If you are looking for an authentic, relaxed, quality market
experience then look no further than the Marrickville Organic and Farmers
market.
Held every Sunday* (8.30am – 3pm) at the Addison Road Centre (142
Addison Road, Marrickville 2204) you could easily be forgiven for thinking you
have stumbled across a Byron Bay style folk festival in all its indie
glory!
The food stalls are the heroes of this market
with fruit and vegies, milk, cheeses, wines, breads, pastries, cakes, cupcakes,
biscuits, smoked fish, Thai food, crepes, coffee and pies all begging to be
bought and greedily devoured – preferably while basking in the dappled sunlight
at the grassy end of the markets as you are serenaded by the gentle strum of a
guitar!
The yellow Certified Organic signs on the
stalls easily identify all organic produce. Chatting to the stall operators is strongly encouraged, not
only because it’s polite, but also because you will begin to get a sense of how
much each of them truly believes in and/or has hand crafted their product for
your consumption. It is this
accessibility and authentic, rustic charm that bring people back to these
markets week after week. That and
the undeniable quality of the produce!
Some of the stalls sell seasonable produce
and may only operate in the appropriate months, giving you ample opportunities
to avoid getting stuck in a ‘gastro rut’ – only visiting the same few stalls
week after week.
There is a small offering of clothing, books,
stationery and home wares (both new and secondhand) towards the end of the
stalls. The fact that you are not
overwhelmed with ‘material’ goods for sale only adds to the beautiful nature of
these markets.
Anyone who drives in Sydney and spends the
GDP of a small country on parking will be thrilled to hear that you are able to
park for free in the surrounding streets.
For those who like to travel by public transport, the 428 bus stops
right outside the gates.
On one of my recent sojourns to the
Marrickville markets, I spied a ‘being slightly famous’ face casually browsing
the food stalls (with her PA and brother in tow, of course!), her boho-chic
ensemble enabling her to easily blend in with the diverse, colourful crowd.
Marrickville markets are where beautiful
produce, combi vans, 747s and the Subaru set happily co-exist in urban bliss.
*The Sunday morning timeslot may go a long
way to explaining the subdued ambience of these markets!
