~ At 3.15am on Saturday, 23rd January 1869, a group of market
gardeners made their way to a site between Gouger Street and Grote Street,
Adelaide and started to sell their produce. Over 500 people are said to have
attended that first market day with all stock selling out by 6.00am!
From such a successful beginning, it was not long before the
Adelaide Central Market officially opened one year later in January 1870.
Thirty years later, in 1900, the first stone was laid to build the Central
Market façade, which still stands today.
I have been going to ‘the market’, as most people call it,
for as long as I can remember. First, as a child, along with my parents who
shopped there every week, and then as an adult, either on my own or with other
family members. Currently, Friday evenings are my preferred visiting hours, and
shopping is always preceded by a meal in the Asian food hall close to the main
market.
Originally known as the City Market, the facility was
officially named the Central Market in August 1965. Despite two major fires
(one in 1925, and the other in 1977), the market continues to offer almost
every variety of fresh fruit and vegetable available in South Australia.
Also available from more than 80 stalls are a wide range of
fresh and processed meats, continental deli’s and cheese outlets, seafood
stalls, and others specialising in nuts, confectionary, coffee and other
specialty foods. And of course, let’s not overlook the bakeries, patisseries,
and numerous cafés and restaurants,
For more than 140 years, the Central Market has been the
food Mecca for multicultural cuisine and fresh produce in Adelaide, and today
the Central Market is South Australia’s most visited tourist attraction.
For those of us who live in Adelaide and shop regularly
there, the market is more than a tourist attraction, of course. This is the one
place were all classes of people meet and greet each other, rub shoulders with
celebrity chefs, indulge their love for fresh fruit and vegetables, and soak their
senses in the myriad aromas that waft around the cheese stalls and coffee
stalls, and the many other outlets. The market is also a great meeting place
for families and friends. Getting together for a meal at Lucia’s, or a coffee
and cake at Zuma’s Café, or maybe a cheap, freshly made Won Ton soup in the
Asian food hall is a standard occurrence among regular market aficionado’s.
Events & Activities
A wide range of events and activities are scheduled each
week at the market. Some traders offer product samples in ‘try before you buy’
promotions, while others present short classes, and product/produce
demonstrations each week.
Central Market Tours
With a 30 year background as a chef and 20 years as a
stall holder in the Market, Mark Gleeson conducts Central Market Tours that aim
to provide participants with an exclusive experience interacting with
suppliers, producers and retailers of South Australia’s vibrant food industry.
Tour guests receive a level of history and product knowledge of the Adelaide
Central Market, not available by others. For more information or to book your
tour, visit
Central Market Tour…
Top Food & Wine Tour
There are several tour operators in South Australia that
also offer tours of the Central Market for your enjoyment. For more information on tours of the Market,
visit Top Food & Wine Tours… www.topfoodandwinetours.com.au
Trading Hours
Tuesday: 7am - 5.30pm
Wednesday: 9am - 5.30pm*
Thursday: 9am - 5.30pm
Friday: 7am - 9pm
Saturday: 7am - 3pm
*Optional trading day, not all stalls open
Closed Public Holidays
More Information
