Canberra Markets Add Heated Pavilions and Late Hours, Boosting Winter Visits

The Old Bus Depot Markets in Kingston began operating until 4pm on Sundays from 5 July, with three new heated pavilions installed along the waterfront stalls.

July brings shorter days and temperatures that often drop below 5 degrees in the mornings, so residents have welcomed spots that let them stay longer without rushing back to cars or buses. The changes follow a council review of visitor numbers that showed many families left early last winter when wind picked up off Lake Burley Griffin.

Shoppers can now move between the Old Bus Depot Markets and the Saturday stalls at Garema Place in Civic without losing the covered warmth. Both sites added extra food vendors this month, including a new bakery stand at the depot that sells sourdough loaves for $8.50 and a coffee cart at Garema Place serving flat whites for $5.20.

Upgrades target daily routines

Kingston Foreshore residents report using the extended hours after weekend sports at the nearby tennis centre, while Civic office workers stop at Garema Place on the way home from the bus interchange. The two locations sit roughly 3 kilometres apart, connected by a 15-minute bike ride along the lake path that the city council resurfaced in April.

Market management recorded 12,400 visitors across the two sites in the first weekend of the new hours, up from 9,800 the same period last year. Average spend per person reached $47, according to figures released by the Canberra Markets Association on 10 July. The pavilions cost $185,000 to install and were funded through a combination of stallholder levies and a territory grant approved in May.

Practical steps for first-time visitors

Arrive before 11am to secure parking along Giles Street near the depot or in the multi-storey at the Canberra Centre if heading to Garema Place. Bring a reusable bag, as single-use plastic bags are banned at both markets. Check the weekly vendor list on the Old Bus Depot Markets website the night before, since some bakers rotate stock based on flour deliveries from the Queanbeyan mill. Those planning to stay until closing can catch the 4:30pm Route 2 bus from Wentworth Avenue that loops back through Dickson and Belconnen.