Shepparton Farmers' and Specialty Market
A fourth-Saturday market at the Shepparton Showgrounds, run by a not-for-profit that puts its market income into youth programs in regional towns.
About this market
This market goes by two names and both are in use by the people who run it. Lifestyle Markets Australia calls it the Shepparton Farmer and Speciality Market, Greater Shepparton City Council lists it as the Shepparton Farmers' and Specialty Market, and its own social account trades as the Shepparton Showgrounds Market. All three mean the same thing: the fourth Saturday of every month at the Shepparton Showgrounds on High Street, between Thompson and Archer Streets, a few minutes' walk from town.
One market in a six-market circuit
The operator is not a Shepparton business. Lifestyle Markets Australia Inc runs a monthly circuit across three states, and Shepparton is one stop on it: Swan Hill on the first Sunday, Yarrawonga Foreshore on the second, Echuca's Hopwood Gardens on the second Saturday, Docklands Promenade on the third Saturday, Shepparton on the fourth Saturday and Wagga Wagga on the fourth Sunday. The Shepparton day starts long before the public arrives, with sites activated from 7am and stallholders expected to be ready by 8am. What sells is broader than the name suggests. The council's listing describes diverse vendors, trash and treasure and new and unique finds, which puts this closer to a general market with a produce backbone than to a strict farmers market.
Market at a glance
The reason this market exists is not the usual one.
The market's operator is an incorporated association rather than a company, and it states its purpose across the top of its own site: a hub for creative markets, events and festivals across Australia, empowering disadvantaged youth in regional and rural areas. The same association runs the market days at Swan Hill, Yarrawonga, Echuca, Docklands and Wagga Wagga under that banner.
Good to know before you go
Fourth Saturday, and check the finish time. The operator advertises trading to 2pm while an older council listing says 1pm, so plan your morning around the 8.30am opening rather than the tail end of the afternoon. The Shepparton Showgrounds sit on High Street between Thompson and Archer Streets, with the CBD a few minutes away on foot, so this is one of the rare regional showground markets you can walk to from lunch in town. Bring cash for the trash and treasure end of the market, where the sellers are households rather than businesses. If you want a site, the market takes stall enquiries by phone and email rather than through a booking platform, and stallholders are expected to be set up by 8am, half an hour before the public comes through.
Frequently Asked Questions
- When is the Shepparton Showgrounds market on?
- The fourth Saturday of every month. The operator's current listing gives 8.30am to 2pm; an older Greater Shepparton City Council listing shows a 1pm finish, so the morning is the safe window.
- Is there an entry fee?
- No. Greater Shepparton City Council lists the market as free entry.
- What will I find there?
- A mix rather than a pure produce market: the council listing describes diverse vendors, trash and treasure, and new and unique finds, alongside the farmers and specialty stalls the market is named for.