Whether your goal is catching up with friends, cost-effective food shopping or an outing with your family, the Saturday Fresh Market is the perfect destination.
Your weekly shopping sorted
Every weekend, Lara and Brad travel an hour from Narangba to the Saturday Fresh Market in Rocklea with their children, Elizabeth, Walter and Annabell.
“With three children, we find it more cost effective to travel to Rocklea for the Saturday Fresh Market, even with the price of fuel at the moment,” Lara and Brad said.
The family especially love purchasing popcorn, bananas and mangoes, and a trip to the Saturday Fresh Market is not complete until the kids collect stamps from the stallholders and visit the fairy statue stall.
“The new venue is a lot more weather friendly and a lot bigger – it’s a great improvement,” they said.
Russell and Colin from Corinda make a trip to the Saturday Fresh Market as part of their regular weekend ritual.
“We come every week and always park in the same place. We buy plants first, then fruit and vegetables, then we do the lap around. Usually, we are in and out within half an hour,” they said.
Russell has attended the retail markets at Brisbane Markets for over 20 years and remembers when the markets were originally located in the current venue.
“We love it here in the new venue. It’s a lot more convenient when it rains, and we really like the new layout – it’s so easy to find everything and make your way around,” he said.
Alicia travels from Ipswich regularly and always makes sure to grab a coffee first.
“It’s my reward for dragging myself out of bed to be here early. Then I grab my fresh fruit and vegetables before having a sneak peek at the plants on the way out,” she said.
Family outing with a difference
For Sheriden and Elli from Annerley, the Saturday Fresh Market is a great opportunity to catch up with friends and family, especially Elli’s grandfather John who travels from Sunnybank Hills.
“We meet here every Saturday at 6am on the dot. We do coffee and breakfast first and we always have the best table with lots of people coming to visit,” they said.
“Then, we walk around doing our weekly shopping, having a good chat along the way. We love all the stalls and it is impossible to choose a favourite – although John loves the cheese triangles from The Greek Cuzina.”
For over ten years, Nee and Manee have been attending the Saturday Fresh Market and love the variety on offer.
“We are early birds, so we always arrive at 6am for a hot cup of coffee and shopping,” they said.
“It’s a unique experience, and it is great to see people and lots of smiling faces. It’s a wonderful family outing and, most importantly, we get to support small local businesses.”
Michelle and her son Blake travel from Marsden every week to purchase their weekly food shopping.
“We always buy Blake a treat to start our market outing, usually a doughnut or a cinnamon bun,” she said.
“Then he tells me what fruit he wants to eat and we buy our food shopping for the week before meeting my parents for breakfast.”
Shopping tips from the pros
Lara and Brad from Narangba know the struggles of shopping with three kids in tow, so recommend making your market trip easier with the right equipment.
“We highly recommend buying a trolley, it’s the best investment we ever made,” they said.
Russell and Colin from Corinda agree, saying you’ll never know what will catch your eye.
“Go forth and explore! Find your new favourite stalls, bring lots of bags and invest in a good trolley,” they said.
Michelle from Marsden recommends making a list and checking it twice.
“Make a shopping list and stick to it, because everything looks so good and fresh at the Saturday Fresh Market, it is easy to get distracted,” she said.
According to Sheriden, Elli and John, the Saturday Fresh Market is “a fun way to have a great catch up with family and friends”.
“Our tip is to get in early, have fun and bring your family and friends – there’s always good food at the Saturday Fresh Market,” they said.
Alicia from Ipswich recommends shopping around to score the best deals.
“My tip is don’t always pick the first fruit and vegetable stall. Check out a few, and compare the variety, quality and prices before choosing your favourite,” she said.
“Also, don’t be afraid to come later in the day, the price gets cheaper near closing time so you can grab good bargains if you can’t drag yourself out of bed early.”
