Harry Potter fans flock to Sydney bookshop

Harry Potter enthusiasts have flocked to a Sydney bookshop to secure a copy of the final instalment in the much-adored series.

epa05449404 Staff unpack copies of J.K. Rowling's 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child' at a bookstore in Hong Kong, China, 31 July 2016.  EPA/JEROME FAVRE

Staff unpack copies of J.K. Rowling's 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child' at a bookstore in Hong Kong. (AAP) Source: AAP

Witches and wizards have poured through the doors of a Sydney bookshop to conjure up a copy of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - the final episode of the global Potter phenomenon.

Harry Potter enthusiast Mariette Lewis and her mum Lisa were among the first muggles to converge on Dymocks Books on Sunday morning.

The Bowral teenager, in Sydney to celebrate her 18th birthday, had the highly anticipated release date blocked out in her calendar for weeks.

"I probably started reading them (the books) when I was seven or eight and I've read them twice or three times now," Ms Lewis told AAP.

"I guess no one really knows what happens 19 years on and I've always wanted to know what happens to (Harry Potter's) kids and his family."

Author JK Rowling was at the world premiere of the play in London's West End on Saturday and confirmed it really was the last hurrah for Harry Potter and his adventures.

Rowling quickly shut down speculation that the stage production and the publication of its script could herald a new outpouring of Potter stories.

"No. No. He goes on a very big journey during these two plays and then, yeah, I think we're done. This is the next generation, you know. So, I'm thrilled to see it realised so beautifully but, no, Harry is done now."

Dymocks had already sold more than 15,000 pre-sale copies of the script before opening its doors on Sunday.

"Tens and tens of thousands will be sold right across Australia over the next couple of weeks," Dymocks managing director Steve Cox told AAP.

The books had been under the strictest of global embargoes.

"We couldn't open the boxes, we couldn't even take photos of the boxes for social media, so right across the world nobody was able to access the books," Mr Cox said.

He said there was nothing quite like the Harry Potter series.

"We've got other best-selling series but Harry Potter is head and shoulders above the rest," he said.

"People have grown up with Harry Potter - this is the eighth story - people out there have just loved the earlier books and want to see what Harry Potter is doing.

"He's got his own children now, and they're desperate to see what happens next."

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is set 19 years after Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

The play and book feature a grown-up Potter as an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic and father of three children who is grappling with his past.



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Source: AAP, AFP

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