Regional Farmers Market at Abbotsford Convent

The Abbotsford Convent is nineteenth-century brick and gardens on a bend of the Yarra, ten minutes from the city, and on the second Saturday of the month it fills with Victorian growers. Forty-five stallholders is a considered number rather than a sprawling one: this is a market where you can talk to everyone selling something before your coffee goes cold.

Growers and makers, all Victorian

Seasonal fresh produce is the backbone, and around it sits the sort of list that makes a farmers market worth the trip: cheese, fresh breads, flavoured oils, handmade pasta, homemade jams, honey, wine, and Victorian grown flowers. A horticulturist runs the plant stall. For eating on the spot there are gozlemes, toasties, cannoli, juices and coffee.

Regional Farmers Market is one of the longer-running farmers market operators in the country, and it runs this one with a stated focus on food security, sustainability and female representation in the food industry. That shows in the stall list more than in any signage.

Good to know before you go

Bring a two dollar coin or a card for the gate, and bags for everything after that. The Convent is a short walk from Victoria Park station and the 200 and 207 buses run along Johnston Street, which is the easier option than parking in Abbotsford on a Saturday. Once the market winds up at two, the Convent's own cafes, galleries and gardens are right there, and the Yarra path along the back of the site is one of the better short walks in inner Melbourne.