Torquay Farmers Market

Torquay Farmers Market has been a free, Saturday morning fixture for more than 15 years, trading out of the Surf Coast Shire offices carpark on Merrijig Drive rather than a purpose-built market ground. That civic setting, just minutes from the beach, hasn't stopped it becoming one of the region's better-known stops for ethically produced, farm-fresh and artisan goods.

A long-running Saturday habit on the Surf Coast

The market runs plastic-bag-free and welcomes dogs, which fits its reputation as a relaxed, locals-first market rather than a tourist-focused event, even though Torquay itself draws plenty of holidaymakers along the Great Ocean Road. It trades every Saturday from 8.30am to 1pm, giving shoppers a full morning window rather than the shorter two-to-three-hour slots some regional markets settle for, and there's no cost to walk in.

The same organisers don't stop at Saturdays: they also run the Cowrie Market on the third Sunday of the month between September and April, and a special evening Night Jar Market each January, giving regulars two more reasons to check the calendar beyond the weekly stall line-up.

Market at a glance

15+Years running

FreeEntry

8.30-1pmEvery Saturday

0Plastic bags used

Good to know before you go

Bring your own bags, since the market runs plastic-bag-free and stallholders won't have disposable ones on hand. Being in the Shire offices carpark, just off the Surf Coast Highway, means parking is straightforward compared with beachside market sites elsewhere on the Surf Coast.

The market's location a short walk from Torquay's shopping strip and the foreshore makes it easy to pair a Saturday shop with a coffee in town or a walk along the beach, without needing to plan the visit around the market alone.

Torquay is also the official start of the Great Ocean Road, sitting right next to Jan Juc and a short drive from the world-famous Bells Beach, which keeps the Saturday crowd a genuine mix of locals doing their regular shop and travellers stopping in before heading further along the coast.