Why Hill & Ridge?
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It’s more than a name. It’s our community.
The Hill & Ridge Community Market is held at the Red Hill Recreation Reserve on the Mornington Peninsula - but the story behind its name began long before the first market day.
Hill & Ridge was already here.
A name already part of the community
Since 2009, the Hill ’n’ Ridge Community Newsletter, produced by the Red Hill District Lions Club, has connected the people, organisations and stories of Red Hill, Main Ridge and the surrounding district.
The name reflects the landscape around us, but over time it has come to represent something more - community, connection and a strong sense of belonging to this place.
Looking out for one another
That sense of community became particularly important following the devastating storm swept through the Red Hill region on 29 October 2021.
Trees came down across the district, roads were blocked and homes were left without power and communications. For many households relying on tank water and electric pumps, losing power also meant losing access to water. Some residents were isolated for days.
Out of that experience grew the Hill and Ridge Emergency Network, a community-led initiative managed by the Red Hill CFA, connecting residents and local organisations and helping information and resources move through the community when they’re needed most.
Once again, Hill & Ridge had become a name for people coming together.
Then came Hill & Ridge Community Market
In September 2024, the Red Hill Agricultural & Horticultural Society, a not-for-profit which has been part of the Red Hill community since 1922, was awarded the tender to operate the monthly community market at the Red Hill Recreation Reserve.
A new market needed a name of its own.
Hill & Ridge Community Market was born.
The name came from here. From the hills and ridges around us, in Red Hill and Main Ridge, and from a community identity already woven into this place.
Today, more than 200 growers, makers, artists, food producers and collectors gather at the Red Hill Recreation Reserve alongside Red Hill sporting clubs, Red Hill CFA, Red Hill Lions, Red Hill Scouts, musicians and community organisations.
The market may be relatively new.
The community behind it certainly isn’t.
Hill & Ridge Community Market
Good Things in the Heart of Red Hill
Proudly presented by the Red Hill Agricultural & Horticultural Society
Hill & Ridge Community Market is proudly presented by the Red Hill Agricultural & Horticultural Society, a not-for-profit organisation that has been bringing the community together since 1922.
For more than a century, the Society has celebrated agriculture, creativity and community through events that connect people with the land, local producers and one another.
Today, the Society proudly presents both the Red Hill Show and the Hill & Ridge Community Market, continuing its commitment to supporting local agriculture, encouraging tourism and creating opportunities for the community to gather.
Every visit to the market helps support the Society's work and its ongoing investment in community events that celebrate the very best of the Mornington Peninsula.