Queen Victoria Market

Queen Victoria Market
If you only have time to visit one place in Melbourne, then it should be the Vic Market. But try to visit while all the produce stalls are operating (Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday mornings) because they make up the real heart of the market. This is a working market with meat, fish, bakery and delicatessen sections as well as scores of fruit and vegetable vendor’s stalls and general merchandise. The Queen Victoria Market is more than just Melbourne’s shopping mecca – it is a historic landmark, a tourist attraction and an institution for Melburnians. There are more than 1000 stalls, most of them set up outdoors under tin roofs with iron gables. The market has a separate meat hall and a delicatessen area renowned for Greek, Italian and Polish food. The area where the back open-air sheds stand used to be Melbourne’s first cemetery.
Over the years, the market has been a wholesale fruit and vegetable market, and has gone through various expansions and changes reflecting the shopping habits of the growing Melbourne populace. On Sundays there is a wine market. Cafes and restaurants pop up around the market. Fresh is the flavor of the market. More than fresh seafood and fresh fruits and vegetables, the market takes a fresh approach. Find clothing, baggage, toys, jewelry, new-age products and souvenirs at sinful prices. The Vic Market brings city people in touch with earthy realities. It is very clear that meat comes from dead animals; that vegetables are grown in dirt; that sweat and energy is part of commerce; and that Collingwood will win the Grand Final this year. Buy yourself sausage in a roll from the Bratwurst Shop and sit outside and watch Melbourne pass by. Particularly the children who believe that this is what life is like – only to be surprised when they move away from Melbourne