Old Bus Depot Markets

Old Bus Depot Markets held its first Sunday in September 1994, the idea of two Canberra women, Diane Hinds and Morna Whiting. The market didn't move into its namesake building until 1998, when it took over a bus depot that had stopped running buses years before.

Trading inside a genuine piece of engineering history

The depot itself is heritage-listed for real technical reasons, not just age: its 1940-41 fully welded rigid portal frame was a notable Australian engineering and construction achievement at the time, built years before that kind of design was common. Shoppers browsing handmade gifts today are standing under a roof structure that was genuinely advanced for its era.

Products here lean toward the genuinely hard-to-find rather than mass-produced goods, and the market has built a reputation on it: multiple Australian tourism awards, induction into the Australian Tourism Hall of Fame, and a regular spot on lists of Canberra's favourite places. Beyond the 120 regular stalls, thousands of casual traders are registered in the system across the year.

Good to know before you go

It's Sunday-only, so there's no midweek alternative if a visit is planned around a specific day. Arriving earlier in the 9:30am to 2:30pm window gives the best pick of stallholders before the popular ones sell through their stock.