Eastern+Market+History

The Eastern Market

Not long after the opening of the Western Market, the residents from the Eastern District pensioned for another market. The Western Market was not very accessible to the Eastern residents. The eastern end of the city later became the major residential area and the demand for a market grew. On 5th December 1844 the eastern residents pensioned again for a local market, this then led to the creation of the Eastern Market.

The market finally opened in 1847. Because the area was more residential, it quickly became more popular than the Western Market. However, the markets condition slowly got worse and worse. Popularity was returning to the Western Market. A deep gully ran between the eastern and western hill that was often covered in mud and water, it made the market less accessible. The council finally found a way to finance the market, make it cleaner and more accessible.

The market was built in an old railway fashion with 4 sheds. Each shed was designed like an old arcade. They were 14 feet high and 42 feet wide to allow lots of people to traverse through the sheds, however the larger sheds were often used for vehicle parking. Sheds C and D were the larger arcades, sheds A and B were cut short due to gaol reserves. A and B later were extended to the same length as C and D after the gaol closed.

In 1854, many market gardeners were looking for work at the Eastern Market but the stalls were filled very quickly. The council were very reluctant to add to the building after they had spent a lot of money on the market very recently. In 1857 the market gardeners were begging for extra space. The council put in £20,000 to build a series of 10 foot blocks to house the newer market gardeners.

Every Friday, a ballot was held between market gardeners for a stall to use on Wednesday and Saturday. As popularity grew, more people were opting for space to sell and eventually all 224 stalls were taken. The Eastern Market became known as the growers market.

On the 8th June 1865, the market council decided to add to the market. They changed all they arcades to stalls and extended each shed to allow more people than ever. The floor was refurbished and the roof was rebuilt to protect the produce against the weather. In this re-development, 84 new stalls were added to the 224 making 308 stalls in total. In a year, the council made use of the veranda, adding 34 stalls which were let out very quickly. The market now has 339 stalls, all being used. During the next few months all the new stalls were being let out permanently.

In 1887, the Eastern Market lost its wholesale prowess to Queen Victoria Market, lost its popularity and in 1888 it closed down completely.