If you were hoping to grab a coffee, buy some veggies and spend your Sunday morning browsing through stalls of handmade wares - it seems you weren’t the only one.
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Around six thousand people flocked to the inaugural Foragers Markets at Bulli Showground for a chance to hang out, listen to live music or stock up on fresh produce.
The popularity of the event created traffic and parking woes for visitors throughout the morning, who had to queue and jostle for space.
Despite the hiccup organiser Kirrily Sinclair said the day was a resounding success, considering she had only anticipated a crowd of 2000.
‘‘People went wild for all of the take-home food - you could barely move in the shed, it was 10 people deep.''
‘‘I am ecstatic, it has blown my mind how many people came to support it,’’ she said.
‘‘People went wild for all of the take-home food - you could barely move in the shed, it was 10 people deep.
‘‘It wouldn’t have happened if the community didn’t want it. I could build a beautiful market but it’s up to the community whether or not it works, and I think today they said ‘absolutely’ that this is what they want.’’
Bulli business owners shared in Ms Sinclair’s delight, as the crowds flowed through the usually-quiet main street.
Owner-manager of Coffee Art Bulli Andrew Surgeoner said people walking to and from the event created more business and a ‘‘good vibe’’ in the village.
‘‘We’ve certainly had a busy day and it has definitely boosted Bulli village’s income. It’s a plus for all of us - whether it is us at the cafe or the butcher’s or the bakery - we’ve all felt the benefit,’’ he said.
‘‘It’s such a small, drive-through town, so to have something like that is such a big plus. Its success is a credit to the organisers for all the advertising they have done and all of the effort they have put in.’’
Black Diamond Bakery worker Isabelle Corbin said staff were run off their feet for a Sunday.
‘‘It’s very low on customers usually but today there have been more customers than there’s ever been, which is great... but parking is not very good,’’ she said.
Traffic was backed up along the Princes Highway until midday, as people continued to funnel into the area hours after the markets opened.
Organisers said Bulli PCYC volunteers did a ‘‘fantastic job’’ managing parking and traffic flow for gold coin donations, considering the scale of the event.
Smaller numbers are expected next Sunday when the fresh produce markets return.
