Queen Victoria Market

I am such a big fan of markets! The idea that small retailers are selling their specialty goods makes me so much happier than purchasing lunch from a long-time chain restaurant. Not only is it supporting local businesses, but most of the time it is a lot tastier! 

Queen Victoria market was not only the biggest market I have been to (there are clothing and food trucks outside of the building in a huge parking lot), but it was also the most charming! There were hundreds of locals with little baskets to carry their purchases and really unique displays that I have never seen anywhere else. These croissant and coffee stands stood out to me for two reasons. The first being the handwritten signs under the pastries shows such a personal touch as opposed to all of the perfected marketing signs seen in chains all over the city. The imperfection really speaks to the character of the stand. Secondly, if you tell me all of these mugs are not the most charming display you have ever seen you must be lying to me!

Notably, there were many different meat stands in the market that showcased a lot of different treats! My mom actually purchased some classic salami and cheese that was so delicious, however, our location called for a unique type of meat that was at every stand! Yep, kangaroo jerky was not only in every one of these meat stands, it is also been in every grocery store that I have walked into (next to the emu and crocodile jerkies, of course). Can you say culture shock? 

I spent little time in the produce section because it was full (and I mean wall-to-wall people) of locals purchasing their goods for the week, or next few days. It is fascinating to me that people in different countries, like Australia, grocery shop at beautiful markets like this one, while I make it a one-stop trip to my local Trader Joe's. It really inspires me to find more farmer's markets in Los Angeles and maybe cheat on Trader Joe's sometimes. Though I was only in Melbourne for the weekend, luckily for me, Sydney still has plenty of different markets throughout the week that I could visit during my time in the city (however, none topped Queen Victoria's)!