From paddock to plate: Bendigo's best farmers markets and what to buy right now

Bendigo's farmers market scene is quietly thriving. The Bendigo Community Farmers Market, held on the third Sunday of each month at the Bendigo Showgrounds on Holmes Road, drew more than 800 visitors to its June gathering, a record for a winter session, according to stallholder figures shared with The Daily Bendigo. Organisers attribute the surge partly to growing interest in eating locally and seasonally, and partly to the simple economics of food inflation hitting supermarket shelves harder than farm gates.

The timing matters. July sits squarely in the heart of the Victorian cool-season window, when brassicas, root vegetables and citrus flood regional markets at prices that undercut major retailers by 20 to 40 percent. A bunch of locally grown silverbeet was fetching $2.50 at last month's Bendigo Showgrounds market, compared with $4.50 at a Pall Mall supermarket the same weekend. For families already contending with elevated mortgage stress and rental costs, that gap adds up fast across a weekly shop.

What's in season and where to find it

July is the month for greens, roots and alliums across central Victoria. Kale, cavolo nero, Brussels sprouts, parsnips, swedes, celeriac, leeks and fennel are all at their best right now, sweetened by frost and harvested at full maturity rather than picked early for transport. Several growers from the Loddon and Campaspe regions bring certified organic lines to the Bendigo Showgrounds market, with bulb fennel and Dutch cream potatoes among the most reliable winter performers. Citrus from irrigated properties near Echuca, Navels, Lisbons and mandarins, typically arrives at regional markets from late June and runs through August.

The Castlemaine Farmers Market, held on the second Sunday of each month on Mostyn Street in Castlemaine, is less than 40 minutes from Bendigo's CBD and worth the drive for the breadth of its offering. It consistently carries produce from smaller mixed farms that don't travel to Bendigo, including heritage carrot varieties and locally milled flours from the Harcourt and Newstead corridors. The market opens at 9 am; the best stalls tend to sell out by 10:30.

Closer to home, the Bendigo Health campus farmers market pop-up, run informally by allied health and nutrition staff on the Lucan Street precinct on select Fridays, has built a steady following among hospital workers and nearby residents since it relaunched in March 2025. It isn't a licensed market in the formal sense, but it connects growers with buyers in a practical, low-overhead way that suits small-scale producers from the Maiden Gully and Marong areas.

Making the most of a market trip

Nutrition researchers at La Trobe University's Bendigo campus have noted in published literature that Australians who shop at farmers markets at least fortnightly report higher daily vegetable consumption than those who shop exclusively at supermarkets. The mechanism is straightforward: face-to-face contact with growers prompts curiosity and recipe experimentation. Buying a celeriac is easier when the person who grew it can tell you to roast it with olive oil and thyme.

A few practical notes for first-timers. Bring cash, most Bendigo Showgrounds stallholders accept EFTPOS, but smaller growers often don't. Arrive by 9 am for the best selection. A reusable crate or box protects soft produce better than bags. And if you're walking the Bendigo Creek recreational trail on a Sunday morning, the Showgrounds is a natural detour on the northern leg of the trail, making the market easy to work into a winter exercise routine.

The next Bendigo Community Farmers Market runs Sunday 20 July, opening at 8:30 am. The Castlemaine market follows on Sunday 13 July. For anyone looking to stretch a grocery budget while eating well through winter, both are worth circling on the calendar. For personalised dietary advice tailored to your health needs, speak with your GP or an accredited practising dietitian at Bendigo Health.