Secondhand books in Wagga Wagga, the Riverina city on the Murrumbidgee in New South Wales, turn up at three sales and in three shops, rather than on the shelves of a dedicated secondhand bookshop. Two of the sales are described as annual by their organisers: the Rotary Club of Wagga Wagga's fair at the showground in May, and the Friends' sale held in February 2026 in the Civic Centre, run by volunteers who raise money for the library. The third is a fundraiser for the Riverina Readers Festival, whose volunteers sell books inside the Growers Hub on Forsyth Street, west of the centre. Between them sit the Anglican parish op shop on Fitzmaurice Street, under 200 m from the library as the crow flies, and two Kooringal addresses about 1.5 km apart, Generocity's op shop on Lake Albert Road and a collectables shed on Railway Street. Every price quoted on this page is in Australian dollars.
An older list of Wagga bookshops will mislead you in two ways. The bookshops this guide found in the city centre sell new books: Gateway Bookshop at The Piazza on Baylis Street, whose website carried a 'Gateway Bookshop is for Sale!' page when this guide checked it in September 2026, plus the Collins and QBD chain shops. And Two Brown Cats Bookshop, the pre-loved book boutique that directories still place on Fitzmaurice Street, announced on Instagram in November 2023 that its last trading day would be Saturday 23 December that year and that it was moving online. Vinnies, Salvos Stores and the hospital auxiliary all trade in town as well, yet this guide found nothing from those shops themselves saying books are on the shelves at the Wagga store, so they aren't listed as stops here.
Rotary book fairRotary Club of Wagga Wagga Annual Book Fair
Kyeamba Smith Hall, Wagga Wagga Showground, Bourke St, Turvey Park NSW 2650
Out in Turvey Park, the Kyeamba Smith Hall at the showground on Bourke Street hosts the fair the Rotary Club of Wagga Wagga calls its annual book fair, and the 2026 edition ran there on 16 and 17 May. The club's Facebook announcements in February, March and April 2026 promised pre-loved books by the thousand, with children's titles, classics, crime, cookbooks, romance and history all named. Region Riverina counted more than 40,000 books ahead of the 2025 fair, reported a $50 eco-bag you could fill with your pick, and noted that the 2024 edition had raised $70,000, while the club's April 2026 post listed a $2 adult entry and a room given over to children's books. The club's website says the fair returns in 2027 without naming a weekend, and that book donations are being taken again at Riverina Model Cars Plus, Unit 7, 23 Copland Street.
Hours: Last documented: 16–17 May 2026, Sat 8am–5pm, Sun 9am–3pmWebsite Library book saleFriends of Wagga Wagga City Library Book Sale
Wagga Wagga City Library, Civic Centre, cnr Baylis and Morrow Sts, Wagga Wagga NSW 2650
The downstairs children's area of Wagga Wagga City Library, inside the Civic Centre, becomes a sale room for the library's Friends group, an event Wagga Wagga City Council called annual in its release of 12 February 2026. That year it ran in two short sessions, from 4pm on Friday 20 February and through the Saturday morning after, stocked with donations and retired library copies: adult fiction and non-fiction plus books for children and young adults, plus some vintage items. Adult books went for $3 and children's for $2, or $20 bought a full bag. Every dollar goes to the volunteers, who according to the council have backed library programs for more than 30 years, One Book One Wagga included.
Hours: Last documented: 20–21 February 2026, Fri 4pm–6pm, Sat 9am–noonWebsite Op shop (Anglican parish)Anglican Opportunity Shop
23 Fitzmaurice St, Wagga Wagga NSW 2650
A Fitzmaurice Street shopfront run for the Anglican Parish of Wagga Wagga, whose web page lists books with clothing, household items and odds, and states that it sells no furniture. A Facebook post of 9 September 2024 named toys, books and new shoes among the stock beside the $2 racks, and the page was still thanking donors and volunteers on 19 February 2026. The two sources disagree slightly on the weekday close: the parish page says 3.30pm and that 2024 post said 4pm, with both giving Saturday as 10am to 1pm and the parish listing Sunday as closed.
When is the big book sale in Wagga Wagga?
There are two, months apart. The one Region Riverina has called Wagga's biggest is Rotary's, in the showground's Kyeamba Smith Hall, held on the weekend of 16 and 17 May in 2026, with Saturday opening at 8am; the club promises a 2027 fair but hasn't dated it. The other is organised by the library's Friends downstairs at the City Library, which in 2026 took place on Friday 20 and Saturday 21 February. The next dated one belongs to the Riverina Readers Festival's volunteers, at the Growers Hub on Saturday 17 October 2026. All three rely on donated books, so none can tell you in advance which titles will turn up.
Which op shops have books in Wagga Wagga?
Two have said so themselves. The Anglican parish shop on Fitzmaurice Street lists books among its stock on its web page and mentioned them again in a 2024 post. Generocity's shop on Lake Albert Road in Kooringal told its followers in March 2026 that thousands of books were waiting for buyers. Buried Treasure on Railway Street isn't a charity shop, yet its sale posts list books too. Other names you'll pass, from Vinnies to the Salvos and the Base Hospital volunteers, may have a shelf, but their own pages don't confirm it for the Wagga stores.
Where can I find cheap used books in Wagga Wagga?
The library sale posted simple flat prices in February 2026: $3 an adult title, $2 a children's one, or a bag filled for $20. The Riverina Readers Festival prices its second-hand copies at $5 for the 17 October 2026 sale. At the Rotary fair the 2025 deal was a $50 eco-bag you packed yourself, after a $2 entry for adults. Between those two dates, watch Buried Treasure's Facebook page, which ran a storewide half-price sale that ended on 29 August, then repeated it on 4 and 5 September 2026 for everything except newly arrived estate stock, and drop into the two op shops whenever you pass.
Where do I sell used books in Wagga Wagga?
Online, mostly. With no local counter paying for books on this page, sellers here use Amazon.com.au, eBay.com.au, Gumtree and Facebook Marketplace, and give the leftovers to the Rotary drop-off or an op shop. Before you list anything, snap the shelf once: BiblioScan matches each spine it can see to a resale estimate, and the few copies worth a listing stand out from the donation pile.
Which day is best for book hunting in Wagga Wagga?
Friday or Saturday morning. Those are the only windows when the three shops listed here could all be trading at once: the Anglican op shop trades weekdays and Saturday morning, Generocity keeps Thursday-to-Saturday sessions, and Buried Treasure has announced its openings on Fridays and Saturdays. The Anglican shop lists Sunday as closed, Generocity's week ends on Saturday and the Buried Treasure posts cited here only give Fridays and Saturdays, so a Sunday trip only makes sense on the Rotary fair weekend.