General News
20 July, 2022
Make, bake and grow at new monthly markets
A NEW “Make, Bake and Grow” market has emerged to fi ll the hole created by the Mareeba Market’s imminent move from Centenary Park to the turf club.
Marketgoers will soon have the choice between two different markets, with the Mareeba Historical Society and Mareeba Art Society announcing their own market in a bid to raise enough money to keep their doors open.
The new markets will be in direct competition with the original Mareeba Market, with the events to be held on the same days and times – the second and fifth Saturday of each month.
But Mareeba Art Society president Faythe Keogh said it was never their intention to compete with the existing markets.
“We are doing this out of necessity – we need to have an income, small as it may be,” she said.
“We both need an income to keep the lights on and pay bills so we can have a place people can show their wares.”
The decision by Mareeba Markets organisers, the St Thomas’ P&F Association, to relocate to the Mareeba Turf Club on Fenwick Street has been met with uproar by community members, with many condemning the move on Facebook while others supported it.
A flyer recently distributed by the organisers revealed the main reasons for the move related to traffic management issues and the need for more space.
“The most significant factor was the requirement for the St Thomas’ P&F to wholly manage the traffic and parking issues at Centenary Park – this would have meant additional expenses, time of set-up on market days and less available parking to market visitors and stall holders,” the flyer stated.
“There are 33 stalls on the northern end of the markets that are on Main Roads land that is marked as a road corridor and can be reclaimed by Main Roads at any time.
“At times, requests for stall sites have exceeded the number of available sites resulting in the loss of opportunity for people to join to the Mareeba Markets.”
The first Mareeba Market day at the new location is scheduled for 13 August.
Meanwhile, the inaugural “Make, Bake and Grow” market will be held on 30 July and unlike the previous markets, will be held on land leased by the societies, removing the need to adhere to a requirement for a traffic management plan.
An estimated 20-25 stallholders can be accommodated on the land available.
However, products sold must be made by the stallholder or immediate family and marketeers must be members of either the art society or the historical society to run a stall.
Ms Keogh is hopeful the new event will hit the mark.
“People are used to coming here, we pick up the flow through traffic,” she said.
“They will have to follow signs if they want to go to the bigger market and that is why we are sticking to what people would need.
“If they ask where the bigger markets are, we will tell them it is over at the racecourse – we are not looking at being in conflict with them, we are looking at complementing them.
“It may draw some people away from the Mareeba Markets, but there are a number of marketeers who are also not happy about the move (to the racecourse).”
