Bentleigh Sunday Market

Bentleigh Sunday Market began in 1977 with a modest first day: 73 vendors set up, and the Rotary Club of Bentleigh Moorabbin Central raised just over $952. Nearly five decades later, that same club still runs the market every single Sunday of the year, and the fundraising total has grown into something genuinely substantial: more than $2 million raised for charitable causes and Rotary projects.

From $952 on day one to $2 million and counting

That growth reflects one of Melbourne's oldest continuously running Trash 'n Treasure markets, now hosting more than 130 stalls in the car park behind Bentleigh railway station. Plants, clothing, cosmetics, jewellery, books, tools, antiques, crafts and pre-loved goods fill the space every week, funded by a simple gold coin donation at entry rather than a fixed admission fee.

Reviewers consistently describe a pleasant, low-pressure browsing experience without aggressive street vendor tactics, praising the mix of plants, gardening materials and secondhand treasures, with the gold coin donation and station-adjacent location making it a genuinely easy addition to a Sunday routine.

Good to know before you go

Being right behind Bentleigh railway station makes it an easy, car-free visit for anyone arriving by train. Most vendors here aren't full-time retailers, part of what gives the market its genuinely relaxed, community "treasure hunt" character reviewers consistently mention.