There is organic produce for sale, essential oils and pies stuffed with vegetables that would have otherwise gone to waste.
Homemade cookies are on offer by a table full of crystals, which sits near a stall for parents interested in learning about homeschooling.
The scene at Frankston, about 40 minutes from Melbourne CBD, seems like any other Sunday market – until you spot the anti-5G posters or understand the symbology of the red flag flying in the main hall.
The red ensign – Australia's maritime flag – has become a defining symbol of sovereign citizens.
Darren Bergwerf started My Place as a meeting place for people opposed to COVID vaccinations. He is a sovereign citizen, meaning he does not believe Australian laws and institutions are valid and subscribes to the conspiracy theory that a global cabal is plotting to remove ordinary citizens' freedoms.
My Place is part of Mr Bergwerf's plan to "re-educate" Australians and build a parallel society in preparation for what he believes is the inevitable collapse of civilisation as we know it.
"Once people understand where we're at and what's happened, I think you'll find that things will change," Mr Bergwerf said.
"We're not divisive; we're trying to bring people together."
My Place is keen to present as ordinary, but behind the scenes, Mr Bergwerf has spoken of a "war for humanity … a war we can't lose".
Last November, the group welcomed guest speaker Riccardo Bosi, a former SAS soldier who has called for politicians, health workers, and bureaucrats to be hanged for their role in pandemic management.
Mr Bergwerf was also endorsed by Mr Bosi at last year's federal and Victorian elections.
"He has his views; they aren't my views," Mr Bergwerf said.
"There'll be people in here that have views that aren't my views … we're trying to be in the middle."
In the days before 7.30 attended his market, Mr Bergwerf shared anti-Semitic conspiracy theories to a My Place social media channel.
When quizzed about its contents, he condemned last month's demonstration by neo-Nazis in Melbourne but said he believed there was a question mark over the Holocaust in part because "I wasn't there".
The group's beliefs and aims raise alarm bells for Deakin University extremism expert Dr Josh Roose.
"They're highly adept at couching the language in that of love, of wellbeing and caring about others and community and so on," Dr Roose said.
"If you cut to the heart of the vocabulary and the language used, and you cut to the heart of the conspiratorial thinking that informs it, then this is an extreme group."
My Place may be fringe, but it is growing. Analysis of social media sites by conspiracy theory researchers at podcast Tinfoil Tales shared with 7.30 shows the group has thousands of followers on social media sites across branches in five different states.
And an internal strategy document seen by 7.30 reveals the group's plans to take on local councils.
Aim to get 'constant control over council decisions'
Local government has become a flashpoint for conspiracy theorists around the country in recent months.
Police have been called to council meetings in South Australia, while a January meeting of the Yarra Ranges Council in Victoria was temporarily halted over disruption from community members.
The protests are centred on different motions and concerns but are generally linked by misinformation claiming councils are part of a global push to restrict the rights of ratepayers, often through town planning.
University of Queensland professor Katharine Gelber said modern-day conspiracy theories spread quickly through amplification on social media.
"The whole business model [of social media companies] is kind of premised on the idea of people being fed information that the algorithms think is going to make someone click more," she said.
"And that means they're fed material that's going to make them angry; they're fed material that's going to make them dissatisfied and uncomfortable because they're more likely to forward that on; they're more likely to click on it, they're more likely to read it."
A My Place slideshow outlining the structure of the organisation encourages branches to create a "council action group", whose role is to attend council meetings with the eventual aim to "establish constant control over council decisions".
Mr Bergwerf has also been "elected" the mayor of the People's Council of Frankston – a shadow council to the genuine Frankston Council, which declined to comment.
Councillor denies being part of My Place
Far from Frankston, in NSW's Hunter Valley, My Place is having an effect.
At Cessnock Council's March meeting, councillor Jessica Jurd brought a notice of motion on 15-Minute and Smart Cities. Cessnock is not signed up for either initiative, both of which aim to make life easier for residents but are viewed as covert tools of control by conspiracy theorists.
My Place Newcastle promoted the notice of motion ahead of the meeting, but Cr Jurd claimed she was neither aware of nor part of the group.
She told 7.30 a now-deleted Facebook account under the name "Jezz Jurdy" — which, rebranded to "Jj Jjurdyy", shares her maiden name, requested My Place merchandise for council meetings and appeared in a My Place group chat thanking members for coming to the "friggen epic" March meeting — was not her.
"I'm a good person who goes to council meetings and asks the questions I can ask," she said.
"I just can't believe asking a question can cause so much buzz like this."
Mr Bergwerf said he was not sure whether Cr Jurd was a member of My Place but confirmed she had addressed My Place members in the past.
"She was on a Zoom call explaining how we should be approaching the council if we want to approach the council and giving a bit of an idea of what would work and what definitely wouldn't work," he said.
Professor Gelber, the head of UQ's School of Political Science and International Studies, said My Place's focus on local councils was "alarming".
"I think we should be worried if these kinds of people are targeting any level of government, whether it's local, state, territory or federal," she said.
Dr Roose said councils needed to be aware of the group's aims.
"What we're seeing here is a movement that is quite politically extreme in its outlook," he said.
"What we're seeing here is a manifestation of the freedom movement, albeit in a more formal manner."
7.30 sent Home Affairs a series of questions on My Place, its plans to target local councils, sovereign citizens and the spread of misinformation.
A spokesperson said: "The Department of Home Affairs is concerned about the proliferation of misinformation and disinformation in online environments, particularly those that influence Australia's national security, democratic values and social cohesion.
"The department is working across government and with academia to develop approaches to misinformation and disinformation."
'It woke me up a little bit'
Back at the farmers' market, attendees are keen to stress they are just regular community members concerned about the country's future.
Gail Ash is 71. Since joining My Place about 14 months ago, she has become its events organiser and started attending meetings of her local council.
"I've been such a good little girl, believed everything I was ever told, trusted the government, trusted the councils, and just having these speakers come down and learning a little bit more about the background, it woke me up a little bit," she said.
"I go to the council meetings now because I want to know. I did question the CEO of my local council about the 5G towers, and he couldn't answer me."
Watch 7.30, Mondays to Thursdays 7.30pm on ABC iview and ABC TV
