Fig Tree Markets
A monthly handmade market run entirely by volunteers under the fig trees at Merv Anderson Park, with every stall fee going back into Capricorn Coast arts projects.
About this market
Fig Tree Markets, properly Fig Tree Creek Markets, is run by Keppel Coast Arts, a volunteer-run not-for-profit that puts the stallholder fees straight back into arts activity on the Capricorn Coast. That funding model is not a footnote. A $20 artisan table, a $30 single site or a $45 double is money that leaves the market and turns up later as a community arts project somewhere in the shire.
Handmade only, under the fig trees, first Sunday of the month
The market runs on the first Sunday of each month at Merv Anderson Park, sitting on the Scenic Highway next to the Capricorn Coast visitor information centre at the Ross Creek roundabout. Stallholders display, demonstrate and sell unique, handmade, locally designed, home baked and home grown products, which rules out the imported-goods stalls that fill out a lot of general markets. Live entertainment plays every month, and the number of tables shifts with bookings rather than sticking to a fixed footprint.
Market at a glance
Keppel Coast Arts exists to build and strengthen arts and cultural activity across the Capricorn Coast through projects and artists' initiatives, and the market is its most visible fundraiser. Being volunteer-run shows in small ways, including the fact that the organisers ask to be contacted by email rather than phone. Stall sites are booked online rather than negotiated at the gate, with an artisan table at $20, a single three-by-three-metre site at $30 and a double at $45, and separate casual and regular stallholder listings each season.
The park itself is the other draw. Merv Anderson Park sits on Ross Creek where the Scenic Highway meets the roundabout, so the stalls run under mature fig trees beside the water rather than across an exposed oval, which is why the market keeps the trees in its name.
The market has no phone number at all. The organisers say plainly that the line was disconnected in 2017 and that email is now the only way to reach them, which is about as volunteer-run as a market gets.
Good to know before you go
Four hours is the whole market, 8am to 12pm, and the middle of a Capricorn Coast morning gets warm, so early is comfortable as well as better stocked. The park is adjacent to the visitor information centre, which makes it an easy first stop for anyone new to Yeppoon. Bring cash for the smaller handmade stalls, since not every volunteer-run table takes cards.
Frequently Asked Questions
- When and where is the market?
- The first Sunday of each month, 8am to 12pm, at Merv Anderson Park on the Scenic Highway, next to the Capricorn Coast visitor information centre at the Ross Creek roundabout.
- Is there an entry fee?
- No, entry is free for visitors. Stallholders pay a site fee, and that money funds Keppel Coast Arts' other community arts activities.
- What sort of stalls trade there?
- Unique, handmade, locally designed, home baked and home grown products. The number of stalls varies month to month depending on bookings, and there is live entertainment at every market.