Docklands Is Getting a New Artisan Market And Food Hub in a Seven-Storey Car Park

If Docklands is still a suburb you seldom set foot in, its next addition could be the thing to finally change that. In news that was announced this morning, the harbourside area is set to get a brand new permanent food hall. It'll transform the ground and mezzanine floors of the seven-storey East Car Park at The District Docklands (formerly Harbour Town), and mark the next phase of a huge $150 million redevelopment for the area.

Ambitiously, the precinct is taking its cues from internationally famed market halls like New York's Chelsea Markets. Once finished in mid-2019, it'll play host to a sprawling artisan market offering, featuring a collection of 25 specialty retailers with a uniquely Melbourne edge. Think, cafes and coffee roasters, restaurants, butchers, delis, bakeries and other fresh food vendors, all under the one roof. It's been designed by NH Architecture and Esquisse, combining historical elements and street art to create a warm, yet industrial feel.

Next door to The Market will be some not-so artisan offerings, including a 3800-square-metre Woolworths shopping centre, along with a Dan Murphy's bottle shop, a large-scale Asian grocer and a pharmacy.

The plans will complement The District Docklands Entertainment Precinct, which is on track to launch this September. It'll boast an eight-auditorium Hoyts Cinema, an Asian hawker restaurant from 8Eight Street, a venue called Urban Alley Brewery, and a Melbourne edition of Archie Brothers Electric Circus (from the same crew behind Holey Moley Golf Clubs).

The Market will open in mid-2019 at The District Docklands, Docklands Drive, Docklands. We'll keep you updated on any new developments.