From state government to private ownership the origins of BML

Brisbane Markets has a long history, stretching back to the original city markets in the late 1800s. Over the years, Brisbane Markets Limited (BML) has celebrated this history and amassed a collection of archival material that spans over 150 years for Brisbane’s central market. However, not many people understand the significance of BML as a company and how it was born from the desire of Brismark, and its member wholesalers, to have more control and consultation over the Brisbane Markets site in Rocklea. The acquisition of the Brisbane Markets from the state government in 2002 was a pivotal change, one that was a decade in the making. Now with new generations of wholesalers and support staff in the markets, some who have never experienced life before industry-based ownership, the 20th anniversary of BML is a timely reminder of just how much things have changed. In this special anniversary feature, we explore the struggles and determination that provided the motivation for forming Landacq Limited (Landacq), the company that would become BML.

Aerial view of the Brisbane Markets in 2002 (top) and 2022 (bottom).