Laurieton Riverwalk Markets
Up to two hundred stallholders spread along the Camden Haven River boardwalk, under a mountain Cook named in 1770.
About this market
The Laurieton Riverwalk Markets have been running for more than twenty years on the third Sunday of the month, spread along the Camden Haven River boardwalk at Bruce Porter Reserve. With up to 200 stallholders it is among the biggest regular markets on the mid north coast, and it draws hundreds and sometimes thousands of people through a five hour window from 8am.
Two hundred stalls along the boardwalk
Scale is the defining feature. The stall list covers local produce and gourmet food, arts and crafts, plants, collectibles and bric-a-brac, with two dedicated food truck zones handling coffee, drinks, ice creams and hot food. The market is powered by the Camden Haven Chamber of Commerce, which is why it functions as a town event rather than an operator's monthly booking, and it takes advantage of a genuinely good site: the reserve runs along the river with the boardwalk giving the market a natural spine to lay stalls out along. North Brother rises directly behind the town, which means the whole thing happens with a 490 metre mountain in the background.
Market at a glance
An 8am start on a market this size is not conservative: the first hour is when the produce and the good bric-a-brac move, and by mid morning the boardwalk is genuinely busy.
The mountain behind the market was named by James Cook on 12 May 1770. He called the three peaks the Brothers for their resemblance to hills in his native Yorkshire, unaware that he was echoing a name the Birpai had already given them. The town below took much longer to settle on its own name: it was the Village of Camden Haven until Joseph Laurie, who arrived from Taree in 1872 with his brothers Andrew and Alexander and opened a timber mill on the inlet in 1876, became its first postmaster. The Post Master General was calling the place Laurieton by 1914, but the official change did not come until December 1946.
Practical notes
Third Sunday, 8am to 1pm. Parking is around Tunis and Short Streets and the surrounding blocks, and it fills, so an early arrival solves two problems at once. Bring bags and cash alongside a card, since a 200 stall market will always have traders who take neither. There is limited shade along parts of the boardwalk, so a hat is worth having on the mid north coast even in spring. Laurieton is about half an hour south of Port Macquarie, and the drive up North Brother for the view is fifteen minutes from the market. This is Birpai country.
Frequently Asked Questions
- When are the Laurieton Riverwalk Markets on?
- The third Sunday of every month, from 8am to 1pm, at Bruce Porter Reserve on the Camden Haven River boardwalk at the corner of Tunis and Short Streets.
- How big is the market?
- Up to 200 stallholders, drawing hundreds and sometimes thousands of residents and visitors. It is one of the larger regular markets on the mid north coast.
- Is there food on site?
- Yes. There are two food truck zones, plus coffee, drinks, ice creams and assorted hot food alongside the gourmet produce stalls.