My father used to take me down there in the late '60s at the end of trading for really cheap fruit and vegs. I then visited the markets regularly as a teen up to when they moved the markets to Flemington. Those spruikers you heard in the film added to the atmosphere which went along with the sellers to Flemington. I remember the markets had an earthy smell of almost rotting veges and hessian bags. After the developers built that shopping centre over it, it lost its ambience from the filtered light beaming through the skylights. After the roof was replaced with concrete, it then felt like a dingy dungeon and still does. The Paddys Haymarket is now a huge junk shop selling 3rd rate souvenir rubbish with a small fruit & veg, and fish section.

This was really excellent. To get a look at all the different people that are trying to make a living; while bringing daily goods to us.

Much of the produce, except the more tropical items like bananas came from small farms and market gardens that existed from Guildford to Penrith. 40 miles might not seem like much today, but it was usually in an old Bedford or International truck, no aircon, sometimes no heating, to be at the markets for all the fruit shop owners who were there at 6am to get the best produce, take it back to the hundreds of little shops all over Sydney, to prepare, display, and sell until 5.00pm in the afternoon. The next day it started all over again. Hard work in simpler times, before the rise of the big supermarket conglomerates. I have a much greater respect for my school mates whose parents lives revolved around these industries back in the 60's/70's.

I loved going to Paddy's markets as a young kid in the mid seventies....the smells the people,the produce it was so exciting......I was living in western Sydney were there were still a lot of market gardens.,..now it's full of houses

Thank you for the lovely memories I used to go to the markets from the age of three and can remember it exactly like this

Superb memories, purchased my first digital casio and my voxson ghetto blaster from paddies in the 80s good old days simple and happy life

Still got a brand new sanyo watch in the box digital from then

Yes The Markets did have a Heart. What a great doco............

Brings back old memories. Great video. Yep Lum & Co Still trading since 1940 now at Flemington Sydney Markets. See us on UTube Yep Lum & Co celebrating 75yrs 2015.

A Great Film. Thanks for posting this on You Tube. It brings me back to when I was a young boy awakening in the early hours to go to the Hay Market with My Dad to grab a bargain. It had a certain smell (Hesh Bags) about the place also the sounds of Old Aussies and Italians Sprooking Vendors to attract buyers. Also at 10:16 there is a high rise building which still stands to this day called Central Square. This building was state of the art architecture. At 5:38 the price is $0.60c a bunch G F.

I think the 70s would have been a very exciting time to be in Australia. Lot's of political progressivism, social change, investment in the arts, increasing multiculturalism...you had directors like Peter Weir making films like 'Picnic at Hanging Rock', Helen Garner writing novels like 'Monkey Grip' (putting feminism front and centre), truly encapsulating the Aussie experience, and a mostly sound government. It all comes vividly to life in this video. Thanks for sharing.

I grew up going to Paddy's throughout the 80's and 90's but it's always been the Chinese running the place due it being at Haymarket (Chinatown).

The smell of Paddy's came back to me

LOL @ 7:35 with ol mate's Linda Lovelace shirt

My granddad is the larkin at min 18.30!!!! :)

I love the vido

Before computers,and all of the bullshit, this Market, the original one fed a city of millions,imagine that????

Old school, real hard worken men, not like now days weird nemo looking guys with pink hair. The day's when real men were men.

sikkastie cents.

Yes people got cheap products in those days