Hawthorn Makers Market
Seventy-plus makers set up inside and outside a restored 1890 town hall on the first Sunday of the month, ten months of the year.
About this market
Seventy or more stallholders take over the Hawthorn Arts Centre on the first Sunday of the month from March to December, trading 10am to 3pm inside the building and outside it. The Rotary Club of Camberwell runs it with support from the City of Boroondara, and the stall brief is narrow on purpose: local, independent artists and designers selling their own work.
Curated rather than comprehensive
What that filter produces is a floor of bespoke fashion, jewellery, art, homewares, artisan food and children's products, without the imported-goods stalls that dilute a lot of general markets. It is a browsing market rather than a shopping list market, and the ten-month season means it never becomes background noise the way a weekly market can. Because a service club runs it, stall fees go into Rotary's community work rather than a promoter's margin, which is also why the fees stay at a level a genuine one-person studio can afford.
Market at a glance
The venue is a large part of why the market reads the way it does. The Hawthorn Arts Centre sits on the corner of Burwood and Glenferrie Roads, so the market lands in the middle of one of Melbourne's busiest inner-eastern shopping strips, and its gallery and function spaces give the indoor stalls a setting no marquee can match. Trams 16, 70 and 75 stop outside and Glenferrie Station is a short walk, which makes this one of the easier Melbourne markets to reach without a car.
The building was the Hawthorn Town Hall, designed by John Beswicke in the Second Empire style and built between 1888 and 1890, with the clock added to its tower in 1911. It reopened as an arts centre in November 2013 after a $17.9 million redevelopment.
Good to know before you go
First Sunday, March to December, so January and February are blank and a summer trip needs checking. Ten to three is a generous window by market standards, and the crowd builds through the middle of the day, so arrive near opening if you would rather browse than queue. Parking is at the rear via Kent Street or Oxley Road, but Glenferrie Road on a Sunday is busy enough that the tram is usually faster. Bring a card and cash both, since independent makers take payment individually. The indoor and outdoor stalls are separate areas, so walk the whole site rather than assuming the hall is all of it. This is Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung country.
Frequently Asked Questions
- When is the Hawthorn Makers Market on?
- The first Sunday of the month from March to December inclusive, 10am to 3pm, at the Hawthorn Arts Centre, 360 Burwood Road. There are no January or February markets.
- Who runs it?
- The Rotary Club of Camberwell, with support from the City of Boroondara.
- How do I get there without driving?
- Trams 16, 70 and 75 all stop nearby, and Glenferrie Station is a short walk. Parking is available at the rear of the venue via Kent Street or Oxley Road.