Eltham Farmers’ Market
Read the list of stallholders expected this coming Sunday, 15th December.
Stallholder attendance varies for many reasons so please check the list to see if your favourite stallholders will be at the market.
The live entertainment will be provided by Freya and Tom McGowan, a daughter and father duo from Ballarat who sing songs with a folk or country aspect.
We are open every Sunday
Market location – 10-18 Arthur Street. To stay informed, sign up to our Market Bulletin.
Hours
Our normal operating hours are 8am to 12.30pm every Sunday morning.
Dogs
We regret any inconvenience but dogs are not permitted (trained assistance dogs are welcome).
Contact
Please address enquiries (including stallholder enquiries) to Chris Chapple by phone (0407 431 366) or elthamFM@gmail.com
Overview
Eltham Farmers’ Market is held every Sunday, from 8.00am to 12.30pm. Market location. The market offers a range of stalls all selling locally grown (Vic) or made food, from veggies and fruit to condiments and sweet treats.
All the stallholders are from within Victoria, with many from North-East Melbourne (around 15 from Nillumbik and a further 15 from the surrounding municipalities). This is a higher number of truly local stallholders than at other farmers’ markets in Melbourne. All stallholders are selling their own produce (i.e. no re-sellers).
On the 4th Sunday of each month, there is a Food Swap from 9.30am to 10.30am. On many Sundays, there is also a community stall where you can meet local groups involved in local food or sustainability issues. The market is located on the car park at Eltham Town Mall, which is in the centre of Eltham at 10-18 Arthur Street. Entry is free.
Eltham Farmers’ Market aims to be a single-use, plastic bag free market. Please bring your own bags. In addition, as a substitute for plastic bags, market visitors are offered two sustainable alternatives:
- A re-usable jute bag. Eltham Farmers’ Market branded jute bags are available at the information marquee for $5 each.
- A ‘boomerang bag’. Boomerang bags are bags contributed by the public. They are available at the information marquee for visitors to borrow at no cost and returned back to the market at a future visit. Hence the word boomerang, as the bags (hopefully) keep coming back.
The market offsets estimated CO2 emissions generated by our stallholders travelling to and from the market by partnering with Greenfleet to plant an equivalent amount of biodiverse native trees to offset the calculated CO2 emissions. The aim is to reduce the net food miles (after offsets) of the food you purchase at the market towards zero. Read more.
The market has been accredited by the Victorian Farmers’ Market Association (VFMA). Eltham Farmers’ Market is a Local Food Connect initiative. Please address any questions on the market, including stallholder enquiries, to Chris Chapple by phone (0407 431 366) or email (elthamFM@gmail.com).
Location and Directions – Eltham Town Mall, 10-18 Arthur Street
By public transport
There is a regular train service from Melbourne to Eltham via the Hurstbridge line. For train times go to Metro Trains. The market is a 5 minute walk from the station and bus terminus, which are on the west side of Main Road.
By car
Drive to the centre of Eltham on Main Road and then turn into Dudley Street or Arthur Street. There is plenty of parking available nearby, in both Circulatory Road, which runs along the Eastern (uphill) side of the town centre, as well as in Dudley and Arthur Streets.
Accessibility
We aim to provide an experience that is accessible to all our community. The level bitumen surface of the site is an advantage for anyone with mobility issues and public seating is available. Access by car is good: the site is surrounded by car parks, including disabled parks, some of which are at the same level as the market.
There are 16 disabled parking bays in the immediate vicinity:
- 12 at Safeway/Woolworths (enter via Arthur Street).
- 2 in Dudley Street.
- 2 in the Circulatory Road car park.
My first time today and I’m not regretting it. Superb selection of stalls. I’ll be back.
Tthank you for such a great market and a great market website!
The live music is always such a pleasure – the best anywhere. I could come just for the music – big thanks to whoever organises this!
Thank you for always listing the stallholders and having them sorted by category, and whether they’re organic, similar or not, etc, and for providing so much useful information about each one. This amount of detail and organisation is so useful!
And great stalls!
And thank you, Joanna, for such a great comment!
Are there any vendors that sell organic / natural apple or pear juice?
Hi Blare,
No, not currently.
We used to love taking our dogs. Is the plan that dogs will be allowed once COVID restrictions are over?
Hi Emily, While COVID prompted the decision to not allow dogs, some other incidents involving some dogs led us to make this decision permanent. We very much regret the disappointment this causes some dog owners.
Just having one incidence is not enough to allow yourself create no dog rules. This is an absolute dictatorship and you’re ruining the sense of community with these extreme, unneccessary rules. I was a regular visitor but now personally won’t visit the market again.
Our decision was not about one incident, rather incidents that happened every week and regular complaints from patrons such as the following:
“Good afternoon. I am a huge fan of your market and have been coming for some years now. More recently, I have been finding the number of dogs at the market quite unpleasant. I am a dog owner myself but I think for a food market that is getting more popular, dogs are making what is quite a small space uncomfortable. Many of the dogs are not well mannered and bark and lunge at one another. Many dog owners allow their dogs to dart all over the place at the end of their leash causing a tripping hazard to other market goers. And today I watched a large dog lift its leg and pee on a bag of oranges for sale. Pretty disgusting! The dog was large and not well controlled and the owner wasn’t even aware that the dog had done it.”
This market is about the community and supporting small businesses, not bringing your dog to a car park. I also find it ironic that you’re calling a small farmers’ market a ‘dictatorship’, whilst calling their rules extreme.
Hi there,
Just wondering if dogs will be allowed back anytime soon?
Hi Kelsey, While COVID prompted the decision to not allow dogs, some other incidents involving some dogs led us to make this decision permanent. We very much regret the disappointment this causes some dog owners.
I applaud the decision of the Eltham Market to not allow dogs. Dogs have often been around the food and I have seen on occasion them getting aggressive with other dogs. My partner has a fear of some dogs having been bitten many years back. The market is to be enjoyed. Hygiene is all important for me as well. This is the right decision. There are places for dogs to walk in the Eltham area and Eltham has a number of parks for them to be walked.
Thank you Chris Chapple this is correct decision.
Hi
I wanted to say thank you to the organisers and stall holders at the market today 29/03/2020.
Managing the social distancing requirements in this challenging environment was really efficient and also very gentle, well done everyone.
Warmest regards.
Thank you for your feedback, Bronwyn.
Hi
I believe the ricotta gnocchi is so light and fluffy. Can I buy it from anywhere locally?
Hi Jenny,
We have three different stalls that sometimes sell gnocchi and I don’t know which one you are referring to. Follow these links to see where they sell locally: Alberto’s Delicacies, Italian Chef and The Natural Pasta House.
Ricotta gnocchi are Italian Chef … yes, we can even deliver to you … just call the shop at 0468 948521 and we can organise something for you … thank you.
I bought some extraordinary mushrooms last Sunday from a man who was only selling mushrooms. I went today but he wasn’t there. Can you tell me when he’ll be at the market next? And can you give me some contact details because I’m eager to get some more and I’m prepared to travel for them?
Hi Rita,
The stall you are referring to is Melbourne Gourmet Mushrooms. As you can see from our stallholder schedule, their standard schedule is the 2nd and 4th Sundays of each month.
Are there buskers?
Hi Melanie,
No, we don’t have buskers. But we do have live music by local musicians at every market. Contact us by phone (0416 203067) or email if you’re interested in performing.