It was a chilly 6 degrees Celsius when I left home for the Meetup. Trees were shrouded in mist and car headlights stared with bleary eyes at me as I drove to the train station. The sports ground and golf course were wrapped in a foggy slumbering cocoon.
I was delighted to find a parking spot right near the entrance where I could even see the two disabled parking spots.
The theme for today’s Meetup was food and accessibility. There were seats at this station which were clearly signed for priority seating as well as a designated spot for wheel chair passengers to wait for assistance to get onto the terrain.
At Flagstaff train station, the closest train station to the Queen Victoria Market, there are lifts to get to the ground level exit. Disabled toilets are also available at this station.
Our meetup time was 10.30am and the day was shaping up to be a beautiful day with blue skies and soft puffy white clouds to the delight of 7 local guides and friends. After introductions and photos, we set off.
There was a Truffle Festival at one section of the market. What good timing for us. Thanks @Frank_inAU for alerting us to this and leading us there. There was a cooking demonstration and Australian Shepherd dog display as well as truffle seasoned gnocchi and a variety of other foods.
After a bit over half an hour there we made our way slowly to the fruit, veges, deli, fresh food and meat area. We passed through the dry goods sheds along the way - shoes, belts, jackets, beanies, souvenirs, clothes and all kinds of gifts and crafts. There were bargains at every turn.
In the sometimes crowded space we got separated several times but regrouped without losing anyone. There were two who came for just the first part while another came for the conversation and lunch. Some had met the others before while it was the first time for one.
According to Wikipedia the Queen Victoria Market covers “over seven hectares (17 acres)” and “is the largest open air market in the Southern Hemisphere.” It goes on to elaborate that it was “constructed in stages from the 1860s and officially opened in 1878, the Queen Victoria Market is the last remaining major market in the CBD, and along with Prahran Market and South Melbourne Market, the last of the city’s Victorian era markets still operating. It is listed on both the Victorian Heritage Register and the National Heritage List, and is one of Melbourne’s major tourist sites.” (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_Victoria_Market)
This massive, vibrant and colourful space is a photographers delight. A number of store owners posed happily for photos for us. We were happy to give small businesses a helping hand where we could.
The market is generally accessible to most users. The only impediment would be the crowds. Toilets also cater to those with accessibility needs. The height of the main ATMs however might pose a challenge for users with such requirements.
Here are two photo slide shows of our visit to the market showing the kinds of things you are likely to see, hear, taste and encounter for your tasting and purchasing needs, wants and pleasures.
We concluded our Meetup with a delicious lunch at Sarawak Kitchen where we shared more local guides stories, experiences, photography and commemorated Connect Live’s 5th birthday. (Oops! I did bring some balloons but forgot to include that when we were taking our photo.)
Can anyone visit the Queen Victoria Market and resist it’s bargains? I have to confess that I didn’t let the opportunity pass to pick up a few birthday gifts on the way back to the train station. As it so happens, July is significant in my personal family as well as the Connect Family (wink).
So, flushed with the excitement of another successful Meetup, good food in the presence of pleasant company and a trove of photos for my library, I was truly warned up this chilly July day as we went our separate ways at 2:45pm. Some to do errands, while others went on to to do more photography and to reflect on the day.
I’m tagging these local guides here as invitation to share their photos and experiences of today’s photowalk (not all who turned up today have a connect profile).
@Frank_inAU @Terrycorb @PaulPavlinovich @danii123
@Terrycorb 's photos can be viewed here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/UmGeRXg3mT8nBZyq7
Link to original Meetup announcement post: https://www.localguidesconnect.com/t5/General-Discussion/Queen-Vic-Market-meetup-Sat-10-July-2021-10-30am-Food/td-p/2956550
#ConnectTurns5
@AdrianLunsong
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Hope that we can meetup at the next one. 
