Sunrise Farmers Market

Sunrise Farmers Market trades every Sunday from 6am to 10:30am in the carpark on Dreamworld Parkway at Coomera, sharing its address with one of the Gold Coast's biggest theme parks rather than a town square or park. It's one of a run of weekly farmers markets that have sprung up across the northern Gold Coast in recent years, but the theme park carpark setting sets it apart from the pack.

Fresh produce with a theme park backdrop

The market brings together a growing lineup of stallholders selling farm-fresh fruit and vegetables and organic goods sourced directly from local growers. Around that core sits a mix of specialty foods and products from local makers, sweet treats from local bakers, wellness products, fashion stalls, handmade wares, artwork and pet accessories. Live music plays each week, and a run of food vendors covers brunch, coffee and other breakfast options for anyone making a morning of it. Shoppers describe it as a friendly, community-feeling market rather than a large commercial event, with stallholders happy to chat about where their produce comes from.

The theme park carpark setting is unusual for a farmers market, but it works in the stallholders' favour: the space is flat, sealed and built to handle far bigger crowds than a Sunday market draws, so parking is never the problem it can be at a smaller suburban venue.

Good to know before you go

Because the market packs down by 10:30am, an early start gets first pick of produce and a car space close to the stalls. The carpark venue means plenty of free parking right on site, and the mix of food vendors makes it an easy spot to grab breakfast before heading elsewhere for the day. Being a weekly event rather than a monthly one, it's an easy market to build into a regular Sunday routine rather than something to plan a whole outing around.