Bellingen Growers Market

Four hours, starting at half past seven, on the showground at the corner of Black and Hammond Streets. The Bellingen Growers Market is built around what the Bellinger Valley grows, and the timing tells you the priority: this is a market for people doing the week's shopping, not a late brunch with stalls attached.

The valley on a trestle

Fresh local produce is the point and the bulk of it. Around that sit plants and seedlings, local handcrafts, recycled clothing and books, and live entertainment that runs while you shop. The valley behind Bellingen is some of the most productive country on the mid north coast, and a growers market this close to it does not have to try hard to be good.

The cadence is the one thing to get right before you drive. Most monthly markets tell you which Saturday they are on. This one tells you which Saturday it is not.

Good to know before you go

Set an alarm. A 7.30am start and an 11.30am finish means the good produce has moved before most people have thought about breakfast, and the stallholders are packing up on time. Bring your own bags and boxes, and bring cash for the smaller growers. The showground has room to park, which is not always true of Bellingen on a market morning. Once you are done, the town centre is a couple of minutes away and worth the detour, and the drive up to Dorrigo makes an obvious second half to the day.