The Mill Market - City Store
A visit to the Mill Market - Waterfront, in Geelong, will have you perusing around fifty stalls' worth of treasures. It's impossible to list all that you will find but to give you an idea there are picture frames, clocks, pedal cars, antique lace, vinyl LP's, sugar jars, war memorabilia, furniture, street signs, silverware, lamps and many items decorated with the deers, swallow and owl motifs that are absolutely in vogue right now.
It's a type of permanent market, where stallholders rent their space and leave items on display. They staff the venue on a rotation system, a method familiar to anyone who has ever visited Melbourne's famous Chapel Street Bazaar.
part of the collection
Wandering through the Mill Market is like being in someone's house. It's part shopping experience, part museum, part gallery and the type of place you'll love if you're a fan of the BBC shows '
Bargain Hunt' or '
The Antiques Roadshow'. If you have an older parent or grandparent you'd like to take out for the day, the Mill Market can be a wonderful destination because with their narrative, it becomes an insightful walk down memory lane.
A journey to the
Mill Market is also likely to satisfy a collector, who enjoys scouting out every possible location for that elusive piece. It will also entertain anyone who, without knowing they were looking for it, comes across that special object or perfect gift.
clothing stalls
If vintage clothing is your thing, then the twenty odd clothing stalls upstairs will keep you occupied for hours. There are 1960's cocktail gowns, vinyl jackets, flared jeans, turquoise, satin heels, trench coats and jewellery.
The clothing stalls are separated into men's and women's sections and prices are dependent on individual stallholders, but good quality pieces can be found for as low as five dollars. Some of the outfits are modern, like the musk-pink, faux-fur Miss Shop jacket I spotted but those inclusions are always right on theme in that they at least reference earlier fashion eras.
A great way to spend the weekend is to make an entire day out of the treasure hunting. You can start your excursion at the Mill Market - Waterfront before travelling to Geelong's other Mill Market locations. There's one in Mackey Street that specialises in industrial themed furniture and garden items and also the original Mill Market located on the Bellarine Highway in Newcomb. Entry is free to all of them and there is plenty of parking available.
more treasures
