The best markets in the Hunter for produce and craft

The Hunter Valley is one of New South Wales' great produce regions, and its markets are a good way to take that home. Whether you are after a weekly shop of seasonal fruit and veg or a one-off piece of local craft, there is a market for almost every day of the week across Newcastle and out into the valley.

For something more than a grocery run, the Olive Tree Market is the place to start. It set up in 2008 at Civic Park, on the corner of King and Darby Streets in Newcastle, and has grown into the city's premier art and design market, with more than 115 market days and over 800 artists, designers, makers and small businesses having come through since. The ethos is firmly on community and supporting handmade, maker and ethically created goods, and on a good day you will find anywhere from 100 to 130 emerging and established artists, designers, makers, gourmet artisan food producers and street food purveyors. It usually runs on the first Saturday of the month, but in November and December it doubles up to the first and third Saturdays, so the next dates to pencil in are 7 and 21 November, then 5 and 19 December, all 9am to 2pm. Parking is at First Parking on Argyle Street, pups are welcome, and most stallholders take EFTPOS as well as cash.

If you are after the weekly shop, the Newcastle City Farmers Market is the one. It runs most Sundays from 7am to 1pm at the Newcastle Showground on Brown Road in Broadmeadow, rain or hail or shine, and the range is genuinely broad: fruit, vegetables, cheese, pasta, dairy, preserves, fresh seafood, wine, spices, artisanal chocolate, sourdough bread, plus clothes and soaps. For a Saturday morning habit, the Glendale Farmers and Artisans Market sits under the big white top at Stockland Glendale, next to Target, from 8am to 2pm, so you can do it year-round regardless of the weather, with farm-fresh produce, artisan wares, homemade products, street food and live music.

Heading out into the valley, the Pokolbin Market at 691 Hermitage Road runs every Sunday from 8am to 1pm with fresh produce, gourmet items, baked goods, crafts, antiques and flowers, and dogs are welcome. The Homegrown Markets at Speers Point Park on Park Road run the first and third Sunday of every month from 10am to 2pm, with over 120 stalls selling handmade, eco-friendly and locally produced gifts, artwork, fashion, homewares and produce.

Beyond those, the region is thick with smaller markets. The Broke Mini Market takes the last Sunday of the month at Broke Hall; Handmade in the Hunter runs most Saturdays and some Sundays at Sobels Wines in Pokolbin; the Hunter Wine Country Markets are every Saturday at De Bortoli Wines in Lovedale, weather permitting; and the Maitland Community Markets run the first Sunday of the month from March to December at the Maitland Showground. There are plenty more scattered across the Hunter and Lake Macquarie, so it is worth keeping an eye on the local listings before you head out.