Mareeba Markets

Mareeba Markets trades in a town that's changed its name once in a genuinely significant way. First known as Granite Creek, the settlement began in 1880 around a wayside inn and store where the coach road from Port Douglas crossed the halfway mark on the route to the goldfields. That changed in 1893, when the Cairns-Kuranda railway line was extended to the site, and the settlement was renamed Mareeba to coincide with the opening of its new railway station.

From a coach-road inn to the Tablelands' biggest town

That railway connection transformed Mareeba's fortunes: by 1919, it had grown into the district's most important town, and today it holds that title more emphatically than ever, the biggest town on the Atherton Tablelands and a major regional centre for agriculture and tourism. The market trades at the Mareeba Turf Club, drawing on that agricultural heritage with fresh, locally grown produce direct from Tablelands farmers.

Reviewers consistently praise the fresh, locally grown produce direct from Tablelands farmers, alongside fabulous coffee and a specific mention of the CWA stall's cheap tea, jam, scones and cake, plus a well-regarded bacon and egg roll van making the trip from nearby Mossman worthwhile.

Good to know before you go

The unusual second-and-fifth-Saturday schedule, rather than a simple fortnightly or monthly pattern, makes checking the calendar genuinely important before planning a trip. Being worth the drive from Cairns, according to regular visitors, makes it a reasonable day-trip destination alongside other Atherton Tablelands attractions.