Cowes Market on Church
A fourth Saturday parish hall market on Phillip Island, with a trash and treasure shed alongside the produce and plants.
About this market
Market on Church runs the fourth Saturday of every month at St Phillip's Parish Hall in Cowes, 9am to 2pm. It is one of two monthly markets that use the same hall, and the pairing is worth knowing before you set out, because turning up on the wrong Saturday gets you a different market with a different character.
Produce, plants and a trash and treasure shed
The stall mix runs from local produce, craft and plants through to clothing and baked goods, with hot food and drinks on site. What sets it apart from the island's other markets is the trash and treasure shed, which gives the market a genuine second hand component rather than a purely handmade one, and makes the fourth Saturday the one to come to if you are browsing rather than shopping a list. The hall and its grounds sit a block back from Thompson Avenue in the middle of Cowes, so the market is walkable from the town centre. The operator, Phillip Island Traders, runs several markets across the island, including the Sunday market down on the Jetty Triangle.
Market at a glance
Unlike the foreshore markets, this one runs all year rather than shutting down outside the summer season, which makes it the reliable option on the island between June and October when Cowes goes quiet.
One parish hall carries two entirely separate monthly markets. St Phillip's Parish Hall hosts Market on Church on the fourth Saturday, and on the second Saturday the same building holds the Cowes Island Craft Market, which trades 9am to 2pm under a Make, Bake and Grow rule, runs to sixty or more stalls, and returns its profits to local community needs. Two markets, one hall, two different Saturdays, and the fastest way to be disappointed on Phillip Island is to arrive expecting the other one.
Worth knowing before you go
Fourth Saturday, 9am to 2pm, year round. Bring cash, which matters more here than at a purely handmade market because of the trash and treasure component, and bring bags. Parking is on Church Street and the surrounding blocks, and Thompson Avenue is a short walk. Being indoors and undercover means island weather is not a reason to stay away, and out of season this is often the only market running in Cowes on a given weekend. This is Bunurong country.
Frequently Asked Questions
- When is Market on Church held?
- The fourth Saturday of every month, from 9am to 2pm, at St Phillip's Parish Hall on Church Street, Cowes.
- What sort of stalls are there?
- Local produce, craft and plants, a trash and treasure shed, clothing, baked goods, and hot food and drinks.
- Is this the same as the Island Craft Market?
- No, though they share the hall. The Island Craft Market runs on the second Saturday of the month at the same parish hall, with a Make, Bake and Grow theme and 60 or more stalls. Market on Church is the fourth Saturday one.