Australian revellers celebrate the outback with beer and bull-riding in Deniliquin
The Deni Ute Muster, which celebrated its 20th anniversary this weekend, is the biggest festival of its kind in the world, drawing about 20,000 people
Thousands of revellers have flocked to the rural Australian town of Deniliquin in a rowdy celebration of their love of utility vehicles and the outback, with whip-cracking and bull-riding contests among the highlights.
The Deni Ute Muster, which celebrated its 20th anniversary this weekend, is the biggest festival of its kind in the world.
It draws some 20,000 revellers and 6,000 utility vehicles – known locally as utes – from across the vast continent to the small town of Deniliquin around 700km southwest of Sydney.
“It’s a gathering of utes, an iconic event that celebrates lots of rural Australia,” said Vicky Lowry, the festival’s general manager.
The two-day event has outlasted other festivals held in Australia by embracing the nation’s rural heritage, including the ubiquitous ute commonly used on farms.
First built in Australia in the 1930s by the Ford Motor Company, the ute was believed to have been designed to specifically cater to local farming families, and has since become a symbol of the country’s outback culture.