The southern Gold Coast does markets beautifully, and from Isle of Palms in Elanora four of the best sit within about twenty minutes. Across a weekend you can hit the Palm Beach Farmers Market, Miami Marketta, and the Coolangatta and Broadbeach craft markets. Each has its own day and its own character, from Saturday produce to Sunday craft, so you can string two or three together without doubling back. Here is the circuit, with days, hours and where to park.
What is on at the Palm Beach Farmers Market?
Distance: about 5 minutes’ drive. Directions: follow Guineas Creek Road to Thrower Drive; the market is on the Currumbin High School grounds. Hours: every Saturday, 6am to 11.30am.
The Palm Beach Farmers Market is the anchor of any market weekend down here, one of the Gold Coast’s longest-running farmers markets with up to 80 stalls. You will find just-picked fruit and vegetables, local coffee, fresh bread and pastries, honey, plants, and a scatter of live music through the morning. Regulars keep mentioning that the fruit and veg is cheaper and fresher than the supermarket, so bring a bag and a bit of cash. It suits every age and rolls easily with a pram across the grounds. Parking is on and around the school and fills fast, so arrive close to opening for both a spot and the pick of the produce. As an outdoor market it runs in light rain but check its socials in a real downpour.
Is Miami Marketta worth the drive?
Distance: about 13 minutes’ drive north. Directions: take the Gold Coast Highway north to Miami, then Hillcrest Parade. Hours: Wednesday to Saturday from 5pm, entry free, no booking needed.
Miami Marketta is the original Gold Coast street-food night market and the undercover option that runs whatever the weather. Global food stalls line the laneway, from dumplings to tacos to wood-fired pizza, with free live music and boutique bars threaded between them. It suits families early in the evening and couples later, and the flat laneway takes a pram fine. You pay only for what you eat. Friday and Saturday nights carry the best atmosphere, so arrive before 6pm if you want a table rather than a hovering spot.
When is the Coolangatta Art and Craft market on?
Distance: about 15 minutes’ drive south. Directions: Gold Coast Highway south to Coolangatta, then along Marine Parade at the beachfront. Hours: the second Sunday of each month, 8am to 2pm.
The Coolangatta Art and Craft Beachfront Market spreads along Marine Parade with the sand as a backdrop, and it leans handmade: art, craft, jewellery, candles, plants and homewares from local makers, with food stalls to graze between browsing. It suits all ages and takes a pram along the promenade, and the beach right there means you can break up the browsing with a swim or a coffee looking out at the water. Free to wander, with street and nearby car-park options that fill by mid-morning on a fine Sunday. Being a beachfront market it runs in light weather but can pause in heavy rain, so check the market’s page before you set off.
What about the Broadbeach Art and Craft market?
Distance: about 18 minutes’ drive north. Directions: Gold Coast Highway north to Broadbeach, then to Kurrawa and Pratten Park by the beach. Hours: the first and third Sunday of each month, 8am to 2pm.
The Broadbeach Art and Craft on the Coast market is the bigger sibling of the Coolangatta one, running the alternate Sundays across the grassed parkland between the shops and the sand. Expect artwork, handmade craft, fashion, plants and a good run of food stalls, all with the beach a few steps away for a post-browse swim. It suits every age and is flat and pram friendly. Parking around Kurrawa Park fills through the morning, so come earlier rather than later. As an outdoor market it goes ahead in light rain and pauses only in a downpour.
FAQs: markets near Elanora
What markets are near Isle of Palms?
Four cover a good weekend. The Palm Beach Farmers Market runs every Saturday morning, Miami Marketta is on Wednesday to Saturday evenings, the Coolangatta Art and Craft market lands on the second Sunday of the month, and the Broadbeach Art and Craft market runs the first and third Sundays. All sit within about twenty minutes of the resort.
What day is the Palm Beach Farmers Market?
Every Saturday, 6am to 11.30am, at Currumbin High School on Thrower Drive, about five minutes from Isle of Palms. Up to 80 stalls sell fresh produce, coffee, baked goods and gourmet food with live music through the morning. It is one of the Gold Coast’s longest-running farmers markets, so get there early for parking and the best produce.
Are there any undercover markets near Elanora?
Yes. Miami Marketta is undercover, so it runs whatever the weather, Wednesday to Saturday from 5pm at Hillcrest Parade in Miami. It is a street-food night market with global food stalls, boutique bars and free live music. Entry is free and no booking is needed, which makes it the reliable pick when rain threatens the outdoor markets.
Do the Gold Coast markets run in the rain?
The undercover ones always do. Miami Marketta runs whatever the sky is doing. The outdoor markets, including Palm Beach Farmers Market and the Coolangatta and Broadbeach craft markets, go ahead in light rain but can pause in a genuine downpour, so it is worth a quick check of their social pages on a wet morning before you head out.
A market weekend is one of the easiest ways to feel like a local down here: a Saturday coffee at Palm Beach, a Friday graze at Miami, a Sunday wander by the beach at Coolangatta or Broadbeach. With a full kitchen back at the resort, whatever you carry home turns into dinner. When you are ready to plan a market weekend, explore our Elanora and Palm Beach location guide and check availability and book direct.
Image credit: The Market Co, Palm Beach Farmers Market
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