuse it. Losing doesn’t excuse it. Nothing excuses violence or abuse.

Everyone deserves to feel safe in their own home, whether their team wins, loses or never looked like kicking a goal in the first place.

And all of us have a role to play. Call out behaviour that isn’t okay. Check in on someone you’re worried about. And if you’re concerned about your own behaviour, reach out for support.

If you or someone you know is experiencing family, domestic or sexual violence, support is available through 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732, 24 hours a day.

If someone is in immediate danger, call Triple Zero (000).

Enjoy the footy. Look out for each other. And remember, there is never an excuse for family violence 🧡

23/09/2026

AFL GRAND FINAL LONG WEEKEND HOURS

FRIDAY. 10-3
SATURDAY 9-3
SUNDAY. closed

PS We have no idea who’s going to win this one !!