8 Shopping Tours in Australia That Survive a Second Look

1.Queen Victoria Market Ultimate Foodie Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 295 reviews · from $78Our pick

Spend two hours with a small group and a local guide at Melbourne’s Queen Victoria Market. Taste seasonal foods such as oysters, kangaroo, goat cheese, olives, dolmades and hot jam doughnuts, while learning how to shop the market and understand its history. Guides may include Hannah, Irene, Mandy, Sonia, Sophie, Carmel or Gill.

“Fantastic morning. Lovely group and informative guide. The tasting options were great and lots of variety.”

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2.Adelaide Central Market Discovery Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 203 reviews · from $70

Spend 90 guided minutes at Adelaide Central Market with a small group of up to eight. Guides such as Broni, Steph, Rachel, and Cheryl lead you to selected stalls for tastings, coffee, local produce, and stories about migration and South Australia’s food culture. You finish at the market, with time to return for lunch or shopping.

“The Adelaide Central Market is a must to visit for anyone visiting the City. It's clean and well laid out and there's lots of different types of food and drink to see, try and buy if you like. You don't need to do a tour to wander round the market but the tour guide does provide some interesting background to some of the stallholders and their wares and arrange some tastings and discounts.”

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3.Small-Group Adelaide Central Market Early Breakfast Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 73 reviews · from $102

Meet at Adelaide Central Market at 8:30 am for a 2-hour 30-minute small-group tour led by guides such as Cheryl, Broni, or Mary Ann. You’ll sample fruit, baked goods, specialty foods, breakfast, and coffee while learning from growers and stallholders. Groups are capped at eight, with vegetarian and gluten-free options available on request.

“It was a pleasure to meet our tour guide Mary Ann and we enjoyed our tour. Good variety of activities and we a couple of stall holders generously spoke to us for a few minutes. We were able to have discounts at a few stalls.”

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4.Central Market Morning Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 53 reviews · 1h 30m · from $69

Meet your English or Chinese-speaking local guide at Adelaide Central Market for a 90-minute walk through its artisan stalls. Taste South Australian produce, enjoy coffee, meet stall holders, and hear how migration shaped the market. Guides including Broni, Stephanie, Rachael, and Carmel have led this personal food and history tour.

“Hi Our tour was very informative, enjoyable and a great guide outlined the history to the present day and introduced the group to some of the stall holders A tour worth passing on to other tourists Thanking you E. Hilton Linklater”

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5.Gangsters, Brothels and Lolly Shops Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 45 reviews · 2 hours · from $35Best value

Join historian and writer Michael Shelford for a two-hour walk through Melbourne’s former Little Lon district. See old brothel sites, Squizzy Taylor’s former home, opium dens, cocaine cafes, sly grog shops, and the city’s last single-storey back-lane cottage. The tour is in English, wheelchair accessible, and includes a free booklet with character photographs.

“This tour was excellent! Michael has fantastic knowledge and stories from Melbourne’s past and gave context to areas of the city that most would walk straight past. We are locals and learned so much about our city - highly recommended!”

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6.Melbourne Flavors: Queen Victoria Market Food Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 39 reviews · from $49

Meet your English-speaking guide outside the Multicultural Hub and spend 2.5 hours walking about 1 km through Queen Victoria Market. Sample local and multicultural specialties, enjoy Melbourne coffee, hear market stories, and meet vendors. The group holds up to 12 people, with vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free requests welcome in advance.

“Have been to the market several times before, but very much enjoyed the history and background Tristan gave. Very happy we took the tour.”

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7.“Discover Hahndorf: Wine, Cheese, Beer, Shops & Lunch Day Trip”

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 38 reviews · from $135

Travel from Adelaide to Hahndorf with a group of no more than 11. Stop at Mount Lofty, Udder Delights, Melba’s, The Haus and Beerenberg Farm for cheese, chocolate, lunch, wine or beer, and local produce. Guides including Jerry, Amanda, Ashley and Hermet keep the day friendly and on schedule.

“Jerry was a wonderful guide. Organisation was perfect. Enough time at each stop. Each stop was greatly selected. Enough free time. Group was amazing.”

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8.Adelaide Central Market Delicious Lunch Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 21 reviews · from $132

Meet your guide at Adelaide Central Market at 9:30 am for a small-group walk through one of Australia’s oldest produce markets. You’ll sample food, meet long-standing stallholders, and finish with lunch, coffee or tea, and wine. Stephanie has led an especially praised tour. Gluten-free and vegetarian options are available if requested ahead.

“What an amazing cohesion of cultures so wonderfully presented by Stephanie. So much can be learned from this experience of food and the celebration of the contributions of new comers to our land.”

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