Farmers Markets are my favourite way to spend a Saturday morning. Wake up, throw on some clothes,…read moregrab a coffee and a pastry to be consumed in the car, and head off to the farmers market. Perfection. It certainly helped to have some beautiful winter sunshine on our backs as we gingerly stepped our way through the muddy grounds of the farmers market this weekend. It's a perfect venue - a little country oasis in the middle of the bustling city. It makes me so happy. The air is clean, there are hens and dogs wandering around everywhere, and there are usually some happy-looking goats and ponies to pet on your way to the food. The food is usually great quality, and usually good value as well. But honestly, I'm willing to pay a little more when I know where the food has come from, and am able to meet the people that grew it. I can't recommend this highly enough. Check it out!

Collingwood Children's Farm is a great place for young children to visit. Children can get up close…read moreto a number of different farm animals including a variety of hens, pigs, goat and horses. Pleasant places to walk along winding pathways leading to secret nooks and crannies. Interesting walking in the fruit and flower gardens and it is necessary to observe the no pick sign for fruit and flowers. The community garden is of great interest with its neatly laid out vegetable plots. We lunched at the cafe but unfortunately missed seeing the sign for a barbecue that day. Each day there is a timetable of events but be warned to be early as there are always crowds of children and adults wanting to do the same thing as you.

Great local farmer's market. Always grab some beautiful fresh mussels, Dr Marty's crumpets,…read moreveggies... and whatever else looks good on the day! Gold coin donation on entry. Most stalls are cash only, but ATM facilities are available. Held 3rd & 5th Saturdays each month.

Located within the La Trobe Uni car park, Kingsbury market has become very popular, especially on a…read moregreat weather day like today. It's held every Sunday and thankfully there is plenty of parking available. There are lots of people and lots of dogs with their people. This seems to be the norm. You'll find a variety of stalls including flowers, plants, gardening tools, clothing, handcrafted children's clothing, fruit & veg (including organic), honey, pre-loved toys & books, DVDs, shoes, jewellery, soy candles, crockery and lots of food stalls such as Dutch pancakes, pasta, paella, popcorn, mussels, nuts & dips & cheese, bread, gourmet pies etc. One of the most popular good stalls is Gozleme, there is always a queue of people (& their dogs) waiting to buy the delicious cheese & spinach or lamb filled pastries.

This is a great little market which is the first and third Sunday of every month…read more Unfortunately they don't seem to have many regular stallholders, so don't have your mind set on a particular stall.. Some Sunday's there are only a small handful of stalls... It seems to be weather dependent. Those who seem to be regular are the great organic vege stall, I think they're called Spring Creek organics, they have a great selection of seasonal produce, the organic chocolate stall and there are usually 2 bakery stalls, both selling yummy artisan breads. There is a fabulous homemade dip stall, but on the first Sunday of the month, you can also buy the most amazing falafel pita pocket. Make sure you save space for this! Today there was also a homemade crumpet stall, free range eggs, a tomato stall and an apple stall that also sold Apple juice. There was a seafood stall, a pistachio stall and also a representative from the Hobson's Bay council giving information about capital spending and asking for residents advice.. This was all happening outside in the substation carpark while inside the substation a craft market was set up, but only on the first Sunday of the month...

One of only two accredited farmer's markets in the western suburbs (the other is in Flemington),…read morethe Newport Farmer's market at Substation is on every first and third Sunday of the month. It's a small market but has some fantastic purveyors, like the dude with the forearm sized leeks (three biggies for five dollars!), purple carrots, and golden beetroot. Other highlights include some wonderful French style cheese, pickles, Shepherd avocados, and organic breads and ciders. La Tortilleria is here every third Sunday selling freshly made tortillas, nachos, and authentic tamales. We like to come to the Substation with the dog, grab some veggies, and a takeaway coffee, and then head over to the Newport/Williamstown foreshore for a picnic and a long walk.

Love this market. The variety of food for the family is excellent. Always fill our bags up with…read morefresh produce and a treat for our Sunday.

this market is on every second sunday of the month. there's lots of organic produce, grass fed beef…read moreand free range eggs. there's homemade pastries, pasta, soups and sausages. the local rotary club makes egg & bacon sandwiches. there is a lady that makes the most amazing meat pies, they're family size and about $15, made from scratch and so so tasty. i drag my husband around, buying him sweet treats and coffee so he won't complain too much about being away at 9am on a sunday. this is definitely one of the better farmers markets in the area.

With so many second hand markets around these days, it's really a hit and miss as to whether you…read morewill luck upon scoring a good find for a decent price. Fitzroy market is a small market at the Fitzroy Primary School that has a well edited selection of clothes, books, shoes, bits and bobs. There is definitely an element of 'Fitzroy cool' at the market, with a younger range of sellers. Note, when I say younger, I'm talking 20-30s (which is the age bracket I fall in). This is one of my favorite markets around at the moment.

Great little local market held in the grounds of Fitzroy Primary School on the third Saturday of…read moreevery month in 2012 (it's previously been the first Saturday of the month). Mostly secondhand clothes, records, toys and bric-a-brac - almost always at very reasonable prices. Not many food and drink options: a sausage sizzle and a very good coffee stall, but there's plenty of other cafes and bakeries nearby on Smith or Brunswick Streets if that doesn't take your fancy. Entry by gold coin donation.

This market has a good range of produce (some organic), ready to eat treats and even a craft…read moresection down the back. The stall holders vary from week to week so best check the website for who is scheduled to be there. Plenty of food options for breakfast or lunch too, although the coffee is a bit hit and miss. The market is in the grounds of the Body Shop headquarters, and there is plenty of parking available onsite.

From the owner: You'll pay less because you buy direct from the producers.read more

Bushy Park Wholesale is one place you won't be overcharged. The fruit and vegetables stocked here…read moreare either grown in the fields that surround the shop or driven in daily from the farmers markets in the city. The prices are always cheaper than the supermarket chains and there are plenty of bargains to be had. Last time I went I got three mangoes for just $5! I was pretty chuffed with that find too! I wouldn't bother going on a Sunday as it is more likely to give you a headache than a satisfied feeling. It seems everyone wants to shop there that day and the crowds are ridiculous. Sometimes the cars pile up all the way down the long granite drive and out onto high street road. That is simply too much craziness for me. They don't generally advertise their sales but wednesdays are the best day to go to pick up a great bargain. They often have vouchers in local papers letting people know but if you don't live in the area you will often miss out. So if you can get there on a wednesday - do it. The staff are friendly and nice and there are around eleven registers so it is pretty big. The queue can be intimidatingly long at times but with all the registers working it moves pretty quickly.

My friend and I have been eagerly awaiting the opening of the Bushy Park Cafe for about 6 months…read morenow. Every week we would do our shop here and and walk past the building, peer inside and see the elegant decor and the stunning view and imagine what a classy breakfast eatery it would become. Perhaps we hyped it up a little too much but imagine our excitement when it was announced on Facebook that it was finally opening it's doors! We went along Sunday morning, excitedly getting there early in case it was super busy, looking forward to a big fat indulgent muffin or some avocado smash. The menu was fairly disappointing. Perhaps they had a different vision for their cafe than what we did, but it's more sporting club kiosk meets chinese takeaway than brunch. Fluorescently lit photos with numbers made the backdrop of the front counter. We ordered some traditional big breakfast style dishes, eggs with bacon and sausage I believe was the official name. They were incredibly cheap ($10) and really delicious, so it wasn't a total disappointment. The coffees were also very good. The venue is lovely, and has a spectacular view, it's just not what we were expecting. I think they would benefit by adding a pastry case to cater to the coffee and cake crowd, and maybe consider putting out paper menus, and ditching the photos, as it just makes the place look tacky and gross, which is a shame as it has so much potential to be a highly popular brunch spot.

One of my favorite craft and produce markets in Melbourne - this one runs along the picturesque…read moreWarrandyte river bank (Warrandyte Pub end of town). Lots of lovely craft stalls - jewellery, cards, hats, slippers; fresh produce stalls, veggies, meat and cakes, native and non native plant stalls, cut flowers; entertainment and a pseudo food court... Oh and how could I forget the two favorites... French crepes... And the best vanilla slices I have ever tasted. In addition - dogs welcome, lots of wet dog fun frolicking down the river banks! Well work a trip to Warrandyte - market day is first Saturday of the month. Parking after 0930 can be a challenge.