Bundeena Saltwater Market

The Bundeena Saltwater Market is run by the Bundeena Progress Association, and one of its rules tells you most of what you need to know about it: the market is strictly apolitical, with political parties, campaign material and advocacy stalls all excluded. In a village on the far side of Port Hacking that has spent decades arguing about development and access, that is a deliberate choice about what the community centre is for on the first Sunday of the month.

Ceramics, soap and a leafy set of grounds

The stall list runs to ceramics, jewellery, clothes, handmade soaps, preserves and photography, with food, coffee and live music alongside. It is an arts and crafts market rather than a produce market, and the makers are largely local. The venue is the Bundeena Community Centre on Liverpool Street, with stalls both inside the hall and outside in the surrounding grounds, which gives the market shelter in bad weather without losing the outdoor feel on a good day.

Getting to Bundeena is half the experience. The village sits at the northern edge of the Royal National Park, reachable either by the ferry across Port Hacking from Cronulla or by driving through the park itself, and the market's 10am to 2pm window is timed to suit people making that trip rather than locals popping out before breakfast.

Good to know before you go

The Cronulla to Bundeena ferry is the better arrival if you have the time, and it turns the market into a proper day out rather than a drive. If you are driving through the Royal National Park, check the Audley Weir crossing status first, since it closes after heavy rain. A 10am start is unusually civilised for a market, so there is no need to be up at dawn, but do arrive with a couple of hours to spare because the village beaches and the walk to the Jibbon Aboriginal engravings are the obvious things to do afterwards. Bring cash and bags. Wet weather is not a reason to cancel your trip, since a good share of the market is under a roof. This is Dharawal country.