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Queen Victoria Market

Shopping ·Melbourne
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About

Queen Victoria Market is a historic food and shopping market in Melbourne’s CBD, with open-air sheds and indoor halls at Victoria and Elizabeth streets.

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Queen Victoria Market — Queen Victoria Market’s ornate main facade across the street

Queen Victoria Market — Queen Victoria Market’s ornate main facade across the streetQueen Victoria Market — The market’s decorated upper facade and central archQueen Victoria Market — Dairy Produce Hall entrance beneath red market flagsQueen Victoria Market — Dairy Produce Hall’s brick corner and arched windowsQueen Victoria Market — Market stalls displaying household goods and shopping cartsQueen Victoria Market — An empty market lane between historic stalls and towersQueen Victoria Market — An 1878 engraving of market sheds, shoppers, and cartsQueen Victoria Market — Fresh meat cuts arranged in a brightly lit market displayQueen Victoria Market — A pile of green apples at the marketQueen Victoria Market — Fresh cucumbers displayed in a market produce stallQueen Victoria Market — Oranges piled together in the produce section

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Shorts

Why go

  • Browse a market covering about seven hectares, among the Southern Hemisphere’s largest open-air markets.
  • See the largely intact Meat Hall, the oldest original market building, dating to 1869.
  • Try jam-filled doughnuts from a van that has operated here for more than half a century.
  • Find organic pasture-fed meat at Mr Organics, with most of its organic range sourced from Victoria.
  • Look for seasonal cherries, apples, melons and stone fruit at Benny’s Fruit Corner.

What to buy

Artisan cheeseGourmet oilsFresh truffles

History

The market occupies the site of the Old Melbourne Cemetery, Melbourne’s first British burial ground. John Batman, described as Melbourne’s founder, was among those buried here. The cemetery’s closure and the relocation of human remains caused considerable controversy.

  1. 1850sA small market began east of the city.
  2. 1854–1917The Old Melbourne Cemetery officially closed to burials in 1854, but burials continued until 1917.
  3. 1864A fire destroyed cemetery records, leaving the grave count uncertain.
  4. 1876Victoria designated the cemetery site for market development.
  5. 1877A market building was constructed at Queen and Victoria streets.
Show all
  1. 1878The market opened in March. Expansion into fruit and vegetable trading prompted construction of sheds G, H, I and J.
  2. 1880–1884Elizabeth Street shops opened in 1880 and the Meat and Fish Hall façade followed in 1884. The façade largely retains that design, while two arched elevations preserve much of their 1869 form.
  3. 1898An average of 300 carts brought produce from market gardens southeast of the city twice a week in summer.
  4. 1920Expansion toward Peel Street began; protests and a petition to the Prince of Wales failed to stop it.
  5. 1920–1922Expansion moved 914 bodies from the former cemetery for reburial elsewhere in Melbourne.
  6. 1930Sixty brick stores were built at the Franklin Street end for wholesalers and traders.
  7. 1964A city report proposed replacing the market site with a 1,200-space car park.
  8. 1969Wholesale trading moved to Footscray, leaving retail sales at the market.
  9. 1970sPublic opposition and a building ban stopped a redevelopment plan.
  10. 20031,328 rooftop solar panels were installed, covering about 2,000 m² and generating roughly 252,000 kWh annually.

Dishes to try

  • Shanghai dumplings — The Bund
  • Yangchun noodles — The Bund
  • Soufflé pancakes — The Bund
  • Milk tea — The Bund
  • Turkish borek — Dairy Produce Hall
  • Grilled cheese — Dairy Produce Hall
  • Handmade pasta — among the market’s truffle-season offerings

Market days

Tuesday, Thursday and Friday
06:00–15:00
Saturday
06:00–16:00
Sunday
09:00–16:00
Seasonal Wednesday evenings
Evening market in summer and winter Food, bars, live entertainment and stalls

How to get there

  • TramTrams 19, 57 and 59 stop on Elizabeth Street at stop 7, in Melbourne’s free tram zone.
  • TramTram 58 stops on Peel Street at stop 9, near the Market.
  • TrainFrom Flagstaff Station, walk north along William Street and cross at Franklin Street.
  • TrainFrom Melbourne Central Station, walk north along Elizabeth Street.

Accessibility

  • Step-free entry Open-air shed entrances are wheelchair accessible from Queen Street, Peel Street, String Bean Alley and Victoria Street. H and I Sheds are closed during restoration. Meat & Fish Hall entrances are on Elizabeth Street, Queen Street and from the Dairy Produce Hall. The Dairy Produce Hall is accessible from the Meat & Fish Hall, Deli Lane and Therry Street. Both halls have flat floors with gentle slopes toward Elizabeth Street.
  • Lift Flagstaff and Melbourne Central stations have lift access.
  • Wheelchair hire Available at the Information Hub, F Shed, Shop 1, on Queen Street.
  • Accessible parking access The Undercover Car Park is wheelchair accessible, with an elevator to Therry Street.
  • Assistance animals The Market welcomes guide dogs and animals identified by an Assistance Animal Pass.
  • Therry Street shops, cafes and restaurants These are wheelchair accessible.

Sources: Queen Victoria Market - Wikipedia · Melbourne/CBD - Wikivoyage (buy) · Queen Victoria Market | Melbourne's Marketplace · Visitor Information | Queen Victoria Market | M… · Accessibility at Queen Victoria Market - Queen … · Queen-Victoria-Markt - Wikipedia · Queen Victoria Market - Wikipedia · checked 28 Sep 2026

Where
Victoria Street Corner of Elizabeth Street, Melbourne Victoria

Plan from here: With kids →

Questions and answers

Who is Queen Victoria Market named after?

It is named after Queen Victoria, who ruled the British Empire from 1837 to 1901.

Where is String Bean Alley at Queen Victoria Market?

It is at the Market’s southern end, reached from Peel Street or by two walkways from the Open Air Car Park.

Could Queen Victoria Market’s Meat & Fish Hall be uncomfortable for some visitors?

The Meat & Fish Hall may be confronting for some visitors.

How can I contact Queen Victoria Market?

Call +61 3 9320 5822.

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