Farmers’ markets and farm gates

Fresh is best

Visiting a local farmers’ market has become the cornerstone of a foodie weekend in Victoria’s Heartland and is a far more interactive and enjoyable way to purchase weekly provisions than heading to the supermarket. Have a coffee, wander among the stalls, talk to the growers and sample regional specialties before you buy.

Visit Macedon Ranges Farmers Market Chloe Smith Photography 0014 e1696915567991

Visit Victoria 5 uai 1920x960 Gisborne Market

Survey the stalls

The farmers’ markets in the area connect communities and give visitors a chance to shop as a local. If you’re looking for authentic, handmade and regional, there is a market option for you.

Do a Google search when you’re in the area to see which markets are open. If you want to organise a few days away around a shopping trip, these are some of the larger farmers’ markets in the region. Bring your reusable shopping bags and esky, and prepare to stock up.

The Daylesford Sunday Market takes place weekly, from 8am with stallholders packing up at around 1pm. It’s at the old Daylesford Railway Station (the heritage railway runs to Bullarto and Musk while the market is on), with stalls selling produce, bread and other food products all grown or made within a 50-kilometre radius.

In 2025, Woodend Farmers’ Market was named one of the top three in the world. Held on the first Saturday of the month, it has 90 regular and seasonal stallholders and is a hub of local produce, artisanal goods and environmental initiatives. Nearby, Kyneton, Lancefield and Gisborne all host popular monthly farmers’ markets.

Castlemaine has two farmers’ markets: one held every Wednesday afternoon offering a good selection of basics, from fruit and veg to eggs and cheese, and a larger one on the first Sunday of the month with about 50 stalls, food trucks and coffee carts.

On the third Sunday of the month, Talbot Farmers’ Market takes over the town’s historical precinct, with stallholders selling fresh produce and gourmet delights.

Local Markets

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From the farm

As you’re driving through the region, look for stalls by the roadside selling freshly picked produce. Sometimes they’re tiny, marked by a hand-drawn sign and an honesty box. Stop the car, pick up what you’re after and drop your payment into the box.

Depending on the time of year, you’ll find punnets of juicy cherries or foraged mushrooms, bags of chestnuts or apples, bunches of flowers and cartons of eggs.

Some of the more popular farm gates include the one at Mountain View Garlic Farm, at the foot of Mount Macedon, Villa Pileggi Olive Oil Farm Gate at Gisborne, and the larger Little Red Apple in Harcourt, which is open every day.

Grab a bunch of blooms at Woodend Flower Farm or Spring Hill Peony Farm, outside Kyneton. Cut peonies are weather dependent and only available for about three weeks in November.

The real beauty of farm gates is their unpredictability. After all, they depend on farmers having excess vegetables and other produce – sometimes there’s a lot on offer, other times there’s nothing. Want to increase your chances of finding farm-gate bounty? Visit the region during spring and early summer.