Megalong Makers Market

Megalong Valley sits under the escarpment below Blackheath, down a road that switchbacks off the Great Western Highway and does not go anywhere else. It has a community hall, a scattering of farms, and a market twice a year that pulls people down the hill on purpose.

Four hours, two dates, everything local

The stall list is what a valley of small holdings produces: soap, honey, fresh produce, woodwork, macrame, jewellery, olive oil and wine, alongside general craft. A coffee van covers the essential, and there is food and parking on site. Four hours is enough for a market of this size and short enough that it never thins out, which is the practical benefit of holding two market days a year instead of twenty-four.

The drive is part of it. Megalong Valley Road drops several hundred metres off the ridge into farmland with the cliffs behind it, and for most visitors the market is the reason to make a trip they would otherwise never make.

Good to know before you go

Bring cash and bags, and allow time for the drive: Megalong Valley Road is narrow, winding and slower than the distance suggests, particularly with weekend traffic on it. There is parking at the hall. Blackheath is fifteen minutes back up the hill if you want lunch afterwards, and the valley itself has walking tracks and horse riding if you are making a day of it. Weather in the valley can differ sharply from the ridge above it, so check both.