Bridgetown River Park Markets
A fortnightly Sunday morning market in a riverside park, in a Blackwood River town proclaimed in 1868 and named for its bridge.
About this market
Bridgetown was proclaimed in June 1868 on land held by John Blechynden, one of the first two settlers to take up country on this stretch of the Blackwood River in 1857. Surveyor Thomas Carey proposed the name for two reasons: the town sat at a bridge, and a ship called the Bridgetown had been first to call at Bunbury for the district's wool. The market that runs fortnightly in Blackwood River Park puts a Sunday morning crowd back beside that river.
Fortnightly, early, and beside the water
The market opens at 7am and finishes at midday, which is a genuinely early start by market standards and suits a farming district. Stalls cover fresh fruit and vegetables, locally made produce, arts and crafts, clothing, jewellery and collectibles, with car boot sellers alongside the regular traders. The park sits on Hampton Street, the South Western Highway through town, next to the caravan park, so passing travellers on the South West loop turn up as reliably as locals do.
Market at a glance
The markets are self managed, which is unusual and worth knowing before you plan around them. There is no large operator setting terms, so the trader mix changes more from week to week than at a curated market, and the published date list is the only reliable schedule. A fortnightly cadence also drifts against the calendar: it is not the first and third Sunday, it is simply every second one, so the date that worked last month may not work this month.
The town's name has a maritime half to it. Surveyor Thomas Carey proposed Bridgetown in 1868 both because the settlement stood at a bridge and because a ship named the Bridgetown had been the first to collect wool from these districts at Bunbury.
Good to know before you go
Check the date before you drive. A fortnightly schedule is the easiest kind to get wrong, and Bridgetown is a long way from most places in Western Australia. Set out early: a 7am opening in a river valley means a cold start in winter and the best of the produce gone by mid-morning. Bring cash, since a self-managed market with car boot sellers is not a place to rely on card readers. The park is beside the caravan park, so if you are staying in town the market is a walk rather than a drive, and the rest of Bridgetown's main street is open for the trip back up the hill.
Frequently Asked Questions
- When are the Bridgetown River Park Markets on?
- Fortnightly on a Sunday morning, 7am to midday, at Blackwood River Park on Hampton Street. Because the market runs every second Sunday rather than on a set weekend of the month, check the current date list before travelling.
- What is sold there?
- Fresh fruit and vegetables, locally made produce, arts and crafts, clothing, jewellery and collectibles, plus car boot sale stalls.
- Where exactly is the market?
- Blackwood River Park on Hampton Street, which is the South Western Highway through town, near the corner of Smith Street and beside the caravan park.