Rocklea, Brisbane: Saturday Markets and Things to Do

Rocklea is the Brisbane suburb that feeds the city, and the reason to visit is the Brisbane Markets on Sherwood Road, about 15 minutes by car from the CBD. The Saturday Fresh Market runs under one big roof from 6 am to 12 noon, with fresh produce, bakery goods, meat and deli, plants, honey and a food court.

Rocklea is mostly an industrial suburb with a long railway and manufacturing history, so it works best as a morning out around the market, with a short heritage walk if you want more.

Saturday Fresh Market at the Brisbane Markets

The Brisbane Markets opened in 1964 on a large site on Sherwood Road, where fresh produce and flowers are sold to wholesalers and retailers. On Saturday mornings the public can shop there too.

The Saturday Fresh Market is at 385 Sherwood Road and trades from 6 am to 12 noon, rain, hail or shine. The site is fully undercover, which makes it a good wet-weather option. Use Sherwood Road for GPS, as there is no access from the north via Curzon Street.

The market has no dogs allowed, except guide and assistance dogs. For the full rundown on stalls, toilets and more, see our Rocklea Markets guide.

Is Rocklea only a market suburb?

Mostly, yes. Rocklea is an industrial suburb, and the market is the one thing most visitors come for. That is why the heritage trail and the wetlands below make good add-ons if you want to stretch the morning out.

Entry and parking at Rocklea Markets

• On foot: $2 per adult, and children under 15 are free. You buy your ticket at the pedestrian entry.
• Premium parking: $6.50 per car, which includes entry for everyone in the car.
• Other parking: the market advertises plenty of free parking, and the multi-level car park has 540 undercover spaces.

A short history of Rocklea

The area was first called Rocky Waterholes Creek, and it took the name Rocklea after a town in Dorset, England, when the railway opened in 1884. Its industrial past includes the English Electric locomotive works and a World War II munitions factory, and DuluxGroup still has a major paint plant here. Rocklea is also described as one of Brisbane’s most flood-affected suburbs.

Salisbury Heritage Trail

Brisbane City Council’s Salisbury Heritage Trail is about 2 km and takes 45 minutes to an hour. It covers 11 stops at the former Rocklea Munitions Works buildings in Salisbury, including ammunition assembly shops, a laboratory, guard houses and air-raid shelters. Most stops are private property, so you view them from the street.

An optional extension of about 1.5 km return starts at Moorooka Playground Park and covers the former war workers’ housing estate. Some parts of the trail may not suit people with limited mobility. See our Moorooka guide for food nearby.

Oxley Creek and Archerfield Wetlands

Rocklea sits near Oxley Creek, and the nearby Archerfield Wetlands greenspace, about 150 hectares, has walking and cycling trails. Archerfield Wetlands District Park is at 455 Bowhill Road, Durack, in the same corridor.

Planning your visit

• How long: an hour or two for the market, longer if you add the heritage trail.
• Best time: early, from 6 am, before it fills up.
• What to bring: shopping bags and coins for the $2 entry.
• Accessibility: the market is wheelchair accessible, with free accessible parking on the ground level of the multi-level car park.

Getting to Rocklea and parking

By car, the Brisbane Markets are about 9 km from the Brisbane CBD, about 15 minutes without traffic. Rocklea railway station is open and fully accessible, and buses serve the markets. Rocklea station is also one end of StationLink route 19, which links to the PA Hospital busway station while nearby Moorooka station is closed for rebuilding. Check the Translink Journey Planner or call 13 12 30.

The market’s own page is at brisbanemarkets.com.au. Details can change, so check it before you go.

Nearby

• Rocklea Markets – the full market guide.
• Moorooka – Ethiopian and Sudanese food on Beaudesert Road.
• Markets in Brisbane – every market day by day.
• Milton Markets – another Brisbane market.
• Jan Powers Farmers Markets – an open-air growers market at New Farm.
• Sunnybank – Asian food on the south side.

Browse more markets and everything in Brisbane.

You might also like

• Springfield Markets (Springfield Central)
• Caboolture Markets (Moreton Bay)
• Manly Creative Markets (Brisbane)

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