Hartley Hall Markets

Hartley Hall Markets began in 1987 with just 36 stalls and a 20-cent entry fee, a modest start for what's become one of Australia's longest running home-made and home-grown goods markets. It's organised and operated by Hartley Lifecare, a charity supporting people with disability, meaning every stall fee and entry donation helps fund the charity's work directly.

One of Australia's longest running home-made goods markets

The market trades at Hall Village Showground, roughly 10km north of Canberra's city centre, in a village with its own deep history predating the market by more than a century. Hall was surveyed in 1881 and proclaimed the following year, 1882, giving the showground grounds a genuine rural heritage well before the first stallholder ever set up in 1987.

Reviewers consistently describe a genuinely family and dog-friendly rural market, with a miniature steam train ride keeping kids entertained while adults browse home-made crafts, preserves and produce, praising the relaxed country-town atmosphere that's stayed consistent across decades of Sunday trading.

Good to know before you go

Bringing kids is genuinely worth it, given the miniature steam train ride that's become a regular feature of a visit. Dogs are welcome too, in keeping with the market's relaxed, family-oriented rural character just north of Canberra.