Lilac Country Markets
A first-Saturday school ground market in Goulburn, carrying the name of the festival the city built around a flowering shrub.
About this market
The Lilac Country Markets run the first Saturday of the month, except January, in the grounds of Goulburn Public School on Bourke Street. Five hours from 9am gives it a longer window than most country markets manage, and the stall list is broad enough to fill it: arts and crafts, produce, trash and treasure and knitwear, with a barbecue and children's activities running alongside.
A country market on the Southern Tablelands
Goulburn sits on the Hume between Sydney and Canberra, high on the Southern Tablelands where the winters are genuinely cold, and the market's mix reflects a district that produces wool and knits it. Trash and treasure sharing space with local crafts and produce is what makes a monthly market work in a regional city: it gives people a reason to walk the whole ground rather than come for one purchase, and the stock changes properly month to month. Skipping January is standard practice, when the town is quiet and the heat on an open school ground is not worth the trouble.
Market at a glance
Goulburn carries more than one market, and this is the school ground one on Bourke Street. Check the venue as well as the date, because listings for the city's markets get conflated regularly.
The market is named after a shrub, by way of a festival. Goulburn is known as the Lilac City and has run an annual Lilac City Festival for decades, built around the lilac that flowers across the district's gardens in spring. The name has since attached itself to a good deal else in the city, this monthly market included, which is why a market selling knitwear, produce and second-hand goods carries the name of a flowering plant that has nothing to do with any of it.
Before you go
First Saturday, 9am to 2pm, no market in January. Bring cash and bags, since a market with a strong trash and treasure component will always include sellers who take nothing else. Bourke Street is central and parking is on the surrounding streets. Goulburn is high and exposed and a first Saturday in July is properly cold, so dress for the tablelands rather than for Sydney. The city is an easy stop off the Hume in either direction, which makes the market a reasonable detour on a drive. This is Gundungurra and Ngunnawal country.
Frequently Asked Questions
- When are the Lilac Country Markets on?
- The first Saturday of each month except January, from 9am to 2pm, at Goulburn Public School on Bourke Street.
- What sort of stalls are there?
- Local arts and crafts, produce, trash and treasure, knitwear and other goods, with children's activities and a barbecue on site.
- Why is it called the Lilac market?
- Goulburn calls itself the Lilac City and runs an annual Lilac City Festival. The market takes its name from that identity rather than from anything sold on the day.