Tweet! Tweet! It’s the Bluebird Market
This side of the Nepean, there’s a myriad of markets to choose from though which ones to bother with has always been a question fraught with difficulty. Here at the Cloudscape, we’ve endeavoured to eliminate the indecision by visiting as many markets as possible and then sharing our innermost market experiences for your illumination.
Happily, my first assignment has required a visit to The Bluebird Market. Held on the first Saturday of each month, the Bluebird Market currently makes its nest in the car park of Leura’s Alex Hotel. Mountainside locals will know that this can make parking a wee bit tricky, so if possible, leave the car further afield and walk over. If catching the train is an option, the Alex is just a hop, skip and a flutter from Leura station.
But enough of the logistics, the Bluebird Market is such a completely gorgeous addition to the Mountains’ market scene, I’ll have to be careful not to use up all my favourite superlatives at once! With a focus on locally produced arts, crafts, food and clothing, market manager Fiona Murray describes Bluebird as “a platform for Blue Mountains artists and creatives to showcase their high quality, handmade products in a fun, social and hip atmosphere.” In the world of markets, this is a significant point of difference, as the range of stalls are carefully selected to reflect the handmade ethos and commitment to quality that the Bluebird brand is built on. There’s only the tiniest bit of bric-a-brac to ponder so if you prefer your markets more like a garage sale on steroids, this may not be the place for you.
Fiona inherited the role of market manager from the milliner Maria Murphy, who started The Bluebird Market in October 2011. Fiona’s background is in project management and IT, however she is also a talented wool worker and has a creative sideline in fashioning handmade treasures for little boys. She’s a stall holder at Canberra’s HandMade UpMarket and up until taking over from Maria, regularly had a stall at Bluebird as well. So not only was Fiona the ideal person to manage the market manager role, she brings a unique insight into what makes a market successful as well.
Her approach is to bring together “quality products, dedicated and talented artisans in a fantastic location,” using top notch coordination to ensure a reliable and consistent experience for the stall holders and their clientele. This makes managing The Bluebird Market more than just having it run smoothly on the day. It also entails finding the right balance between product variety, emerging trends, the feedback of the artisans involved and the commercial realities of running a community based enterprise. Keep an eye out for The Box People, Poppy and Belle, Sewcialisers, Ecclectopia, True to the Bean and Silver Tree Studios.
Fiona’s well-considered edit of stall holders, month to month means that there’s always something new to appreciate. Plus, The Alex is licensed, so you can have a bite to eat and enjoy the live music playing in the beer garden, just in case you’re visiting with a less than enthused partner or simply need a rest between purchases. Here at The Cloudscape, the official verdict is in: we think The Bluebird Market has laid a much needed golden egg in the Blue Mountains!
The Bluebird Market is held the first Saturday of every month in the car park of the Alexandra Hotel, 62 Great Western Highway, Leura NSW. For more information about The Bluebird Market, whether you’d like to wander or hold a stall, check out their delightful facebook page. We like it!
WORDS by KERIS MACARTHUR / ARTICLE IMAGES by ANN NIDDRIE
and FEATURE IMAGE by FIONA MURRAY
I have a beautiful, black and white railway book of steam locomotives in NSW. They are my own photographs and I have self published. Great present for the man in the family. I have public liability and my own marquee. May I come to your market in December? I live in Wentworth Falls.
Your book sounds wonderful Robert, but The CLoudscape featured the Bluebird Market because we think it’s such a fabulous addition to the Mountain’s market scene. You should check out the Bluebird Market Facebook page for more information about getting a stall space. Good luck!
Robert,
I purchased vols 1 & 2 of your books at Windsor a couple of months back and they were gifted to my father (an ex. steam train driver in NSW who tuens 90 this year) for Christmas.
He was delighted!
I am keen to contact you to share some of his history (and a photo), but I have not found any contact details. If you can contact me by email (gjanczuk at gmail dot com) I would be extremely grateful.
Rgds,
George Janczuk.