Mindil Market and sunset

Mindil Market is one of the ‘must do’ things in Darwin.  Whenever you tell someone you’re going to Darwin they ask if you’re going to the market.  I even find myself asking people now that I’ve been.

However it’s not just the market that it is well-known for.  It’s the sunset on the nearby beach that attracts most people.  The market is just on the other side of the sand dunes.  Most people make sure they arrive in daylight, buy takeaway dinner from one of the many stalls and go and sit on the beach, ready for the normally fantastic sunset that awaits.  I chose Thai but there are so many nationalities to try.

Once the sun has set, people either go home/to their hotels or go back to shopping at the stalls.  Live bands begin to play as well giving the market a very festive, fun atmosphere.

 

This performer moved when someone put money in the bowl.  One little girl got the fright of her life when he moved after she put some money in the bowl. She ran back screaming to her parents.

 

Delicious and healthy???? It is possible.

 

Abbotsford Convent

The Abbotsford Convent is located near the Yarra River just north of Melbourne’s CBD. The complex includes 11 buildings on 6.8 kilometres right next to the Collingwood Chidlren’s Farm which is on my to do list of places to visit.

It has been turned into a community and arts centre. There are creative spaces for artists, writers, rehearsals, a school and a radio station, bakery and bars. I visited on a day they were holding the Slow Food Farmer’s market which is held there on the 4th Sunday of each month. You can buy so much fresh fruit and vegetables including organic produce. There were hundreds of people there, shopping for food, eating at the bakery and wandering around the beautiful gardens. We were lucky to be there on a warm day which made the whole experience wonderful.

Yering Market

Taking a break from my New Zealand album today because I’m finishing off a big scrapbooking project and I have a deadline of Thursday night.

In July, a friend and I went to the Yering Farmer’s Market in the Yarra Valley.  It was the first time for both of us so we didn’t know what to expect.  The market had been featured on an episode of Postcards earlier this year so we put it on our ‘to do’ list.

They run the market from a barn but since it’s become so popular they now have stalls outside both entrances.  You can buy everything from fresh pasta to cupcakes, jams, sauces and fudges.  Oh and of course they also sell fruit and vegies.  There are also butchers that sell very popular meats.  I couldn’t get near any of the butcher stalls.

Beautiful cupcakes are made by Little Red Wagon Cupcakes, a Yarra Valley business.  They were delicious.