Explore the culture of Queen Victoria Market
May 28, 2022
As a lively inner-city market for more than 140 years, Queen Victoria Market (QVM) represents Melbourne’s heart and soul. It is home to more than 600 small businesses that offer fresh produce, local delicacies, and Australian-made unique souvenirs. Take a stroll around this vibrant and crowded market to immerse yourself in the gastronomic history and the dynamic multicultural atmosphere. We will also listen to Irene Bouris – an experienced market guide, and Tarn Evans – an enthusiastic bakery owner, as they share facts and stories about the vendors at Queen Victoria Market.
May 28, 2022
Queen Victoria Market has a fundamental role in shaping Australian history and culture. It is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register for its historical, archaeological, social, architectural, and aesthetic significance to the State of Victoria.
In 1851, a substantial amount of gold was found in different regions of Australia, including Victoria. The Australian Gold Rush brought prosperity but also made Victoria’s population triple, which dramatically raised the demand for vegetables. Only 27 years after that, Queen Victoria Market was opened in March 1878. Today, visitors can see many gold details and lettering in the site’s architecture, which shows how sophisticated Melburnians were.
May 28, 2022
Irene Bouris has been a tour guide at QVM for five years since 2017 and has enjoyed every moment of her career. She truly believes that QVM is rich in multicultural history. It represents Australia’s early development of Melbourne’s settlement, gold rush, war years, and immigration development in the state of Victoria.
She also described the market as a "tapestry embroidered by each new wave of immigrants" from the 19th century to the 1980s. "Thanks to the immigrants from the Baltic States, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, South East Asia, the Pacific and so on, today we are spoilt for choice with almost every nation’s cuisine readily available at the Queen Victoria market," she said.
May 28, 2022
Walking through the iconic façade of QVM, we will be standing in the Meat & Fish Hall. 95% of the fish here is from Australian waters. However, a lot of the fishmongers actually originated from Greece. After World War II, many from the Greek islands migrated to Australia. They are all passionate about fish and fish-eating. The Greeks opened up the first Fish 'n' Chips shop in Australia and multiple fish stalls in the market.
"In the past, Australia used to have an extensive coastline with an almost unlimited supply of fish. I remember buying calamari for $1.99, and octopuses were just about ¢50. But today, seafood has become a delicacy, and the prices are very expensive," Bouris shared.
May 28, 2022
The beauty in the Meat and Fish section lies in the family connection. The stalls here are mostly family-oriented businesses. Some have long been run by a 4th generation family, from grandparents to grandchildren. You will rarely see a business being sold to a stranger. Instead, it is often passed on through generations.
"Queen Victoria Market is a melting pot of different families and personalities. The community feel and the sense of belonging are what I absolutely love about this place," Bouris said.
May 28, 2022
Take a few steps further and we will reach the Dairy Produce Hall. It was built in 1929, featuring QVM’s best delicatessens. Back in the 1920s, Australia had a high influx of migrants from the UK, Ireland, and Scotland due to wars and upheavals. Since butter and cheese were so important to their cuisine, they brought along a variety of them and opened up 14 stores in QVM. However, there is only one remaining today.
The builders used different materials to keep the hall cold enough to store butter and cheese. Therefore, we can walk into this place and see marble benchtops, walls made of Gippsland limestone, and floor tiles made of Italian terrazzo. The windows here all face the South to have natural light without getting direct sunlight.
May 28, 2022
We can travel through the world when visiting Gewürzhaus Spice House. The store was founded by their great Oma Rosa. She set out on a mission to preserve the family’s culinary traditions with the flavours of home-cooked meals and heartfelt memories. The business has been run by four generations of women, who brought over 350 spices, herbs, salts, and peppers from all over the globe to QVM. Here we can find various teas, Australian-grown spices and European spices. Every week, Gewürzhaus produces over 100 unique blends from whole ingredients to ensure maximum freshness and quality.
May 28, 2022
Upon exiting the Lower Market of QVM, we will stop at Ferguson Plarre Bakehouses, where we will have a conversation with the owner, Tarn Evans, about the background of the business. The name Ferguson Plarre Bakehouses was formed in 1980 by merging the Fergusons and the Plarres bakeries. It celebrates each other’s prior successors by continuing to make cakes and pastries of the highest quality.
When asked about the difficulties of maintaining the business through the pandemic, Evans shared: "Ferguson and Plarre Bakehouse had gone through much worse low moments during its 120 years of operation. So, of course, although it’s difficult, I have been determined to keep it thriving in the market for the last two years. I’m proud to be a part of a business with such a rich history."
May 28, 2022
Let’s visit the Upper Market and explore a large variety of fresh produce and organics. In the past, most of the products used to be imported. But over time, Australians have learned to grow and cultivate products that were naturally unavailable in their climate.
Some of the tomatoes here originally came from France, and the French took the tomatoes to Vietnam during the war. When Mr Tran, a Vietnamese migrant, came to Australia, he brought tomatoes since he was unsure if they were available. This tells the story of how Queen Victoria Market has a beautiful blend of imported goods and local produce nowadays.
May 28, 2022
Ending the tour here, we can see that Queen Victoria Market holds the power to bring people from all walks of life together. For some business owners, the time they spend with other traders may be even more than that with their own family, forging lifelong friendships within the market. Traders here constantly support and take each other under their wing. Together, they beam a positive vibe throughout the market.
It has been recognised by the National Heritage Listing that "it continues to operate as a city produce and general market, and exhibits a high degree of social interaction. The Queen Victoria Market still retains many of its original attributes, liveliness and character" (DAWE 2018).
