Queen Victoria Market set to offload 20 tonnes of prawns, 3000 turkeys and 15 tonnes of ham

It’s the busiest day of the year for traders at the Queen Victoria Market, as panicked shoppers squeeze in some last minute ingredients for tomorrow’s Christmas lunch.

In the five days leading up to Christmas, traders are expecting to sell approximately 20 tonnes of prawns, 3,000 turkeys, 10,000 dozen oysters, 15 tonnes of ham, 5 tonnes of crayfish and 6,300 kilograms of cherries,

Just before 6.30am, Gary Rapley from Gazza’s Gourmet Seafood told Kate and Craig he was in the middle of the busiest hour of the busiest day of the year.

“I served my customer at 3 o’clock this morning and I haven’t stopped since,” Gary said.

“I’ve got Victorian crays from Warrnambool, cooked Southern Rock Lobster and the other big seller is West Australian cooked Tiger Prawns, which are absolutely magnificent.

“The oysters from Coffin Bay in Tasmania are also very popular.”

Click PLAY below to hear the full chat