After 15 years at the helm of Newcastle’s iconic Olive Tree Market, Justine Gaudry is handing over the reins to Cedar Mill Group.
Launched to provide creatives with an opportunity to showcase their wares while forming connections within community, the long-running weekend market now boasts more than 130 regular stalls.
During the peak Christmas period, the market based at Newcastle’s Civic Park will attract a crowd of more than 10,000.
Cedar Mill Group is taking on the Olive Tree Market brand as part of its commitment to investing in projects and businesses that encourage tourism and deliver economic and job boosts for the region.
The acquisition follows the group’s $235 million plans to redevelop Morisset Golf Course announced in 2021.
The site will be known as Cedar Mill Lake Macquarie and boast a 30,000-person concert venue, cafes and restaurants and accommodation.
In August 2021, Cedar Mill Group also purchased one of the Hunter Valley wine region’s most premium development sites, in Pokolbin, and, the following year, acquired a 100-acre site on the Maroondah Highway in the Yarra Valley for its purpose-built outdoor amphitheatres.
Cedar Mill Group founder Paul Lambess says the acquisition of The Olive Tree Market is a win for the region.
“What Justine, as one of the founders, created 15 years ago was truly something special. The Olive Tree Market has grown to become an iconic Newcastle institution, with strong connections to the creative community and offering a truly unique and carefully curated experience for visitors.
“We are looking forward to continuing this incredible legacy, and further boosting the revenue opportunities for creators, as well as injecting even more vibrancy, creativity and economic investment into the Newcastle area.”
Founder Justine Gaudry said while it’s sad to say farewell to what has become a labour of love, she is proud of what she achieved in her time.
“I am incredibly proud of creating and fostering a community-focused event that has provided a platform and ongoing opportunities for thousands of local artists, designers, musicians, performers and creative small businesses,” she said.
“It’s also been a privilege to collaborate with many amazing cultural and educational institutions and First Nations-owned organisations.
“We have been a cultural and community hub, an incubator of new ideas and community energy, and it has been wonderful to watch the way in which the wider community has embraced and grown with The Olive Tree Market.
“Olive Tree has also been responsible for over $3 million being injected into the creative industries and local economy each year, has played a vital role in the social, cultural and economic fabric of Newcastle, and has made a significant contribution to the growth of cultural tourism in the City of Newcastle.
“With locals Cedar Mill Group now on board to drive and grow Olive Tree into an exciting new chapter I look forward to watching new opportunities and experiences being developed and produced for stallholders, creators, customers and the wider community.”
To celebrate the brand’s 15th anniversary and handover, Olive Tree Market is hosting a market on Saturday, 4th November from 9am to 2pm. Another market will follow on 18 November.
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