Once a year, on an outback cattle station in the heart of Queensland, hundreds of people gather for one of the last grass-fed amateur horse races in the state.
While you'll never see the horses that run at Tower Hill lining up at the Melbourne Cup, it's just as significant for the punters who trek to Hillview Station, near Muttaburra, for the four-day event.
Enduring world wars, droughts and pandemics, the Tower Hill Picnic Amateur Race Club event is a window into quintessential country racing that's increasingly rare but also increasingly treasured by an otherwise isolated community.
Tom Delahunty is among the "diehard" fans who camp out at the outback cattle station each year.
It's a chance for full-time farmers like him to hang up their work boots and become part-time horse trainers, jockeys and strappers.
"I feel like it's a family tradition for us," Mr Delahunty said.
"I'm third generation … my dad's been doing it for 40 odd years.
"We look forward to it every single year."
From tractors to trainers
Almost everywhere else, racehorses are fed corn, but for three months before the races, Mr Delahunty and his uncle John only feed their horses grass.
It's what makes Tower Hill and its sister event, Kooroorinya Races, unique but also part of this community's character.
There are no starting barriers, just a line of retirement-age horses ridden by once-a-year jockeys trying to trot to the start line at the same time.
If they miss it, the steward makes them start over. Sometimes it takes five goes.
It's chaotic, exciting, joyful and can't be found anywhere else.
The event, which was held on April 28 and April 29, had 55 horses and 15 races over the two days.
The Delahuntys trained 17 horses this year — more than any other trainers.
They achieved this by turning Bundella Station, north-west of Winton, into a makeshift racetrack, working the horses every day.
"Most of the horses are retired or finished in the corn-fed circuit," Mr Delahunty said.
"Then we take them to live their lives out with us."
"He said it was a "big job".
"It takes four to five hours every morning, and we're only leading them … if we were riding them, it would take even longer.
"You don't get much done for like a month either side between Tower Hill and Kooroorinya because you're just training horses.
"But it's fun. If you didn't enjoy it, you wouldn't do it."
'Wholesome fun"
The first Tower Hill race meet was held in 1909, and more than a century later remains one of the most popular and one of the few social events for locals.
In the years since then, they've battled dwindling populations, world wars, two global pandemics and devastating droughts, which forced a three-year hiatus between 2015 and 2018.
Through it all, the races brought the community together, giving them a break from hardships and a chance to reconnect with each other, something the dedicated volunteer committees are determined to continue.
Since the 1980s, the race has been held on Hillview Station, and current owner Winnie Batt has fond memories of the races as a child.
"At that time … it was just a bare paddock," Ms Batt said.
"The work they put in, erecting the shed, getting water and power … it's evident that over a long time, a lot of effort has gone into this event that runs just once a year."
While the event may only happen once a year, race club vice president Sam Nisbet says the sense of community is felt for months after the last race was run.
"The people that come here, they're pretty diehard, so we get the same crowd each year, which is really good," he said.
"We're quite lucky we're still quite a small event because everyone does know each other.
"You see kids running around. They're making use of a sandpit and a handful of toys, and they have an absolute ball.
"We do have a lot of history at this club … it's wholesome fun."
