It's been a weekend of highs and lows in south-west Queensland as thousands across the country flocked to Birdsville for one of the most isolated horse racing events in Australia.
But the excitement of the 2018 event pales in comparison to what two geologists went through just to get to the track.
Henry Hunter and Adyn Tuart set off on their journey from Emerald in central Queensland, manoeuvring through seemingly endless dirt tracks in big sky country on the 1,100 kilometre drive.
"It was our first day driving out and we took a roo to the passenger side door," Mr Hunter said.
"It smashed the side door, taking it out, and it wouldn't open after that.
"The only way out from that door was winding down the window and climbing out or out of the driver's side door."
Mr Hunter said it was only a matter of time before the pair was confronted by another charging marsupial.
"About 15 minutes later we were driving out of Barcaldine and another roo smashed into the driver's side of the car," he said.
"That doesn't open anymore either."
Despite it looking like the odds were against the pair, they were determined to continue their pilgrimage to the west.
"I was worried about what would happen if we hit one more roo. I mean, I wasn't sure what we would do," Mr Tuart said.
"But we made the best of it. We've been climbing in and out of the windows and it's been fine.
"It's been something to talk about and a bit of a laugh for everyone and definitely a talking point as we've met people in the outback."
On the way to the horse races, the pair stopped off in Windorah, just over four hours north of Birdsville, for the annual yabbie races.
Hundreds gathered in the blocked-off streets of the small outback town to bid on their favourites to win, with the highest bets reaching close to $1,500.
Mr Tuart said it was during the yabbie auction that their luck seemed to turn around.
"Henry convinced me that we had to buy a yabbie while we were there," Mr Tuart said.
"So we put on $400, kind of by mistake. We thought we'd only put our hands up for $200 at the auction," said Mr Hunter.
"It was the cheapest [bet] of the day but we ended up winning $1,725 … which was incredible.
"So we were thinking when we get to our final destination we'll put the money toward fixing the car."
With their winnings, the pair continued on to Birdsville, joining 5,000 others from across the country for the two-day racing event.
But their journey didn't end there. Mr Hunter and Mr Tuart will travel a further 1,600 kilometres to Uluru before heading home.
"[There have been a] lot of lows and a lot of highs in this journey, but we'd definitely recommend it to others travelling out this way," Mr Tuart said.