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Thousands of fans of medieval history from around the world will descend on western Sydney this weekend to take a step back in time and experience the dark world of our ancestors.
The Medieval Fayre at Blacktown kicked off today and saw a village come to life with lords and ladies, knights in full armour, jesters, scary hunchbacks and a jousting competition.
Jousters from Australia, Germany and the US took to their horses to compete for the prestigious title.
Darrell Bossley, a retired blacksmith, calls himself an "apprentice" and said the full-body armour makes jousting just as hard as it looks.
"The best thing about armour is taking it off," he said.
"It makes it very hard to ride — you can't see, you can't hear and you can't feel because you are in a case of steel.
"The armour weighs 57 kilograms, I weight 79, so it's fairly heavy in comparison."
Mr Bossley said the rules of jousting were the same as those back in the 14th century, but balsa tips were now used on the jousts for safety.
Taking the hits
Michael Hyslop, from the Vanguard Historical Re-enactment Guild, acted as a human target on Saturday during a projectile display.
Various weapons from bows and arrows to a trebuchet were used to hit Mr Hyslop who was dressed as a "medieval tank".
"I think I'm probably the most disliked person in the club," he said.
"Luckily they aren't good shots."
Knights Templar wanted
Also along the medieval magic one can find members of the Knights Templar of Australia who are recruiting for new, younger members.
Sir Robert Allan Charles Cherry, one of the knights, said although the Templars used to be a religious order combining the roles of knight and monk, they are now open to all religions.
"We are getting older and we need younger members to carry on the traditions of chivalry and historical facts," he said.
The group, based in Blacktown, used to have 30 members, but because of ageing and illness numbers are dwindling.
"We carry on the traditions of historical manners, it's something we hold close to our heart and we search and seek the truth in all matters."
Topics: human-interest, carnivals-and-festivals, blacktown-2148