Caboolture Country Markets reveals when it will reopen

A major market north of Brisbane has begun the ringaround of its 500 stallholders with the news they’ve all been waiting for – they’re reopening.

A MAJOR market north of Brisbane has announced when it will reopen with a plea to customers to do the right thing so they can stay in business.

The Caboolture Country Markets will reopen on Sunday, June 14, after Stage 2 of eased restrictions is reached on June 12.

Caboolture Show Society secretary Michelle Goullet said some had called her “inconsiderate” for not reopening the markets sooner, but she stood by the decision.

Michelle Goullet says it was a tough decision to keep the markets closed. Picture: Ric Frearson

“If one of your loved ones who has a compromised health condition got it (the pandemic), they would be saying ‘why weren’t you closed’,” she said.

Ms Goullet said the show society “just don’t know how it’s going to go” and she hoped the public would do their best to abide by social distancing rules.

“You don’t know what’s going to happen, and I suppose that’s the scariest thing. That you open and nobody comes or you open and it’s crazy town,” she said.

“It’s really up to the public to do their bit, as well.

“If they want their markets to stay open, they’ll need to follow the guidelines, which will be signed everywhere.”

She said the sheds, which normally housed stallholders, would all be closed and they would spread out their offering, including putting a big fruit and vegetable seller on the oval.

“We’re going to be using spaces we normally wouldn’t for stalls, just to spread it out a bit,” she said.

“In the area where it was congested last time (before we closed), at the fruit and veg and plant stalls, without that build-up we may not have the issues we did last time.”

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Ms Goullet has begun the ringaround of its 500 stallholders to see who is ready to come back.

She said only one in 50 so far had declined the offer, with the big draw card stallholders, produce and plant sellers, confirming they would be back in June.

“They’ve been waiting and waiting.

“Some of them, it’s not just for the money, it’s the social aspect of it, especially a lot of the older stallholders who’ve been going for 20 or 30 years, so they miss their friends and their customers.

“We’ve got a high base of stallholders who are elderly and some think it’s too early to return, some are saying look can we come back in six months.”

The Caboolture Country Markets will begin at 6am and finish at midday on June 14.