Fernvale Country Markets

Fernvale Country Markets is held every Sunday at Fernvale State Primary School, on the Brisbane Valley Highway, and tourism listings say it has run every Sunday since 1988. It opens at 6am and trades until noon, about 60 km west of Brisbane.

A school-ground market with a rotating cast

Local produce sits beside homemade jams, preserves and baked goods, with arts and crafts stalls and handmade gifts. Listings say the mix of sellers rotates from week to week, which rewards repeat visits. A listing for the market also describes it as a money raiser for the school, which has the markets on its doorstep.

The market's contact details, from the school's own news page, are [email protected] and 0419 865 855. Its Facebook page has close to 5,000 followers and is the place to look for updates and any change of plans.

Market at a glance

1988Listed as running since

WeeklyEvery Sunday

6 hrsTrading, 6am to noon

60 kmWest of Brisbane

Before you go

Fernvale lies on the Brisbane River in the southern part of the Somerset Region, and had a population of 3,629 at the 2021 census. Wikipedia describes it as a rapidly developing rural township and a centre for the nearby areas of Fairney View, Vernor and Wivenhoe Pocket.

The district was occupied by the Jagera people before European settlement. Just upstream is the Platypus Rockshelter, a significant archaeological site that was excavated as a salvage operation in the late 1970s and is now largely inundated by Wivenhoe Dam. Harrisborough School opened in 1874 with 54 pupils, many from German-speaking families, and St Mark's Anglican Church was dedicated on 7 August 1895. The first campdraft was held on a local property in 1947, and the Fernvale Futures Complex opened in 2006 on the former railway station site.

Because the market opens at 6am, an early start gets the best choice, and the school grounds are on the Brisbane Valley Highway.