Oakleigh’s Sunday market started more than 25 years ago as a humble market but has evolved into a thriving and well-loved local event that brings the community together every week.
Described as a trash and treasure market, visitors can find a range of preloved goods, vintage items, books, records, gardening equipment and tools. There is also a variety of produce available too, including fruit, vegetables and fresh flowers.
Run by the Oakleigh Rotary club, the market began in 1987 on a small scale with only 20 – 30 stalls.
By 1994-95 the market had grown in popularity, among both patrons and traders, and a vendor ticketing system was introduced to better manage the stalls.
Market chairman Peter Norman said about 160 stalls now operate in the peak months, with 140 stalls regularly operating throughout the year.
Mr Norman said the market has become an important part of Oakleigh’s fabric.
“It’s very much become a community meeting place on a Sunday morning. People look forward to their Sunday mornings to come down to the market, have a coffee and a chat,” he said.
“The stall holders love it; they love the ambience of the market.”
Mr Norman has seen the market evolve over the years and said, in its early days, many Oakleigh traders opposed the market because they felt it was poaching business.
“But now they embrace it,” Mr Norman said.
“The traders have seen that the market brings people to the area and they then patronise local shops, cafes and services.”
The Oakleigh Rotary Sunday Market has a really unique range of things for sale. | Image credit: Save Oakleigh Rotary Sunday Market
One of the most incredible aspects of the Oakleigh Rotary Sunday Market is that it raises about $70,000 per year which is used to fund local, national and international projects, Mr Norman said.
“Over the past 20 to 25 years we have put about $1 million back into the community,” he said.
Projects that have been supported include a bushfire relief appeal, funding for schools, elderly citizens groups and the Polio Plus program, an international initiative which has helped reduce polio cases by 99 per cent worldwide since it began in 1979.
“It’s a wonderful thing that we are able to help others through the work we do. That’s what Rotary is all about,” Mr Norman said.
Information about the Oakleigh Rotary Sunday Market:
- The market runs every Sunday (except Christmas Day) from 8am – 1pm
- The market is located at the Hanover St carpark on the corner of Hanover St and Atherton Rd, Oakleigh
- Closest train station: Oakleigh (Cranbourne, Dandenong and Pakenham lines)
The Sunday Rotary Trash & Treasure Market
When: Every Sunday
Time: 8am – 1pm
Where: Cnr Atherton Road and Hanover Street Oakleigh
