Williamstown Craft Market
Thirty years of volunteer-run stalls on a waterfront reserve that was mud dredged out of Hobsons Bay.
About this market
The Williamstown Craft Market has been running for more than thirty years on the third Sunday of the month, outdoors on the Commonwealth Reserve by the water on Nelson Place. It is run entirely by volunteers, and it holds to one rule that shapes everything else: every item sold is created, handmade, home grown or baked by the stallholder serving you.
Made by the person selling it
That maker-only rule is not a slogan here, it is the entry condition, and it is the reason the market has kept a distinct character in a suburb that gets a lot of weekend visitors. Stalls cover handmade goods, home grown produce and baked items, arranged in the open air along the water's edge with the Williamstown waterfront and the city skyline behind. The hours are generous for a monthly market, six full hours from 10am, shortening by an hour across the winter months from May to September. Nelson Place is Williamstown's historic commercial strip, so the market has cafes, pubs and the ferry terminal within a minute's walk.
Market at a glance
Being outdoors and on the bay, the market is weather-exposed in both directions: exceptional on a still autumn Sunday, and genuinely cold when a southerly comes across Hobsons Bay in July, which is part of why the winter hours are shorter.
The ground the stalls stand on was dredged out of the bay. Commonwealth Reserve was originally tidal mudflat, and the park was built up from mud dredged from Hobsons Bay between 1880 and 1930, then planted with avenues of elms. It was called Nelson Place Reserve until 1901, when it was renamed Commonwealth Reserve to mark Federation. Before any of that it was the original landing place for the Town of Williamstown. The Band Rotunda, the Tide Gauge House and the Nelson Anchor are all still on the site.
Good to know before you go
Third Sunday, 10am to 4pm, closing at 3pm from May to September. Bring bags and a mix of cash and card, since a volunteer-run market with individual makers will be uneven on card facilities. Nelson Place parking fills on a market Sunday; the ferry from Docklands and the train to Williamstown station are both realistic alternatives and the walk in is short. Dress for the water, because the reserve is fully exposed to the bay. This is Bunurong and Wurundjeri country.
Frequently Asked Questions
- When is the Williamstown Craft Market on?
- The third Sunday of every month, 10am to 4pm, at the Commonwealth Reserve on Nelson Place. From May to September it closes an hour earlier, at 3pm.
- Can stallholders resell bought goods?
- No. Everything sold at the market is created, handmade, home grown or baked by the stallholder serving you, which is the market's central rule.
- Who runs it?
- Volunteers. The market has been operating for over thirty years on the same waterfront reserve.