Queen Victoria Market, Melbourne

I have always loved the Vic. Market, from a little girl enjoying the sights and sounds with my parents, to a Mum taking my children there to experience the many smells and sights. And now as a grown up who can head there and just wander, not necessarily buying anything but soaking up the people, the colours and everything else the Queen Victoria market can throw at my senses.

Queen Victoria Market 

In it's 130 years this market has had many faces, many changes and many many stories. It has been a livestock market, a wholesale fruit and vegetable market and a cemetery. Between 1837 and 1854 much of the land the market now stands on was the site of Melbourne's first official cemetery, housing the remains of an estimated 10,000 early settlers including those of John Batman. When the market was extended in 1917, 914 bodies were exhumed and re-interred at various other cemeteries around Melbourne. But numerous bodies remain buried beneath the existing carpark. I am not sure why they were not moved but from what I have read it is because there were no records of who the graves were for as the red gum headstones had been stolen for firewood. Also official records had previously been destroyed in a fire at the Melbourne Town Hall.

Oh Yummo I do love the Vic. Markets Jam Doughnuts.
I only know of one time in my whole life that I haven't indulged on a market visit. 

Some of the offal in the meat market makes an interesting
photo but I couldn't bring myself to eat tongues!!!

All the seafood is way to tempting and we usually come home with more that we intended

The colours and smells of the fruit and vegetables as amazing

Colourful graffiti on the toilet block walls.

But even though that gives me food for thought when I park my car, I still love heading to the Vic. Market early on Saturday mornings to buy some fresh seafood, meat, fruit and vegies and take photos of the colours of the Queen Victoria Market.