Upper Yarra Community Market
Twice a month at Yarra Junction, run by an incorporated committee that has been handing its takings to the local ambulance and fire brigade since 1986.
About this market
Yarra Junction sits at the point where the valley narrows and the road starts climbing toward Warburton, and its market has been running out of Park Road since 1986. It goes twice a month, on the second and fourth Sunday, from 8am to 2pm. Twice-monthly is a demanding schedule for a volunteer committee, and the fact it has been sustained for four decades tells you most of what you need to know about the place.
Thirty stalls and a six hour day
The stall count sits around 30, which puts it in the middle range for the Yarra Valley. What is on them is the standard country market spread done properly: seasonal produce, plants and seedlings, preserves and honey, baked goods, craft, tools, and a solid second-hand corner. Six hours of trading is generous for a market this size, and it changes the character of the day. There is no 11am scramble to see everything before the pack-up starts, and stallholders have time to talk.
Market at a glance
The market describes itself as giving back since 1986, and it is specific about where the money goes: the local ambulance service, the fire brigade, the SES and community groups around the upper valley. In a district where the fire brigade and the SES are the services you actually depend on, that is not a token gesture. The market is an incorporated association, registration number A 12706D, so the arrangement is formal rather than a handshake.
The 8am start is a real one. Yarra Junction is a working town rather than a tourist stop, and the first hour of this market is locals doing a shop rather than day trippers browsing. If you want the produce and the baked goods you come early; if you want space to wander and talk to stallholders you come after 11 and still have three hours.
Good to know before you go
Second and fourth Sunday, 8am to 2pm, at 1 Park Road. Bring cash, since a market run on volunteers with thirty stallholders will always have some who do not take cards. Bring bags. Yarra Junction is about an hour and fifteen from Melbourne on the Warburton Highway, and the market pairs naturally with a run further up the valley to Warburton or a ride on the Lilydale to Warburton rail trail, which passes through the town. The site is flat and grassed, so check the forecast if it has been wet. This is Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung country.
Frequently Asked Questions
- When is the Upper Yarra Community Market on?
- The second and fourth Sunday of every month, 8am to 2pm, at 1 Park Road, Yarra Junction. Twice a month rather than once, which is unusual for a market this size.
- Where does the money go?
- Back into the valley. The market is run by an incorporated community committee and its proceeds have funded the local ambulance service, fire brigade, SES and other community groups since 1986.
- How big is it?
- Around 30 stalls, running to produce, plants, preserves, baked goods, craft, tools and second-hand. It is a country community market rather than a boutique one.