Perth Upmarket
A quarterly design market inside the University of Western Australia's Winthrop Hall, where every stallholder has to have designed or made the thing they are selling.
About this market
Perth Upmarket started in 2008 as a response to a gap: a Perth maker looking for a regular, properly run market to sell their own designs could not find one. It opened at Perth Town Hall, outgrew it within two years, and in 2010 moved to Winthrop Hall at the University of Western Australia, where it has stayed. Today it fills Winthrop Hall, Hackett Hall and the surrounding grounds four times a year with more than 180 small businesses.
Curated, not open to all comers
The rule that shapes everything else is that products must be designed or made in Western Australia. That single condition turns a large market into a coherent one. Instead of the imported-goods layer that creeps into most big markets, the halls are filled with clothing, jewellery, artwork, homewares, ceramics and gourmet food from people who can tell you how the thing in your hand was made. Stallholders apply market by market and are selected rather than simply booked in, which is why the lineup shifts between quarters.
Market at a glance
Winthrop Hall is doing a lot of work here. UWA's most recognisable building gives the market an interior with height, light and a sense of occasion that a marquee cannot manufacture, and the partnership with the university has run since the 2010 move. The organisation has since extended the format into Wedding Upmarket and Art Upmarket, plus pop-up shops around the state, and it supports its retailers year round rather than only on market days. Erin Madeley has been owner and director since 2021.
Perth Upmarket ran out of room at Perth Town Hall after barely two years and moved to Winthrop Hall in 2010 purely because it had grown too big for its original home.
Good to know before you go
Check the dates first. This is a quarterly market, not a monthly one, and the difference between turning up on the right Sunday and the wrong one is a wasted trip to Crawley. Doors open at 10am, with the mailing-list VIP hour from 9am, and the market runs to 4pm. The campus sits on Stirling Highway with frequent buses along it, which is worth considering given how many people a 180-stall market pulls onto one university site in a single afternoon. Bring a card as well as cash, and expect to want a bag bigger than the one you brought.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How often does Perth Upmarket run?
- Quarterly, on selected Sundays from 10am to 4pm at Winthrop Hall and Hackett Hall at the University of Western Australia. Check the operator's calendar before you drive out, since it is only a handful of dates a year.
- Can anyone book a stall?
- No. The market is curated, and products have to be designed or made in Western Australia. That rule is the whole point of the format.
- Is there a way to get in before the crowd?
- Yes. A VIP hour runs from 9am to 10am for people on the market's mailing list, an hour ahead of general entry.