Carlton Farmers Market
A Saturday morning farmers market in the grounds of a primary school that has stood on the same Carlton North block since 1873.
About this market
Carlton Farmers Market began in October 2014 with backing from the City of Melbourne, and it set up shop somewhere with a much longer history than the market itself. The grounds belong to Carlton North Primary School, a site the Education Department acquired on 17 June 1873 and opened for classes on 28 July the same year, first as the Carlton Stockade School and from January 1879 as Lee St State School No 1252.
Thirty growers, one schoolyard, every Saturday of the year
Around 30 stallholders trade here each Saturday morning, bringing seasonal Victorian fruit and vegetables, free range eggs and meat, olives and oil, honey, nuts and grains, dairy and cheeses, and bread and pastries. It is run by Melbourne Farmers Markets, a not-for-profit social enterprise that also operates weekly markets at Coburg and Alphington, and it is accredited with the Victorian Farmers' Markets Association. Accreditation is the part that matters to shoppers: it means the people behind the tables are the ones who grew, raised or made what is on them.
Market at a glance
The $2 entry donation is voluntary and card only, which catches out anyone who arrives with a pocket of coins and no plastic. Proceeds go to school projects and to the market's own food relief programs, so the gate is doing double duty as fundraising rather than as a turnstile. Melbourne Farmers Markets describes itself as a not-for-profit social enterprise built around Victorian food and producers, regional food cultures, seasonal produce, biodiversity and sustainable farming, and the Carlton market is one of three it runs each week. The other two are Coburg, also Saturday mornings in a primary school ground, and Alphington, which trades Sundays from 9am to 1pm at the Melbourne Innovation Centre on Wingrove Street.
The market has been trading since 2014, but the schoolyard it occupies has been in continuous educational use since 28 July 1873, when the site opened as the Carlton Stockade School.
Good to know before you go
Come in from O'Grady Street rather than circling Lee Street looking for a gate, and bring a card for the entry donation since cash is not accepted at the gate. Trading wraps at 1pm, and the weekly stallholder list is published on the market's social channels beforehand, which is worth a look if there is a specific grower you are making the trip for.
Frequently Asked Questions
- When is Carlton Farmers Market on?
- Every Saturday, 8am to 1pm, in the grounds of Carlton North Primary School. Use the O'Grady Street entrance.
- Is there an entry fee?
- Entry is by voluntary $2 donation, card only. The money goes back into the school's programs and the market's own food relief work.
- What can I buy there?
- Seasonal Victorian fruit and vegetables, free range eggs and meat, olives and oil, honey, nuts and grains, dairy and cheese, plus bread and pastries. Around 30 stallholders trade each week.