[7] After the cemetery's partial closure, a number of small wholesale and retail markets were established around the site in the late 1850s to serve Melbourne's rapidly growing population.

[4] In 1876, the Victorian Government passed an Act officially gazetting the Old Melbourne Cemetery site as land to be reserved and developed into markets.

A year later the part of the cemetery on the corner of Queen and Victoria streets where the unconsecrated burials of Aboriginal people and executed criminals were located, was the first area to be built upon.

[8][9] The Queen Victoria Market officially opened in March 1878,[10] and it quickly expanded into wholesale and retail fruit and vegetable trading, which prompted the construction of G, H, I and J sheds.

However, this was short-lived due allegations of corruption and racketeering, and the findings of a royal commission led to the relocation of the Wholesale Market to Footscray in 1969.

On Wednesday evenings in the summer and winter months, a night market is held which offers dining, bars, live entertainment and a variety of other stalls.

[23] It also has a large non-food related market, selling a diverse range of clothing, shoes, jewellery and handmade arts and crafts.

[24] In January 2010, the Herald Sun reported that city planners wanted to transform the market into a "gourmet hub" by introducing upmarket food stalls.

[25] Lord Mayor Robert Doyle said he brought up the idea after visiting London's Borough Market, which has a "boutique" feel that could work in Melbourne.

Doyle and Environment Minister Greg Hunt announced the beginning of the process to nominate the market as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The retail rows in Elizabeth and Victoria Streets, constructed between 1882 and 1891, are important and architecturally significant buildings, affording visitors the opportunity to shop in an extensive and intact 19th century streetscape.