Unfortunately the Abbotsford Farmer Market is now closed – as of 24 December 2022. Please see the Melbourne Farmers Markets official announcement here.
You can still buy our lovely fresh produce including Farm-laid eggs at the Farm gate.
Melbourne Farmers Markets, Collingwood Children’s Farm and Abbotsford Convent are delighted to announce that the three social enterprises are establishing a weekly farmers market in the St Heliers Street precinct. This weekly format replaces the former market which operated twice per month.
This year also marks twenty years since starting Melbourne’s first farmers market at the Collingwood Children’s Farm in Abbotsford. Since then Melbourne Farmers Markets have successfully operated hundreds of market days, supported thousands of Victorian farmers and small-scale food producers, channelled millions of dollars into the local food economy and survived a pandemic.
Founder of Melbourne Farmers Market Miranda Sharp says, “It’s been a challenging 2 years for our organisations. Accredited farmers markets were deemed essential services and could stay open, however both the Children’s Farm and Abbotsford Convent had to close. Everyone got behind the small but mighty market on the street, and we’re all so thankful to have been permitted to operate at all – as are our local farmers.”
“We know how much it’s meant to the community to be able to shop for fresh food and produce in the open air with COVID safe confidence. We’re delighted to now be able to offer the community the experience of connecting with local producers every week.”
There’s always something happening at the Farm and the Convent, including great coffee, and now the market will start the weekend right, every week.
You can expect to see many of the producers who were there on day 1 and through the first decades of the market, plus a heap of new businesses who have joined in the local food revolution more recently.
Seasonal fruit and vegetables, free range eggs and meats, milk & dairy, nuts, honey, olives & oils, jams & chutneys, wine and flowers. And that’s just the beginning, again.
Fun fact: NYC has a population of 8.5million and has 50 farmers markets, mostly running two or three times a week. Melbourne’s 5 million has only around 20 farmers markets of which only 4 are weekly. Until now!
