About hillview

I grew up in a house where books were taken seriously. My father kept reference volumes on engineering and horticulture that he'd bought in Lahore and carried to Australia in 1987, and I watched him consult them the way other people consult the internet now. When I moved to the Adelaide Hills in 2014, I brought that same instinct with me. There's something about living 45 minutes from the city, surrounded by orchards and slow weekends, that makes you reach for a well-made book instead of a screen. That feeling stayed with me, and it eventually became the whole reason Hillview exists.

Before this I spent eleven years in logistics and operations, mostly freight coordination out of Port Adelaide. My partner Dina came from a different direction entirely, graphic design and print production, freelancing out of studios in Norwood and later from home after our second kid arrived. We'd talked for years about combining what we each knew into something of our own, but it stayed talk until 2021 when Dina flagged a gap she kept seeing: specialist how-to guides for serious hobbyists that were either out of print, only available overseas, or just badly produced. That observation was the actual starting point.

— Good books, shipped straight. — Faisal, Faisal Mansoor

Our team

• Dina Mansoor — Co-founder, Design and Content: Dina spent over a decade in print and graphic design, working with studios in Norwood and taking on freelance production work before co-founding Hillview with Faisal in 2022. She selects every title that comes into the range, assessing print quality, layout, and whether the content actually delivers on what the cover promises. She also handles all product photography, the website, and anything customer-facing.
• Theo Papadimitriou — Fulfilment and Dispatch Coordinator: Theo joined Hillview in early 2023 after four years working in warehouse operations for a horticultural wholesaler based in Lonsdale, south of Adelaide. He manages daily pick-and-pack at the Hahndorf space, coordinates carrier bookings with Australia Post and Fastway, and handles any dispatch queries that come through. He knows the stock well enough that Faisal trusts him to flag damaged or misprinted copies before they go out the door.
• Amara Okonkwo — Customer Service and Orders: Amara came to Hillview in mid-2023 through a referral from a mutual contact in the Adelaide Hills small-business community, having previously handled customer operations for a small online retailer based in Mount Barker. She manages all inbound order queries, returns, and the inbox at Hillview, working part-time across four days a week. Her background in retail operations means she handles complaints quickly and without a lot of back-and-forth.

Frequently asked questions

How long will my order take to arrive?

Standard delivery takes 3–8 business days depending on your location, with metro areas usually at the shorter end. Express delivery via StarTrack is typically 1–3 business days. You'll get a tracking link by email once your order ships.

Do you ship to PO boxes or parcel lockers?

Yes, we ship to PO boxes and Australia Post parcel lockers via standard Australia Post. StarTrack express orders require a physical street address, so if you only have a PO box, choose standard shipping at checkout.

Can I return a book or workbook if I've already started reading it?

Books that have been read, annotated, or show signs of use can't be returned under our change-of-mind policy. If the item arrived damaged or is genuinely faulty, that's a different matter — contact us and we'll sort it out.

Are your books suitable for beginners or are they aimed at experienced hobbyists?

It varies by title. The Polymer Clay Jewellery & Sculpture Workbook is accessible to beginners, while the Competitive Aquascaping and Miniature Railway titles assume some prior knowledge. Check the product page — each listing notes the intended experience level.

Do you offer custom or personalised orders?

We don't offer custom editions of books, but we can add a handwritten gift note to any order at no charge. Just leave the message in the order notes field at checkout.

Do you do wholesale or bulk orders?

Yes, we work with retailers, libraries, and hobby clubs. Send your enquiry to wholesale@hillviewstore.com with the titles and quantities you're after and we'll come back to you within 2 business days.

Can I get gift wrapping?

We offer simple kraft paper gift wrapping with a ribbon for $4.95 per item. Select it on the product page or in the cart. You can also include a printed gift message at no extra cost.

Are there any allergen concerns with your products?

The books and guides themselves don't contain food ingredients, but the Polymer Clay Workbook includes project instructions that involve polymer clay materials. Some polymer clay brands contain trace chemical compounds — check the clay manufacturer's safety data sheet if you have sensitivities.

Customer reviews

• 5/5 “Exactly what I needed for my orchid collection” I ordered The Australian Orchid Grower's Handbook after struggling to find reliable local information online. It arrived in four days, well packaged with no bent corners. The species guide section alone is worth the price — genuinely detailed and written for Australian conditions.
• 4/5 “Good aquascaping resource, shipping was quick” The Competitive Aquascaping book turned up two days after I ordered, which surprised me given I'm in Sydney and they're based in SA. Content is solid — the advanced filtration and hardscape chapters are the standout sections. Knocked one star off only because the photography in a couple of sections is a bit small to make out the fine detail.
• 5/5 “The bird photography manual is outstanding” I bought the Australian Bird Photography & Field Identification Manual before a trip to the Kimberley and it was genuinely useful in the field, not just at home on the shelf. Arrived faster than I expected given I'm in WA. The field identification plates are clear and the photography tips are practical rather than vague.
• 4/5 “Polymer clay workbook kept my kids busy for weeks” Bought the Polymer Clay Jewellery & Sculpture Workbook for my teenage daughter and she's worked through about 15 of the 50 projects so far. The instructions are clear and the difficulty ramps up gradually. Packaging was neat and the book arrived without any damage.
• 5/5 “Great gift, fast delivery to Tassie” I ordered the Miniature Railway Diorama Construction book as a Christmas gift for my father and it arrived in five business days, which is pretty good for Tasmania in the pre-Christmas rush. He said the scenery-building section covers techniques he hadn't seen in other model railway books. Will order again.
• 5/5 “Solid reference for serious hobbyists” The Competitive Aquascaping book is aimed at people who already know what they're doing, which suits me fine. It doesn't waste pages explaining what a filter is. Ordered on a Monday afternoon and had it by Wednesday — couldn't ask for more.

From the journal

• Two careers, one shed, and a lot of convincing — Faisal here, writing this from the kitchen table while Leila is still in the shed sorting stock, which tells you everything about how we divide things.
• Where the orchid handbook actually comes from — Getting the Australian Orchid Grower's Handbook into stock was more complicated than I expected, and involved a phone call to a man in Gawler who was suspicious of us for about fifteen minutes.
• I tried three projects from the clay workbook, here is what happened — Leila suggested I actually try a few projects from the Polymer Clay Jewellery and Sculpture Workbook before we wrote anything about it, which was fair and also humbling.
• Packing orders in a Hills winter, what that actually looks like — It is 7 degrees in the shed at 7am and I am wearing a beanie I bought at the Mount Barker market, which is not how I imagined running a business.
• Who is actually buying the model railway diorama book — I assumed the miniature railway diorama construction title would attract a narrow audience, and I was right about that, but wrong about who they were.
• Spring birding in the Hills and what the manual gets right — September in the Adelaide Hills means honeyeaters in the grevilleas and the occasional glossy black-cockatoo if you are in the right patch of she-oak, and the bird photography manual is actually useful for both.