Commuters in the Kirkconnell area on Saturday would've been spared the thought of feeling they had time-travelled back to the middle ages on Saturday, as professional jousters galloped at each other with lances in tow.
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The jousters were in Kirkconnell as part of the preparation for the inaugural Orange Medieval Faire, scheduled for March 19 and 20.
Event founder Andrew McKinnon said that jousting, in many ways, is history's original 'extreme sport'.
"We've run plenty of these fairs across Sydney in the past, and jousting has never failed to be a major drawcard," Mr McKinnon said.
"It's one of those activities where several skills are required to become proficient at it, so jousting is not an easy sport to pick up by any means.
"Horse-riding is obviously a prerequisite, as 50 per cent of the exercise is being able to train and nurture a horse for the purpose of sprinting, then there's the armour, which has to be custom-made to ensure it fits properly [just like in medieval times], and the skill with the lance, which requires being able to be proficient with weapons on horseback.
We've run plenty of these fairs across Sydney in the past, and jousting has never failed to be a major drawcard.
- Andrew McKinnon, Orange Medieval Faire founder
"There's a great deal of practice, time and money involved, so you really need to be committed."
Mr McKinnon said the jousting practice was in Kirkconnell because it's the home of Rod Walker, one of the progenitors of jousting as a sport in Australia.
"Rod's a former world champion, and he's owned a property out at Kirkconnell for several years," he said.
"I've been coming to train at Rod's property since 2007, and he kindly offered to host Saturday's training session for us."
Mr McKinnon said the Orange Medieval Fair will also feature many other attractions relevant to the time period.
"There will be a mounted Roman cavalry display, a medieval catapult hurling watermelons up to 150 metres and a knight school for children to try their hand with a [kid-friendly] sword and shield," he said.
"Badlands Brewing will also be making a special beer for the adult crowd, and there will be plenty of medieval fun for a wide range of people, from children to families, and especially fans of television shows such as Game of Thrones and The Witcher."
The event has been made possible thanks to a $200,000 grant from the state government's Regional Events Acceleration Fund.
The Orange Medieval Faire will take place at the Orange Showgrounds on March 19 and 20.
For tickets and more information, visit orangemedievalfaire.com.au.
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Sam Bolt
"I'm not in the business of telling people what to do. I'm much more in the business of describing things, situations and stuff like that and leaving them out there, and you can make up your minds about them." -Nick Cave
"I'm not in the business of telling people what to do. I'm much more in the business of describing things, situations and stuff like that and leaving them out there, and you can make up your minds about them." -Nick Cave
