Queen Victoria Market, Melbourne

The Queen Victoria Market is the largest covered market in the southern hemisphere, and seems to go on longer than is possible. It's open Thursday-Sunday and Tuesday, with late night markets on Wednesdays during summer.

The market expanded repeatedly into the vast array of sheds now seen. The food court, meat and fish markets and delicatessen markets are in the original building, between Victoria and Elizabeth Streets. These are a fantastic place to get fresh fish from Port Melbourne, meat, cheeses and breads, and also a great place to hang out and grab a bit to eat on the go. I especially loved the fish and chips in the food court, particularly later on when the mixed boxes are available at cheap prices, and the Turkish pide breads in the delicatessen area, which make excellent pizza bases for lazy creatives.

Above the food court area are the sheds, which are home to the fruit and veg stalls or the general market. It's best to get here early for the fruit and veg to get the best choice, but later on for the best reductions. It's not the cheapest way to buy food, but it's the most fun and you get the best quality.

The night markets, held during summer, are an exhibition of the best local crafts, and definitely worth catching.

I loved visiting the Queen Victoria Market during my stay in Melbourne, and I went as often as I could. All my food came from there during the start of my stay, even if I drifted away to cheaper, more familiar options later on. It's a great place to spend an afternoon as well, even if you have no definite intentions. There's so much to see and take in that you can drift around until closing quite happily. There were some amazing fashion stalls at the top end, especially the leather jacket stalls.

My favourite QVM recipe for impressive hostel cooking was:
Pide from the delicatessen
Mild cheese for grating, also from the deli.
Ham scraps, likewise. The cheapest way to buy meat there, as far as I could figure out, and it's just bits that fell off or weren't cut right.
A few tomatoes and an onion off the fruit and veg market.
Mushrooms or a pineapple, if you want.

Chop the tomato and onion and fry them to a paste. Spread them on the pide, top with the ham and mushrooms/pineapple, cover with cheese. Bake in oven.
Simple pide pizza.

Access to the Queen Victoria Market is easy by public transport, as many of the trams go up Elizabeth Street and the free city tram goes around the back of the market. It's also a reasonable walk from the city centre.