Tamborine Mountain Country Markets

Tamborine Mountain runs more than one market, and this is the showgrounds one: the second Sunday of every month at the corner of Main Western Road and Bartle Road, trading 7.30am to 1.30pm. The showgrounds setting gives it room that the mountain's street and school markets do not have, which is why it can carry produce trucks, plant stalls, a gazebo stage and a kids' area at the same time.

Produce first, then everything else

The core of the market is fresh fruit and vegetables, locally produced cheeses, herbs, flowers and plants, sold by growers who have driven up or across the Scenic Rim. Around that sits the usual country market spread of arts and crafts, collectables, garden ornaments and clothing. The food line-up is more international than the "country market" label suggests: poffertjes, German sausage, baked jacket potatoes and fresh corn on the cob all trade alongside the coffee vans.

There is usually a singer or performer on the gazebo stage, which sets the pace of the whole thing: this is a market people sit down at rather than sweep through. Children get pony rides, a castle area and a small car ride, so the middle of the morning skews heavily towards families.

Worth knowing before you drive up

Check which Sunday you are travelling on. Tamborine Mountain has three distinct markets and they trade on different weekends: the country markets on the second Sunday, the state school markets on the last Sunday at Curtis and Long Roads, and the local producers' market every Sunday at the Green Shed on Holt Road. Turning up on the wrong weekend is the most common mistake visitors make here.

The mountain sits well above the coastal plain, so mornings can be considerably cooler than the Gold Coast an hour away. Arrive near the 7.30am opening if you want the pick of the produce, and bring cash for the parking donation and the smaller stalls.