For 76 years, cricket fans from across the state have poured into Charters Towers - bringing with them creative team names, a zest for the sport, and three-days of fun.
The Goldfield Ashes, mayor Frank Beveridge says, is one of the region's biggest annual pilgrimage events, and on January 19 it will return to Charters Towers in its usual spectacular fashion.
With team names such as 'Pitches Be Crazy', 'Here For The Beers', 'Got The Runs', '99 Problems But A Pitch Aint One', 'The Bowled and Beautiful' and 'Got The Gear No Idea', you are guaranteed the event will be an entertaining one, to say the least.
"It's a fantastic event. Everyone has a tie to someone in the Goldfield Ashes, whether it's their kids, father, or wife," Cr Beveridge said.
"We're incredibly fortunate that we have a junior and senior cricket club in Charters Towers and they both keep their fields in very good condition. We've got all the schools and a dozen council ovals involved.
"We have a fantastic formula where people make their own entertainment, and it's great for our pubs, clubs, takeaway establishments, and businesses to pay their rates in one weekend."
You'll be hard pressed finding somewhere to stay in Charters Towers this weekend, with all accommodation booked out a year in advance.
Cr Beveridge has played in the Ashes for 37 years straight in the Gold City Tuggers, but this year he'll take a back seat to enjoy the fun.
But he's revealed a very intense training regime that he used to get him in Goldfields shape.
"Last year I played. I don't want to ruin my current level of expertise with practise. We didn't do too bad," he said.
"We were in (the) social (division). We had a bit of training regime a few months out, where we'd watch half an hour of cricket and build to two hours.
"Every year I go to the Ashes, I always run into people I haven't seen in five to 10 years...they went to school in Charters Towers or worked here once in the DPI or the police or another industry and moved somewhere else in Queensland."
Up to 240 teams will pour in from across Queensland - hailing from Brisbane, Weipa, Mount Isa, and many from Townsville.
"It's more sociable than anything. It's a weekend away with the lads or the family. There are two or three generations playing in teams," Cr Beveridge said.
"The vast majority are teams that have been running for 20, 30 to 40 years. They've been doing it for very long time. The fathers hand it down to sons, and now we have women's and Indigenous teams. It's a fantastic reflection of everyone in the community."
The 20/20 format brings together teams across all ages and divisions, from 10 years and up, the teams play across junior, social, A grade, B1, B2, C grade classes at council, school, and cricket field land, as well as on private properties.
And while the city's most popular sports are usually rugby league, rugby union, and equestrian, Cr Beveridge says the annual event is the perfect way to expose the younger generation to a new field of practise.
"It's a really good social event. Everyone's on the same page...out to have fun. It's a really enjoyable weekend," he said.
"It's one of those events everyone's heard of and a lot of people have tried to replicate in their towns, but they haven't got the fields or the amount of volunteers (we have). We have had volunteers coming for dozens of years...and we have a number of grass wickets like no where else.
"It's magnificent. A lot of regional towns would just do just about anything to have a guaranteed three days when the town is booked out and busy.
"I'd like to thank the volunteers for their hard work, and we appreciate the hard work of the players...(as well as) Craig McAllister, the chairman, and his team...his whole family gets involved. We couldn't do it without them."
Cattleman's Rest Motor Inn owner Allison Mulligan is one of the operators reaping the benefits of the busy three day event - with her accommodation booked out a year in advance by the same returning teams each year.
"Because it gets so busy, it touches everyone - shopping centres, fast food outlets, retail shops," she said.
"Because it's been going for so long, it's got its own momentum now, and I think word of mouth, people talking about coming on year and what a great time they had, other people want to get on board."
Ms Mulligan has owned the family business motor inn since 2002, and is busily in the process of re-opening the restaurant and organising the new menus to cater for next weekend's guests.
"It's always been a big weekend. It's definitely all ages, singles and families, you name it."
