Paynesville Farmers' & Makers' Market

The Paynesville foreshore is a strip of grass between the town and the Gippsland Lakes, with the boats moored a few metres away and Raymond Island across the water. On the fourth Saturday of the month it holds the farmers and makers market, and there are not many better places in the state to buy a coffee and stand still for a minute.

Growers and makers, side by side

The billing splits the market evenly between the two, which is the right balance for East Gippsland. This is productive country and a holiday region at once, so the produce is genuinely local and the makers have an audience beyond the town's own population. Five hours from eight is a proper market morning rather than a token one.

The foreshore location is the whole appeal, and it is also the practical constraint: this is open ground beside water in a region that gets genuine weather, so a wet fourth Saturday is a thinner market than a fine one.

Good to know before you go

Paynesville is twenty minutes south of Bairnsdale and makes an easy detour off the Princes Highway. Parking along the foreshore fills, so arriving earlier saves a walk, and eight is when the produce is at its best anyway. Bring cash and bags. While you are here, the Raymond Island ferry runs constantly and is free for pedestrians, and the koalas on the island are the reason most first-time visitors come to Paynesville at all.