10 of the most bountiful Bendigo markets

Stock up on the freshest of ingredients and one-of-a-kind statements at the most charming markets in Bendigo.

For a place that gives small-town energy, Bendigo bursts with things to do, including top-notch market days. Enveloped in a wave of tight-knit communities, the Victorian hot spot lures emerging creatives who seek refuge from the hustle and bustle of Melbourne, just 90 minutes’ drive north. Spanning artisanal pantry delights and farm-fresh seasonal produce, to beautifully handcrafted homewares and rare vintage collectables, the markets in Bendigo and its surrounds provide fascinating exploration for visitors of all ages. We’ve rounded up our favourite markets in Bendigo, below.

1. Bendigo Community Farmers Market, Bendigo

fresh apples in a plastic crate box, Bendigo Community Farmers Market — Find crates of seasonal fruits at Bendigo Community Farmers Market. (Image: Getty/krblokhin)

Where: Bendigo Foodshare, 227 Breen St, Golden Square

When: 2nd Saturday of every month from 9am to 12.30pm

Stock up on some of the freshest produce in Central Victoria at the Bendigo Community Farmers Market. Guaranteeing a minimum of 75 per cent of all stalls selling to you by growers themselves, this treasure trove of natural bounty is a sensory delight. Whether you’re on the hunt for fruit, vegetables, melt-in-your-mouth cheeses, olives, honey, craft beer from local stalwarts, silky smooth vino from the best Bendigo wineries or sauces and relishes, this is the place to unearth true deliciousness. Additionally, there’s hot food from regulars like Aranchini4All and Market Fresh Gözleme, plus the odd sweet treat from MQ Gelato Van and other speciality retailers.

2. Bendigo Showgrounds Market, North Bendigo

market stalls at Bendigo Showgrounds Market, North Bendigo — Explore the range of homewares for sale at Bendigo Showgrounds Market. (Image: Supplied)

Where: Prince of Wales Showground, Holmes Rd, North Bendigo

When: Every Sunday from 8.30am to 2pm

Love a good crawl through vintage and bric-a-brac collectables? The weekly Bendigo Showgrounds Market is a must-experience for pre-loved goodies spanning clothing, tools, homewares, toys, furniture, plants and even cosmetics. Throw in a scattering of new offerings, including homemade candles and soaps, plus food products and hot food vendors, and the atmosphere alone is enough to light up your weekend. It’s one of country Victoria’s largest weekly markets so expect crowds from far and wide eagerly clogging up the aisles alongside you.

3. Moonlight Market Bendigo, Bendigo

crowded market stalls at Moonlight Market Bendigo — Moonlight Market Bendigo buzzes with a collection of sensational stalls. (Image: Supplied)

Where: Hargreaves Mall, Bendigo

When: Select Saturdays throughout the year from 3pm to 8pm, so check the website for specific dates

Soak up the twilight vibrance of a night market flowing with hot food and street performances at the Moonlight Market Bendigo. Ramped up during the summer months (there’s often a few dates in November as Christmas looms) while remaining a steady fixture during winter, this Bendigo market buzzes with live music and art installations, food trucks and a collection of sensational stalls. Think arts and crafts, vintage homewares, condiments, jewellery, fashion and more. The market’s annual Easter and Christmas events are so popular that they’re staged during the day, so get there for a great selection of gifts no matter when you’re visiting town.

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4. Kangaroo Flat Handmade Market, Kangaroo Flat

Where: 113 MacKenzie St West, Golden Square

When: 1st Saturday of every month from 9am to 2pm

Setting up shop in an all-new location during February 2025, the Kangaroo Flat Handmade Market strives to shine a light on the free flowing creativity coming out of this corner of the world. Whether they’re home cooks, budding fashion, homewares and jewellery designers or simply savvy entrepreneurs, this is the spot to sell the region’s cleverest wares and get brands out there. Shoppers are treated to an eclectic mix of it all, with no market day precisely mirroring another, making for a truly authentic portal into this supportive locale and, of course, one-of-a-kind retail therapy.

5. Castlemaine Farmers Market, Castlemaine

plants for sale at Castlemaine Farmers Market — Expect to see an abundance of plants and seasonal produce at Castlemaine Farmers Market. (Image: Sorell Wilson)

Where: Along Forest St, Castlemaine, but either at the Camp Reserve or Western Reserve depending on what day you visit

When: Either each Wednesday from 2.30pm to 5.30pm or the 1st Sunday of every month except January from 9am to 1pm

An untapped mecca of peak seasonal produce, cosmetics, fashion and seriously delicious homemade cooking, the Castlemaine Farmers Market is about 40 minutes’ drive from Bendigo and worth every bit of effort. Thankfully, it’s staged weekly in addition to monthly, so there’s more opportunity to visit when you’re in town, because you’ll want to sample these high-quality goods. Giant paella pans dishing up authentic Spanish flavours? It’s there. Local cheeses and cured meats to rival fancy upmarket restaurant charcuterie? You’ll find it. Olive oil and stone fruits are also hot picks so get there early to nail your grab-list.

6. Wesley Hill Community Market

the Wesley Hill Community Market in Bendigo — The iconic market showcases houseware and bric-a-brac stalls. (Image: Mountain Alexander Shire Council)

Where: Wesley Hill Hall, 149 Pyrenees Hwy, Castlemaine

When: Every Saturday from 9am to 1pm

Explore Victoria’s oldest continuously running market each week, just 40 minutes’ journey from Bendigo. The Wesley Hill Community Market is a must for locals in the area, showcasing central Victoria’s finest artisanal bread, seasonal produce, clever confectionery, native plants, vintage wares, pre-loved books, good coffee and more. Convenient parking off the main road (the market’s located on the highway) is found at the car park on Wallace St, less than a minute away, but you’ll need to arrive early because it fills up fast.

7. Maldon Market, Maldon

a basket filled with vegetables, Maldon Market, Bendigo — Fill your basket with fresh veggies at Maldon Market.

Where: Maldon Neighbourhood Centre, 1 Church St, Maldon

When: 2nd Sunday of every month from 9am to 1.30pm

Venture about 30 minutes from Bendigo to discover a group of locals who thrive come market day. The Maldon Market is a collective of talent who showcase their unique skills once a month on a Sunday. You’ll comb the handiwork of makers, bakers, growers and sewers as free tastings and interactive displays snake you right around the cool, leafy grounds that house the Neighbourhood Centre. Once you’re done stickybeaking the stalls, wander further towards Maldon’s historic Main St (it’s within walking distance) to check out the preserved beauty of Maldon, Australia’s first Notable Town according to the National Trust in 1966.

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8. Kangaroo Flat Market, Kangaroo Flat

Where: 10 Camp St, Kangaroo Flat

When: The last Saturday of each season from 8am to 1pm so check the website for upcoming dates

If rummaging a car boot never gets old, you’ll delight in what’s on offer at the Kangaroo Flat Market four times annually. A bustling hub of stalls and open boots, it’s trash and treasure central so you’ll be jostling thick crowds to find whatever grabs you. From handy household items to clothing, tools, books, toys, arts and crafts and shoes, digging for spoils is an adventure every time. Additionally, there’s plenty of homemade cakes and slices up for grabs, plus a sausage sizzle and live music to keep you bopping along. A fun day out, rain, hail or shine.

9. Castlemaine Artists Market, Castlemaine

bush bags for sale at Castlemaine Artists Market, Bendigo — Peruse the unique artisan items on display. (Image: Rachel Pilgrim)

Where: Western Reserve, Forest St, Castlemaine

When: 4th Saturday of every month from 10am to 2pm

A long-standing gathering of the region’s most creative of types, the Castlemaine Artists Market is guaranteed to offer something you’ve never set eyes upon. The scene is cheery and festive as music and varied performances entertain crowds wandering the grounds for arts and crafts, jewellery, screen-printed items, ceramics, leather goods, clothing, timber masterpieces and more. Food vendors also show up in spades, so it’s a great spot to sit back and bask in community spirit while indulging in some grab-and-go morning tea.

10. Inglewood Lions Country Market, Inglewood

Where: Inglewood Recreation Reserve, corner Grant St and Calder Hwy, Inglewood

When: 2nd Saturday of every month from 9am to 1pm

Less than 40 minutes in the car from Bendigo, the Inglewood Lions Country Market is a low-key occasion serving up artisanal creations and beautiful farm-fresh produce. It’s a magnet for smaller suppliers and emerging farmers, so BYO reusable bag as the temptations run rife. You’ll also find garden art, arts and crafts and hot food vendors.

Discover the best places to stay in Bendigo

Located just an hour north-west of Melbourne, the largely undiscovered Macedon Ranges quietly pours some of Australia’s finest cool-climate wines and serves up some of Victoria’s best food.

Mention the Macedon Ranges and most people will think of day spas and mineral springs around Daylesford, cosy weekends away in the countryside or the famous Hanging Rock (of enigmatic picnic fame). Or they won’t have heard of the Macedon Ranges at all.

But this cool-climate destination has been inconspicuously building a profile as a high-quality food and wine region and is beginning to draw serious attention from oenophiles and epicureans alike.

The rise of Macedon Ranges wine

liquid gold barrels at Kyneton Ridge Estate Winery — Barrels of liquid gold at Kyneton Ridge Estate Winery. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

With elevations ranging from 300 to 800 metres, Macedon Ranges vineyards are among the highest in the country. This altitude, combined with significant day/night temperature swings, makes for a slow ripening season, in turn nurturing wines that embody elegance and structure. Think crisp chardonnays, subtle yet complex pinot noirs and delicate sparkling wines, along with niche varietals, such as gamay and nebbiolo.

Despite the region’s natural advantages – which vary from estate to estate, as each site embodies unique terroir depending on its position in relation to the Great Dividing Range, soil make-up and altitude – the Macedon Ranges has remained something of an insider’s secret. Unlike Victoria’s Yarra Valley or Mornington Peninsula, you won’t find large tour buses here and there’s no mass marketing drawing crowds.

Many of the 40-odd wineries are family-run operations with modest yields, meaning the wineries maintain a personal touch (if you visit a cellar door, you’ll likely chat to the owner or winemaker themselves) and a tight sales circle that often doesn’t go far beyond said cellar door. And that’s part of the charm.

Though wines from the Macedon Ranges are just starting to gain more widespread recognition in Australia, the first vines were planted in the 1860s, with a handful of operators then setting up business in the 1970s and ’80s. The industry surged again in the 1990s and early 2000s with the entry of wineries, such as Mount Towrong, which has an Italian slant in both its wine and food offering, and Curly Flat, now one of the largest estates.

Meet the new generation of local winemakers

the Clydesdale barn at Paramoor. — The Clydesdale barn at Paramoor. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Then, within the last 15 years, a new crop of vignerons like Andrew Wood at Kyneton Ridge Estate, whose vineyard in 2024 was the first in the Macedon Ranges to be certified by Sustainable Winegrowing Australia; Geoff Plahn and Samantha Reid at Paramoor, who have an impressive cellar door with a roaring fire and studded leather couches in an old Clydesdale barn; and Ollie Rapson and Renata Morello at Lyons Will, who rapidly expanded a small vineyard to focus on top-shelf riesling, gamay, pinot noir and chardonnay, have taken ownership of local estates.

Going back to the early days, Llew Knight’s family was one of the pioneers of the 1970s, replacing sheep with vines at Granite Hills when the wool industry dwindled. Knight is proud of the fact that all their wines are made with grapes from their estate, including a light, peppery shiraz (some Macedon wineries purchase fruit from nearby warmer areas, such as Heathcote, particularly to make shiraz) and a European-style grüner veltliner. And, as many other wineries in the region do, he relies on natural acid for balance, rather than an additive, which is often required in warmer regions. “It’s all about understanding and respecting your climate to get the best out of your wines,” he says.

farm animals atKyneton Ridge Estate — Curious residents at Kyneton Ridge Estate. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Throughout the Macedon Ranges, there’s a growing focus on sustainability and natural and low-intervention wines, with producers, such as Brian Martin at Hunter Gatherer making waves in regenerative viticulture. Martin previously worked in senior roles at Australia’s largest sparkling winemaking facility, and now applies that expertise and his own nous to natural, hands‑off, wild-fermented wines, including pét‑nat, riesling and pinot noir. “Wild fermentation brings more complexity,” he says. “Instead of introducing one species of yeast, you can have thousands and they add different characteristics to the wine.”

the vineyard at Kyneton Ridge Estate Winery — The estate’s vineyard, where cool-climate grapes are grown. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Most producers also focus on nurturing their grapes in-field and prune and pick by hand, thus avoiding the introduction of impurities and the need to meddle too much in the winery. “The better the quality of the fruit, the less you have to interfere with the natural winemaking process,” says Wood.

Given the small yields, there’s also little room for error, meaning producers place immense focus on quality. “You’re never going to compete in the middle [in a small region] – you’ve got to aim for the top,” says Curly Flat owner Jeni Kolkka. “Big wineries try to do things as fast as possible, but we’re in no rush,” adds Troy Walsh, owner and winemaker at Attwoods. “We don’t use commercial yeasts; everything is hand-harvested and everything is bottled here, so we bottle only when we’re ready, not when a big truck arrives.” That’s why, when you do see a Macedon Ranges product on a restaurant wine list, it’s usually towards the pointy end.

Come for the wine, stay for the food

pouring sauce onto a dish at Lake HouseDaylesford — Dining at Lake House Daylesford is a treat. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

If wine is the quiet achiever of the Macedon Ranges, then food is its not-so-secret weapon. In fact, the area has more hatted restaurants than any other region in Victoria. A pioneer of the area’s gourmet food movement is region cheerleader Alla Wolf-Tasker, culinary icon and founder of Daylesford’s Lake House.

For more than three decades, Wolf-Tasker has championed local producers and helped define what regional fine dining can look like in Australia. Her influence is palpable, not just in the two-hatted Lake House kitchen, but in the broader ethos of the region’s dining scene, as a wave of high-quality restaurants have followed her lead to become true destination diners.

the Midnight Starling restaurant in Kyneton Ridge Estate Winery — The hatted Midnight Starling restaurant is located in Kyneton. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

It’s easy to eat well, whether at other hatted restaurants, such as Midnight Starling in the quaint town of Kyneton, or at the wineries themselves, like Le Bouchon at Attwoods, where Walsh is inspired by his time working in France in both his food offering and winemaking.

The beauty of dining and wine touring in the Macedon Ranges is that it feels intimate and unhurried. You’re likely to meet the winemaker, hear about the trials of the latest vintage firsthand, and taste wines that never make it to city shelves. And that’s worth getting out of the city for – even if it is just an hour down the road.

Delicate dishes on the menu at Midnight Starling. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

A traveller’s checklist

Staying there

the accommodation at Cleveland Estate, Macedon Ranges — Stay at the Cleveland Estate. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Soak up vineyard views from Cleveland Estate near Lancefield, embrace retro charm at Kyneton Springs Motel or indulge in lakeside luxury at the Lake House.

Eating there

Enjoy a four-course menu at the one-hatted Surly Goat in Hepburn Springs, Japanese-inspired fare at Kuzu in Woodend or unpretentious fine dining at Mount Monument, which also has a sculpture park.

Drinking there

wine tasting at PassingClouds Winery, Macedon Ranges — A tasting at Passing Clouds Winery. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Settle in for a tasting at Boomtown in Castlemaine, sample local drops at the cosy Woodend Cellar & Bar or wine-hop around the many cellar doors, such as Passing Clouds.

the Boomtown Winery and Cellar Bar signage — Boomtown Winery and Cellar Bar. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Playing there

a scenic river in Castlemaine — Idyllic scenes at Castlemaine. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Wander through the seasonal splendour of Forest Glade Gardens, hike to the summit of Hanging Rock, or stroll around the tranquil Sanatorium Lake.

purple flowers hanging from a tree — Purple flowers hanging from a tree. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)