Bullyard Hall Markets
A monthly country market at a 1908 cane-district hall west of Bundaberg, with a canteen, a crowd of stalls and dogs welcome.
About this market
The Bullyard Hall Markets have been running for about five years on the fourth Sunday of the month, in the grounds of a timber hall built in 1908 for a cane growing district west of Bundaberg. The market takes a break over the wet season, skipping both December and January, and picks up again with the rest of the year.
A country hall market with a canteen
Bullyard is a small rural locality about half an hour inland from Bundaberg, and the market is what a country hall market should be: a large spread of stalls, a canteen doing the food, and no particular pretension about any of it. Dogs are welcome, which is worth stating plainly because plenty of markets do not allow them and this one has the ground to spare. The hall sits on ten acres with adjoining sports grounds, so there is room for stalls to spread out and for people to stand around talking, which is at least half the point of a monthly market in a district like this. Trading is a tight four hour window from 8am, and in a Queensland summer the early finish is a mercy rather than a limitation.
Market at a glance
The market is the current chapter of a building that has been the district's gathering place for well over a century, and the hall committee runs it as a way of keeping the place in use and in repair.
Bullyard Hall was built in 1908 by Samuel Kent on ten acres of land opposite the local school, to serve a small but growing cane growing population. It ran dances through the 1910s and 1920s, including bachelors' balls and fancy dress balls, showed movies from the 1920s, and hosted church services. From the 1930s to the 1950s it doubled as the recruiting point for workers each cane crushing season. Electricity did not arrive until 1952, and the larger dance floor, stage and kitchen were added in 1957. A Roll of Honour inside lists 31 district men who served in the First World War.
Before you make the drive
Fourth Sunday, 8am to 12pm, with December and January off. Bucca Road is the address and it is about thirty minutes from Bundaberg, so this is a deliberate trip rather than something you stumble into. Bring cash, since a market of this kind will not have card facilities on every stall, and bring bags. The canteen covers breakfast and morning tea. There is shade around the hall grounds but not everywhere, so a hat earns its place. This is Gurang and Taribelang Bunda country.
Frequently Asked Questions
- When are the Bullyard Hall Markets on?
- The fourth Sunday of the month, 8am to 12pm, at 2359 Bucca Road. There are no markets in December or January.
- Is food available on the day?
- Yes, the hall runs a canteen through the market.
- Can I bring a dog?
- Yes. The market is pet friendly, which suits a site with the hall, grounds and adjoining sports fields to spread across.