Ute Muster - Background

Background

Often ute musters are combined with a larger festival such as a rodeo, agricultural show or music festival, and are usually sponsored by companies which are local to where the muster is being held.

Ute musters are often mis-represented as being attended by yobbos who just like to drink, this is no longer the case, but instead an outlet for enthusiastic ute owners to show off their pride and joy in their vehicles which are personalised with lights, stickers, bull bars, and various after-market add-ons. They are generally held to raise money for towns, charities and local causes, and have run in conjunction with agricultural shows or Bachelor and Spinster Balls which raise money for local charities.

The Deniliquin Ute Muster is the largest event of its kind in the world. It is a stand-alone event which began as a celebration of all things Australian and the Aussie icon of the ute, and has developed into a two-day festival, with live music concerts, ute driving competitions, the Australian National Circle Work Championships TM, show and shine arena, and bull ride.

Ute enthusiasts tend to have an obsession with bumper stickers, often covering the entire rear window of the ute with them. Accumulating the most different stickers is a sort of status symbol which is often the deciding factor in many of the Beaut Ute competitions (see below). Some of the popular stickers are Bundaberg Rum, Holden, Jim Beam, Ute Muster and the Conargo Pub.