REH Cork Club Craft Market
A craft market run by a pub charity club that has raised more than $2 million for the Good Friday Appeal since the 1970s.
About this market
The Royal Exchange Hotel Cork Club was formed in Traralgon in 1973, first raising money for the local hospital and later turning its attention to the Royal Children's Hospital Good Friday Appeal. It has since become the top fundraising hotel in Victoria, with more than $2 million donated to the Appeal since the 1970s. The craft market it runs in Kay Street Gardens on the second Saturday of the month is one of the machines that gets it there.
A fundraiser that happens to be a good market
The market trades 8am to 1pm from September to May, under the elms in the gardens, which makes it a warm-months market with a winter break rather than a year-round fixture. Stalls run to handmade jewellery, home decor, clothing, art, plants, candles, hair accessories, honey and jam, plus second-hand goods and bric-a-brac. Catering is part of the fundraising: the Cork Club runs its own barbecue, and there is a Dutch pancake stall, local cakes and bread, coffee and cold drinks.
Market at a glance
Stall categories fill up rather than staying open indefinitely, and the club publishes which ones are at capacity, coffee, food, candles, crystals, flowers, metal craft and pet treats among them. That is a sign of a market with more applicants than sites, and it also explains the mix a visitor actually sees: a fairly even spread rather than eight coffee vans and a plant stall.
The market is only part of the club's fundraising year. The Cork Club also runs a Good Friday Community Family Fun Day, 10am to 3pm in the Church Street car park at the Royal Exchange Hotel, timed to the Appeal itself.
Good to know before you go
Check the month before you set out. There is no market from June to August, and it restarts in September, so the second-Saturday rule only holds for nine months of the year. The gardens are a short walk from central Traralgon, so park in town and walk in rather than looking for a space beside the stalls. Bring cash for the smaller craft stalls and for the barbecue. If you are in Traralgon on a fourth Saturday instead, the same gardens host the separate Traralgon Farmers Market, run year-round by the local Lions Club.
Frequently Asked Questions
- When does the REH Cork Club Craft Market run?
- The second Saturday of the month from September to May, 8am to 1pm, in Kay Street Gardens on Kay Street, Traralgon. There is no market from June to August.
- Where does the money go?
- Proceeds go to the Royal Children's Hospital Good Friday Appeal. The Royal Exchange Hotel Cork Club has raised more than $2 million for the Appeal since the 1970s.
- What does a stall cost?
- Sites are priced by size: $30 for 3m by 3m, $50 for 6m by 3m and $75 for 9m by 3m. Stallholders bring their own gazebo, tables and equipment, and register at least 48 hours before market day.