Sarina Markets
A last-Sunday showground market south of Mackay, run by the show society that puts on the district's annual show.
About this market
The Sarina Markets run on the last Sunday of each month at the Sarina Showgrounds, put on by the Sarina Show Society. That is the detail that shapes the market: the same volunteers who stage the district's annual agricultural show run a monthly market on the same ground, so the venue comes with the sheds, the parking and the amenities already in place.
A showground market in cane country
The stall list spans handmade crafts, fresh fruit and vegetables, plants, homewares, gifts and locally made produce, with a mix of regular and new stallholders so the shape of it changes month to month. Food vendors handle breakfast and morning tea and there is coffee through the morning, which is what turns a monthly market into somewhere people linger rather than shop and leave. Sarina sits about half an hour south of Mackay in the middle of one of Queensland's most productive sugar districts, and the market is the town's main regular gathering outside show week itself.
Market at a glance
Published stall counts for this market vary a good deal between listings, so no figure is asserted here. The society's office is the reliable source for the current scale and the current times, and it is worth a call if the size of the market is what decides whether you make the trip.
The market and the district's annual show come from the same organisation. The Sarina Show Society runs both, which is why the market uses the showgrounds rather than a park or a main street, and why the society's own office is the contact point for market enquiries rather than a market operator. Published stall counts for the market vary widely between listing sites, from around sixty up to two hundred, so the society is also the only reliable source for how big any given month actually is.
Practical notes
Last Sunday of the month, and confirm the times before travelling: this is a morning market but the published hours vary between listings, and the show society office can settle it. Bring cash and bags. The showgrounds have their own parking. Sarina is on the Bruce Highway about half an hour south of Mackay, which makes the market an easy stop on a drive rather than a detour, and the sugar mill and the surrounding cane country are the district's defining feature. This is Yuwibara country.
Frequently Asked Questions
- When are the Sarina Markets on?
- The last Sunday of each month, at the Sarina Showgrounds. It is a morning market, and the show society office can confirm the current times.
- What is sold?
- Handmade crafts, fresh fruit and vegetables, plants, homewares, gifts and locally made produce, with food vendors doing breakfast and morning tea and coffee on hand.
- Who runs it?
- The Sarina Show Society, the organisation behind the district's annual agricultural show, which is why the market uses the showgrounds rather than a park or a main street.