Bellarine Farmers Market

The Bellarine Peninsula grows a lot for its size. Between Ocean Grove, Drysdale, Portarlington and Point Lonsdale sit olive groves, vineyards, market gardens and berry farms, all within a half hour of each other. The Bellarine Farmers Market pulls that catchment into one reserve on the third Saturday of the month, trading from 9am to 1pm at Ocean Grove Park on The Avenue.

Growers on one side, makers on the other

The market runs deliberately as a growers and makers event rather than a pure produce market. That means the stallholder mix carries two distinct halves: people selling what they grew or raised, and people selling what they made. It is a format that suits a peninsula with a strong food economy and an equally strong craft and small-batch scene, and it gives a Saturday morning visit more range than a produce-only market would.

Ocean Grove Park itself is worth understanding before you go. It is a community-managed reserve with a pavilion, not a paved town square, so the market spreads across open ground with the building as its anchor. The same venue takes fairs and car boot sales on other weekends, which is why the park has the parking and the flat, open layout that a market needs.

Market at a glance

3rdSaturday each month

9am–1pmTrading hours

2Sides: growers and makers

3226Ocean Grove postcode

What to know before the drive down

Ocean Grove is about twenty five minutes from Geelong and roughly ninety from Melbourne, which puts the market within comfortable reach of a day trip without being so close that it fills with city crowds. The Avenue runs through a residential stretch of town, so the approach is calm even on market mornings, and the reserve absorbs parking better than a main street location would.

A third Saturday in summer will be busier than one in July, since Ocean Grove is a holiday town and its population swells considerably over the warm months. If you want an unhurried look at the stalls, the winter markets are the quieter proposition. The market keeps a Facebook page where each month's trading is confirmed, which is the sensible check if the forecast is poor.