market madness

There’s no end to what you can spend at Sydney’s high-end boutiques, but savvy bargain-hunters know to head to the markets. Read on for a shortcut to seven of our favourites. Just don’t forget, cash is king!

PADDINGTON MARKETS the very hip and happening Paddington Uniting Church, 395 Oxford Street, Paddington, Saturdays 10am to 4pm

OXFORD Street is Sydney’s best-known shopping street, lined with an endless array of cafés, galleries and retailers, but Paddington Markets remains one of its main attractions. Many of Australia’s best-known labels got their start here, including Third Millennium, Lisa Ho, Bracewell and Black Vanity, making it the place to discover up-and-coming designers.

On a busy Saturday afternoon, it can feel like every style-head in Sydney has come here in search of a bargain, and it’s not hard to see why. These clothes are several notches above your typical market fare: they’re often the same quality as what you’d find in any of the boutiques across the road, at significantly cheaper prices.

Currently, we think the best of the crop are Karen Dye, whose range runs from feminine party dresses to sharp tailored pants (expect a pair of pants to cost around AU$130) and Lynette Ruwoldt, whose stylish update of the patchwork skirt sells for AU$115. If you’re looking for something less expensive, simple but striking screen-printed T-shirts are available from Dtox (AU$25). The Dtox range also includes sleek aprons decorated with a city skyline (AU$30) that make great gifts for overseas visitors. Pick of the accessories is Persuede’s sleek line of leather handbags with cool graphic patterns and stripes (between AU$65–$95, depending on size). For something completely different in jewellery, we love Mooza’s delicate pendants and brooches made from exquisitely-patterned Japanese paper set in transparent resin (AU$8–$25). Very zen.

THE ROCKS MARKET proud Australiana Northern end, George Street, The Rocks, Saturdays and Sundays, 10am to 5pm

It’s Sydney’s most touristy area, but The Rocks still has a few surprises up its sleeve. The area is the birthplace of Sydney, where the earliest settlers first started building a town on the very fringe of a hostile continent, and its well-preserved sandstone buildings are classic Sydney.

Just a few blocks west from tourist-thronged George Street, however, you’ll find a rare slice of an older Sydney, where public housing residents live in tiny rent controlled dwellings on some of the city’s prime real estate, and enjoy an icy beer and hot pub meal at one of the area’s pocket sized local pubs, which include some of the oldest watering holes in Australia.

As surprising is The Rocks Market. Taking place every weekend in the shadow of the Harbour Bridge, it’s firmly aimed at tourists, but its quirky souvenirs mean its still great for locals to forage through. Under the all-weather sails, you’ll find unusual gift ideas such as vintage Australian travel posters from Post-Age, which are also available as 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzles (AU$25 each). Araluen Gallery sells beautiful wooden fruit bowls made from eucalyptus burls (the bumps that grow on the trunks of the trees). Prices vary with size, but start at AU$50. Fine Art Photography has prints of classic Sydney scenes for AU$25, while at Red Zebra, you can pick up a set of cookie cutters in the shape of Australian animals for AU$9.

BALMAIN MARKETS bargains for the bourgeois St Andrews Church, 217 Darling Road, Balmain, Saturdays 8.30am to 4pm

The rest of Sydney likes to poke fun at Balmain’s left-wing residents, known affectionately as “basket weavers”. It’s pure jealousy, of course: we’re envious of their renovated workers’ cottages with harbour views, tranquil streets, exquisite cafés and boutiques, and other trappings of their middle-class lifestyle. Even their markets have one of the most picturesque settings in town, in a courtyard shaded by leafy trees, in the branches of which vendors hang their floaty frocks.

Besides clothing and books, we found body products such as Miessence, an Australian range that’s certified organic (a hand-cream will set you back AU$30 for 250ml), and good buys in jewellery, particularly the lovely sterling silver pieces at Chok Dee (expect to pay around AU$28 for a pair of black onyx or mother-of-pearl drop earrings). The market’s best buys are definitely in the kids’ area, where a number of stalls compete for customers. Skylark offers gorgeous dresses in pretty pastels for little girls (between AU$40–$50), while Bubby and Sole has been selling its handmade soft-soled leather kids’ shoes for 17 years. Decorated with everything from flowers to penguins, they’re irresistibly cute, and sell for AU$25 a pair. They’re a mummy’s must-have!

GLEBE MARKETS alternative and indie Glebe Public School, Glebe Point Road, Saturdays, 10am to 4pm

The stately 19th-century homes lining the leafy streets speak of money and status, but looks can be deceptive.

For many years, Glebe has been the favoured haunt of Sydney’s young and alternative community due largely to its proximity to the University of Sydney. It’s therefore not surprising that the weekly markets throng with stalls offering tarot card readings, incense, CDs and an impressive array of black T-shirts.

However, we also found plenty of fledgling entrepreneurs making quirky handmade clothing, accessories and trinkets. Alex and Jeanie Redman of Bent & Twisted Creations create wind chimes made of old cutlery, and salvaged teapots that have been customised with limbs made of cutlery and scrap metal. They’re not just decorative, either – all of them are still usable.

Kyla Ring of Pockettree offers eco-friendly, ethically-produced tops and T-shirts made from an unbleached hemp and cotton mixture for around AU$30. For those who prefer a touch of glamour, OSK has a wide range of handmade bags made from colourfully printed fabrics, starting around AU$25. If a circuit of the markets doesn’t satisfy your shopping bug, we recommend heading across the street to Gleebooks, which has one of the best ranges in Sydney, before refreshing yourself at one of the nearby wholefood cafés.

SYDNEY FISH MARKETS sea treats Corner Pyrmont Bridge Road and Bank Street, Blackwattle Bay, daily from 7am to 4pm, except Christmas Day

Like most coastal dwellers, Sydneysiders have an insatiable appetite for seafood of all varieties, and when we want to enjoy the freshest fish around, this is where they come. Nestled between the Anzac Bridge and Blackwattle Bay marina, more than 14,000 tonnes of seafood pass through this outlet every year, many of which are delivered directly to the market’s pier by local fishermen. Restaurateurs buy the evening’s ingredients at the wholesale auctions, which happen early in the morning (early birds can sign up for the 7am tour held twice a week), but during the day, members of the public can pick up bargains on seafood, both fresh and cooked.

The waterside tables are a great place to share a platter of sushi or sashimi from the Fish Market Sushi Bar (between AU$12–$20), a dozen oysters from Christie’s Oysters (between AU$12–$15), or even some freshly-cooked skewers of tender tuna or garlic prawns from De Costi Seafoods (AU$2). But there’s a lot more than just seafood on offer. After a major upgrade a few years ago, a range of other retailers moved in, including a greengrocer, a bottle shop, a bakery and a kitchenware store. Blackwattle Deli, in particular, stocks a fine selection of local gourmet treats, such as our favourite, a delicious range of dips from Michel’s Fine Food: basil pesto, hummus, bush chutney and seafood sauce (between AU$6–$8). Also worth checking out is their range of sausages, including wagyu beef, and duck, pear and cognac.

PADDY’S MARKET cheap and cheerful Corner Thomas and Hay streets, Haymarket, Thursday to Sunday and public holiday Mondays, 9am to 5pm

Sydney’s Chinatown is a vibrant neighbourhood characterised by a constant bustle, and Paddy’s Market, located right in its heart, is no exception. Come here to work up an appetite before treating yourself to some yum cha: we always need some sustenance once we’ve finished here. The refurbished market is housed in the ground floor of a multi-storey shopping and cinema complex, but the action is definitely most frenetic downstairs, where you can buy everything from goldfish to kids’ toys to underwear. It’s easy to get lost amid the multiple rows of stalls. To orient yourself, keep an eye on the numbers painted on the floor in front of each vendor.

We love this market for its great bargains on fresh fish and fruit and veg, as well as daily essentials such as socks and watch batteries. If you’re looking for something less mundane, try the lambskin rugs and ugg boots at Stall 240 (around AU$50); the swimwear at Stall 296 (bikinis starts at AU$10); and the traditional Oriental tops and suits at Stall 435. Available in a range of sumptuously-coloured silks, either off-the-rack or made-to-order, prices for a two-piece ao dai, featuring flowing top and pants, start at around AU$90.

BONDI MARKETS browsing, beaches and more Bondi Beach Public School, Bondi Beach, Sundays 10am to 4pm

Sooner or later, everyone comes to Bondi. Gathered in the chic cafés and the boutiques along Campbell Parade, you’ll see Sydney at its most democratic, as starlets and wannabes rub shoulders with kids from the suburbs. On hot summer days, it feels like half of Sydney is here – and you’ll run into most of them at the Bondi markets.

The markets are known for their mix of old and new, selling everything from clothes and knick-knacks, to furniture and vinyl records. If you come early, you’ll find some real bargains in vintage clothing and retro-chic objects; otherwise, head here mid-afternoon for a break from the beach. Up and coming designers like Kuto and Sage offer pretty summer prints for AU$30–$50, but the best buys can usually be found at the stalls offering handmade accessories. Our pick of the bunch is Maria Roubos’ gorgeous freshwater pearls strung on leather thongs. A necklace will cost from just AU$40; earrings and bracelets are slightly cheaper.

Or pick up some handmade ESP soap, made with essential oils such as mandarin, lavender and lemon myrtle. At just AU$4.50 a bar, it’s handy to have a few for “just in case” presents.

 

WORDS UTE JUNKER
PHOTOGRAPHY TINA SMIGIELSKI;