The Gully Market

The Gully Market has been trading from the car park of Upper Ferntree Gully railway station for more than 40 years, making it one of the longest-running weekend markets in the Dandenong Ranges. It runs as a not-for-profit, built around a simple line the organisers use as their motto: if the community is expected to support the market, the market has to support the community back.

A market that funds the CFA and the local hospital

That isn't just a slogan. After covering running costs, stall fees get redistributed to local causes, and in a recent year the market gave over $10,000 to groups including the CFA, Eastern Health Angliss Hospital and a Salvation Army food bank. Stalls lean toward handmade goods, home-grown produce, baked goods and artisanal items like sauces and chutneys, alongside the market's ongoing search for a permanent fruit and vegetable trader.

Being car-park based rather than purpose-built means the market packs up cleanly around train timetables and station traffic, and it's a genuine weekend fixture rather than a one-off event.

Good to know before you go

The market runs both Saturday and Sunday, but it does close on days of extreme weather, so it's worth checking the trading hours panel above rather than assuming it's on. Since it's right at the station car park and close to the 1000 Steps, it works well as a stop before or after that walk.