Welcome Caitlin Fry - owner of Jeff's Books in Strathalbyn.

Please share a bit about you and any links to the Fleurieu and / or Kangaroo Island:

I grew up in the Adelaide Hills (which Strath is NEARLY nudging towards…) – my family chose to live in South Australia in the 1970s so while my roots are elsewhere, and while we’re still a few generations off being “local” we’re pretty happy to be here!

We all know you as the face of Jeff’s Books in Strathalbyn, can you please tell us a little more about Caitlin Fry and what inspired you to set up a book shop in Strathalbyn:

I didn’t actually establish the bookshop – Jeff Kearvell had the same dream many people do; to open a secondhand bookshop when he retired. Thing is, the retirement “hobby” grew into a double shop premises and a full-time business, so he found himself needing to retire from his retirement! The business had been on the market for a few years by the time my partner Al and I found out about it, and it was to the point where the collection was going to be broken up and sold off – it was also a point in time when the library services in Strathalbyn were limited while the new(er) library was being built. Essentially, we bought a collection of books and had the choice to keep the business in Strathalbyn, and we decided to stay in Strath for six months to “see how it goes.” Thirteen years later…

You are clever at all sorts of things besides books. Would you please share some of these other passions and things you do outside the bookshop?

The main thing that’s hard to keep quiet (literally) is that I play the bagpipes and I’m involved in the rich Scottish community here in South Australia – book-lined walls are the perfect practice venue and soon I’ll be back to being the one playing loud music at the Steamranger visitors (and ensuring people can find their way back to the train station by being the pied piper.) I also do flamenco dancing, because it’s amazing and a great way to keep fit without having to wear spandex.

On a more personal note, tell us a little about Caitlin and what she loves to do in her spare time (OK if you prefer not too!!!):

This sounds crazy, but in my “off” time, I read. Contrary to popular opinion, running a bookshop is anything BUT sitting around reading all day, so I have to “get high on my own supply” after I’ve clocked off! I also love to bake (often with an audiobook running in the background) – and I won’t let being a coeliac or the collective family opinion of my cooking being so bad I could burn water get in the way of my enthusiasm…

Anything else you would like to share about your Fleurieu region?

Something that really surprised me was when I had our daughter Matilda (known on our Facebook site as “the Store Supervisor”) people were more than accepting of having a baby in the shop, and I suspect some people visited just to get some of her happy banter! My partner is a FIFO worker and it’s inevitable that when things go awry, it’s always during “away” weeks – and I’ve always been able to call on the people of Strath when the shop floods, or my car breaks down, or I lose control of a trolley-load of books, or I just need to be reminded I’m doing an okay job of everything. 

Caitlin’s TOP TIPS

Best place to....

• Grab a quick bite… the Old Market Shed – I also grab my baking and cleaning supplies in bulk from there
• Have a more serious feed… I’ve started working my way through the Hammer and Tongs menu, while trying to remember what it was like being in there when it was the bank
• Get a cuppa… really spoiled for choice being so close to Dawson street, so I try to cycle through and visit everyone in turn
• Have a beer (or cold drink)… the Victoria Hotel has great views of the park and every random dog I am obligated to make adoring remarks at
• Taste some wine (or just enjoy the winery atmosphere)... I recently had a birthday and Bremerton Selkirk Shiraz was the only thing on my wishlist. 
• Go for a dip… the Strath pool – I’m an incredibly novice swimmer so I need to graduate out of water wings before tackling anything with waves!
• Explore nature… much as I don’t like swimming in the sea, perching at Middleton to watch out for whales and every random seal I am obligated to make adoring remarks at 

When I’m on the Fleurieu and/or KI, I…

• feel…so lucky to see all the great stuff on my doorstep
• always make sure I visit… any museum that’s open – I’m a massive history buff/bore
• stock up on… Fleurieu milk and iced coffee – I grew up on a dairy and milk you have to work through cream to get to is amazing, and the floor of my car is at least 15% Fleurieu iced coffee containers at any given time.

Best memory of being here:

Probably around this time last year when everyone really pulled together to help each other out in so many different ways – resources were so limited but people were so generous with time, spare fruit, checking in on neighbours, and very shortly after doing everything they could for bushfire-affected families.

Most colourful character/s I’ve run into:

Bookshops attract eccentricity – I’ve had everything from knife throwers from the traveling circus to seagulls wander through my door. So definitely the weirdest experience was holding a flapping seagull by the feet in the middle of a bookshop, wandering what to do next and what life choices brought me here. 

I love how the Fleureiu is full of fascinating people passionate about really fascinating things – anyone who asks for a book about philately/watercolour painting/photography/dry stone walls/painting religious icons/planting native stuff/restoring vintage caravans etc gets pieces of paper with the contact details of the perfect bunch of people they need to meet!

(And yes, each of these is an example of an actual group)

My best piece of advice for anyone heading to the region: 

Get lost, literally! Ignore the GPS and take some time to seek out the non-main roads because the best businesses are hiding on side streets and back roads – and so many recommendations I hear from people begin with anecdotes like, “We were looking for x, but we got lost and found….”