Brighton Farmers Market
A VFMA-accredited producers' market in the grounds of a bluestone church that has stood on New Street since 1857.
About this market
St Andrew's Church has stood on the corner of New and Church Streets in Brighton since its bluestone nave was completed in 1857. Its grounds host the Brighton Farmers Market on the third Saturday of the month, 8.30am to 1pm, run by Community Farmers Markets as an accredited producers' market rather than a general one.
What accreditation buys the shopper
The distinction the Victorian Farmers' Markets Association draws is simple and it is the whole point of a market like this: the person behind the table grew, reared, caught, baked or made what is on it. No resellers, no boxes bought at the wholesale market that morning. Community Farmers Markets is a not-for-profit social enterprise built around that rule, running several markets across Melbourne with the stated aim of keeping Victorian producers, regional food cultures, seasonal produce and sustainable farming connected directly to the people buying from them. In practice it means you can ask a question about how something was grown and get an answer from someone who knows.
Market at a glance
The setting does real work here. Church grounds give a market walls and trees rather than a car-park grid, and the New Street corner puts it within walking distance of most of central Brighton, which is why the crowd skews local and on foot. The 8.30am start and 1pm finish is longer than most monthly producer markets manage, and the extra half-hour at the end is genuinely useful: growers discount rather than cart stock home, so the last half-hour is the cheapest of the day if you are flexible about what you are cooking.
The church the market sets up beside is mostly a rebuild. Fire largely destroyed St Andrew's on 19 February 1961, and the replacement was dedicated on 15 December 1962 before a crowd of two thousand. The west end and four bays of Charles Webb's 1857 bluestone church were deliberately kept and the new building set at a right angle to them.
Good to know before you go
Third Saturday, 8.30 to 1, once a month, so a missed date costs you four weeks. Bring your own bags and a cooler bag if you are buying meat, dairy or fish, because the market runs into the middle of the day. Come early for the best of the produce and late for the markdowns. Street parking around New and Church Streets fills quickly on a Saturday morning; the surrounding residential streets are a short walk. Cash and card are both worth carrying, since each producer takes payment separately. This is Bunurong country.
Frequently Asked Questions
- When is the Brighton Farmers Market on?
- The third Saturday of the month, 8.30am to 1pm, in the grounds of St Andrew's Church at 228 New Street, on the corner of Church Street.
- Who runs it?
- Community Farmers Markets, a not-for-profit social enterprise that operates several farmers' markets across Melbourne.
- What does accreditation actually guarantee?
- That the farmers and producers at the stalls are accredited with the Victorian Farmers' Markets Association, meaning they have genuinely grown, reared, caught, baked or made what they are selling.