Coledale Market
A monthly school-ground market on the Grand Pacific Drive, wedged between the escarpment and the sea, trading since 2003.
About this market
Coledale Market has run in the grounds of Coledale Public School since 2003, having grown out of a weekly Friday produce and art market in Wollongong city. Its early years were not smooth: stall numbers were thin, the weather off the escarpment was unkind, and the road closures during construction of the Sea Cliff Bridge in 2005 cut the coastal route that brings most visitors in. It survived all of it, and now trades on the fourth Sunday of every month from 9am to 3pm.
The original Coal Coast market
Two decades of continuous trading gives Coledale a claim the newer markets along this stretch cannot make, and the character has stayed stubbornly unpolished. The tables carry pre-loved clothes, vinyl records, books, earrings, crockery, paintings, handmade knits and soaps, with food stalls running curry, coffee, fresh bread and cakes alongside them. It is a market where you dig rather than browse, which is exactly the appeal. Entry is free, and the money the market makes goes to the school it is held in.
Market at a glance
The setting does a great deal of the work. The school sits on Lawrence Hargrave Drive with the Illawarra escarpment rising behind it and the ocean directly in front, 60km south of Sydney on the Grand Pacific Drive, so the trip down is a large part of the day out. Because most Coledale families have some connection to the school, the market functions as the village's monthly gathering as much as a shopping trip: music, food and conversation in a schoolyard, with the buying almost incidental.
The market has its own illustrated mascot, the Coledale Market Goddess, created to stand for the community connection the market is built around.
Good to know before you go
Six hours is a long window for a monthly market, so there is no rush to be there at nine, though the pre-loved stalls are best picked over early. Entry is free. The drive along Lawrence Hargrave Drive from either direction is the scenic route rather than the fast one, and the Sea Cliff Bridge north of the village is worth building into the trip. Stallholders apply by email at the start of each month for that month's market, so the lineup is not fixed far ahead and varies from one fourth Sunday to the next.
Frequently Asked Questions
- When is Coledale Market on?
- The fourth Sunday of every month, 9am to 3pm, in the grounds of Coledale Public School at 699 Lawrence Hargrave Drive.
- Does it cost anything to get in?
- No, entry is free. The market raises money for Coledale Public School through stall fees rather than a gate charge.
- How do I book a stall?
- Stall applications are taken by email at the start of each month, for that month's market, rather than being booked far in advance.