Emerald Lakes Market

Emerald Lakes Market runs every Thursday from 3pm to 7:30pm along The Boulevard, the road that curves through the Emerald Lakes residential estate at Carrara, built around a chain of man-made lakes in the middle of the Gold Coast. Starting mid-afternoon and finishing after dark makes it a twilight market rather than a weekend one, and it draws the after-work and after-school crowd rather than tourists.

Gourmet food first, craft second

The market is run by Markets Down Under and specialises in food. Fresh produce and premium meat stalls sit next to Australian seafood, free range eggs and home-baked goods, and the cooked food runs international: Javanese and Balinese dishes, wood-fired pizza, treats from Japan, Italy and France, and small-batch spirits. The craft side is genuine rather than filler, covering jewellery, candles, handmade goods and a decent run of pet products. Live entertainment plays through the afternoon into the evening.

Being weekly is what makes it work as a food shop rather than an outing. Locals treat the Thursday market as the place to pick up the week's produce, meat and seafood, eat dinner from a stall while they are there, and walk the dog around the lake afterwards. The estate setting means the market runs along a street with water on one side and housing on the other, which keeps it linear and easy to walk end to end.

Good to know before you go

Come after 4:30pm if you want the market at its liveliest, or right on 3pm if you are shopping for produce and want first pick. Parking is on-street through the estate, so be considerate of residents and expect a short walk in. Bring a bag and a card, and bring the dog if you have one, since this is one of the few Gold Coast markets that actively advertises itself as pet friendly. In the shorter days of winter the last hour of trading happens in the dark, which is when the lakeside setting is at its best.