Mona Vale Market

A weekly market that closes at one o'clock is aimed squarely at the people who live nearby. Mona Vale Market fills the grounds at Pittwater RSL every Sunday morning and runs four and a half hours, which is long enough to be worth the trip and short enough that it never drifts.

Produce and makers in the same aisle

The split is unusually even. Fresh produce and hot food carry the front half, and behind them sits an eclectic run of non-food stalls: homewares, vintage, clothing, and artisan products from independent sellers. Very few Sydney markets manage both halves at once without one crowding the other out, and this one does it by keeping the whole thing to a manageable size.

The atmosphere is the selling point the operators lean on, and it is fair: the pace is slow, most of the sellers are local and independent, and the crowd is largely people who come every week rather than once.

Good to know before you go

Come before eleven if you want produce rather than what is left of it. Bring bags and a cooler bag in summer. Parking is at the club and on the surrounding streets, and it fills up, so the earlier arrival pays twice. The market is run by Organic Food Markets, who also operate Seaforth on the same morning and Orange Grove at Leichhardt on Saturdays, so the stall standard is consistent with those if you know them. Finishing at one leaves the afternoon free, which on the northern beaches in summer is the right way round.