In the small rural town of Deniliquin, on the edge of Australia's vast outback, around 20,000 "ute" lovers gathered in the mud to champion a national treasure deemed surplus to requirements by the big car manufacturers. Part car, part pickup truck, the Australian-made utility vehicle has become synonymous with farmers Down Under and is the centrepiece of the annual Deni Ute Muster festival, a two-day alcohol-fuelled celebration of all things rural Australia. Now in its 18th year, the festival has grown to include country music performances from Grammy award-winning artist Keith Urban, a rodeo, whip-cracking championship and gallery of artwork created with chainsaws. But it's the "utes" that keep the revellers coming back, even though a deluge of rain turned the usually dusty New South Wales state venue, some 300 km north of Melbourne, into a mud pit. REUTERS/Jason Reed SEARCH "UTE CULTURE" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "THE WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY Matching text: AUSTRALIA-UTE/