Here's a quick summary of my markets experiences in Melbourne at the beginning of July.
Markets Queen Victoria Markets Food Hall
Foodie heaven – everything from kangaroo sausage to beetroot pizza. Plenty to choose from with many specialist stalls for cheese, wine, deli items and coffee. If you were self catering you could buy all supplies here as there are a fruit and veg market and fresh produce (fish, meat, chicken) sections as well. There's even a large organic area.
I tried a salmon bagel ($5) and a beetroot-based mini pizza topped with pumpkin and feta ($6.50). The egg and bacon roll we grabbed as a quick brekkie ($4.50) was not so great but the almond croissant ($3) after was.
Bottom line: Well worth the visit especially if you love food.
Victoria Markets
What an amazing collection here. Buy a chook (definitely still clucking), a bag, a tee shirt or leather coat all within a few paces. There's a lot of repetition here but plenty to choose from. As with all markets, not everything is a bargain but it's fun to browse.
Bottom line: Worth a look, a unique slice of Melbourne.
St Kilda Markets
We hopped a tram and went to St Kilda to check it out. The market sprawls along the esplanade for quite a distance and has lots of 'stuff' – soaps, photos, jewellery, bags etc. Interesting but not outstanding. At the end is Melbourne's Luna Park with roller coaster rides and more. We walked down and had a coffee (bitter) on the sea front and tried to image it when the weather was warm. The pier looked interesting but we didn't walk it.
Bottom line: Much like any other market I've visited. Worth the trip to see St Kilda only.
Photos: The birds were outside the general section of the Queen Vic markets. Other photos were taken inside the massive food hall.