Murrumbateman Village Market

Murrumbateman Village Market runs twice a month at the town's Recreation Grounds, organised entirely by local volunteers as a project of the Murrumbateman Community Association, a group that has represented the town since March 1936. The market itself is one of several community initiatives the association runs, rather than a commercial market operation, which shapes both its low-key character and its focus on genuinely local stallholders.

A market rooted in a 1970s wine district

Murrumbateman sits roughly 30 kilometres northwest of Canberra, in a district where winemaking began in the 1970s, when several surrounding rural properties were first developed into grape-growing land and boutique wineries. That history runs alongside the market today: stallholders regularly bring local wine, gin and beer to sell alongside fresh produce, handmade crafts and artisan goods, giving the market a genuine tie to the district's own produce rather than a generic weekend craft-market mix. The region's standing as a wine district is marked further by the Australian Cool Climate Wine Show, held in the area each September.

Market at a glance

2nd & 4th SatTrading days

9am-1pmTrading hours

1936Parent group founded

30kmFrom Canberra

What's on market day

On the second and fourth Saturday of each month, from 9am to 1pm, stalls set up across the Recreation Grounds selling fresh regional produce, handmade goods, artisan wares and local wine, gin and beer, with live music and family entertainment running through the morning. A dedicated Community Stall is set aside specifically for small-scale growers, hobby farmers and backyard producers who wouldn't otherwise have a regular outlet to sell through, sitting alongside the market's more established stallholders. Local charities, including Yass Can Assist, also use the market as a fundraising and outreach point, giving it a community-hub role beyond the stalls themselves.

Part of every stallholder's fee goes back into the Murrumbateman Community Association's own projects, including direct support for the local Murrumbateman Scouts Group, so a market-day purchase also puts something back into the town rather than just changing hands between shopper and stallholder. The market pauses in October, when the Yass Valley Field Days takes over much of the district's calendar, and again in December, so it's worth checking the market's own site for the next confirmed date before planning a special trip out from Canberra or further afield.