The Southside Farmers Market is expected to move to a new home – at Canberra College in Phillip – by early July.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The market has been operating on Sunday mornings from the CIT Woden campus off Hindmarsh Drive for almost 10 years.
About 3000 customers visit the market every Sunday for their fresh produce, and for a bite to eat and coffee in the courtyard, according to market organiser Michelle van Wijk.
"Over those 10 years, the market has very much become part of the community," she said.
"It's also a social event, with a lot of growers coming not only to sell their products, but to speak directly to their customers."
The move to Canberra College does not involve a lot of distance, with the college in Launceston Street in the heart of Woden.
The market is moving because the ACT government is closing the Woden campus of CIT and developing a new campus at Tuggeranong.
In a letter to patrons, market organisers recognised there was "uncertainty about what will happen to the [Woden] campus in the future" so they wanted to secure a new long-term home for the market.
They will pay the government rent for the Canberra College site, just as they have for the CIT location.
The market hours will remain the same – 8am to 11.30am every Sunday.
Mrs van Wijk said a date for the relocation would be known after Canberra College made minor adjustments to the site.
The stalls will be relocated to an internal courtyard area at the college, with some under eaves. A small part of the car park will also be used for stalls.
At CIT, the stalls are spread across both internal and external locations.
Mrs van Wijk said the new venue was also flat, which would help people with mobility issues.
"The building has lovely old eaves so it will still give us a significant amount of cover," she said.
From humble beginnings in October 2006 with only a handful of stalls, the markets now attract about 55 stallholders a week – and even more around Christmas, when cherries and stone fruits come to the fore.
Among the products sold are vegetables from Cowra, free-range eggs from Tharwa, citrus from Leeton, apples from Batlow, and fair-trade coffee roasted in Canberra.
Higher Education Minister Meegan Fitzharris said the relocation of some courses from CIT Woden to other CIT sites had begun.
"Students currently at Woden will benefit from a full range of on-campus services, with the existing and upgraded facilities at major sites like Bruce and Reid," a statement from her office read.
When asked what was planned for the Woden facilities once CIT fully vacated the site, Ms Fitzharris' office said the government was "still considering options for future use of CIT Woden".
