Rusty's Markets

Rusty's Markets runs Friday through Sunday in the Cairns CBD, and it is one of the most enjoyable markets in tropical Australia. The fruit and vegetable section is exceptional — a survey of tropical produce from the Atherton Tablelands and the surrounding region, much of it unfamiliar even to Australians from the south.

Beyond produce, the market has street food stalls with good Asian cooking (laksa, pad thai, Vietnamese rolls), fresh juice vendors, coffee, and the usual mix of clothing and craft stalls. The food section is worth arriving hungry for. Early Saturday morning is the best time: peak freshness, manageable crowds, and the city still cool enough to be comfortable.

The market is covered and runs rain or shine. It's on Grafton Street, within easy walking distance of the Esplanade. Free entry, bring cash for the produce and food vendors.

things to do market
A story
Cairns sits at the edge of one of Australia's most productive tropical agricultural regions. Rusty's Markets is where you encounter its output in raw form: jackfruit the size of a baby, sapodilla, black sapote, wampee, soursop, rambutan, and varieties of mango and papaya that never make it onto supermarket shelves. Many of the vendors are third-generation market traders whose families have been growing tropical produce on the Atherton Tablelands since the early 20th century.