The Thousands

Why there’s a gargantuan boatshed in the middle of the Adelaide CBD is cause for confusion; particularly as there are no significant bodies of water in the immediate vicinity. The Torrens? Not much more than Pop Eye can fit in there and even he gets stuck. So I can only assume this is why the Flinders Street boatshed has been put to good use as the venue for one of Adelaide’s most eclectic weekend fancy fairs.

Grizzly stallholders and general squalor aside, the Boatshed Markets are home to some truly wonderful wares. On any given weekend between 9amish and 4pmish, CWA-style jams and potted plants can be got for only a tuppence . You know you like jam.

A good rifle through the vast array of cardboard boxes up the back is likely to produce some genuinely spectacular finds. I once bought an adorable Staffordshire Terrier figure for $5 only to see it valued on that incredible piece of television, Antiques Roadshow, at $300. Other drawcards include the weekly sausage sizzle and a stallholder named Percy who is generally blathering drunk. But no boats, sorry.