Labour Day Weekend means many different things to Australians.

For some a chance to reflect on hard-won working hours and conditions, for others a chance to get away for a few days with the family and relax.

For Rugby League fans, of course it's about the culmination of the NRL season with the Grand Final between the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles and the Sydney City Roosters.

But if you're serious about utes, all roads on the Labour Day weekend lead to Deniliquin - or Deni as it's known to locals - and its ute muster.

Since it started in 1999, with a gathering of utes to set a Guinness Book of Records world mark, Deni's homage to this uniquely Australian workhorse and play-thing has become the biggest event of its kind in the world.

This year around 20,000 ute owners & ute lovers have driven to the sprawling Muster site on the northern edge of the New South Wales Riverina township.

They all tend to be fairly self-sufficient, bringing with them all the necessary creature comforts for a couple of days of camping, cooking and partying hard.

The entertainment ranges from whip cracking, swag tossing, rodeos and a country music festival to the centre pieces - a Concours d'Elegance for utes and the annual Australian Circle Work Championships, a V8-powered pirouette in the dirt that brings the faithful to the main arena in their thousands.

It's raw, visceral fun and games that's not a bit politically-correct, and it has become a huge part of the local economy.

Deni's Muster is managed for the Shire Council by an organisation that's responsible for developing and maintaining the infrastructure capable of coping with thousands of visitors as well as staging a two-day music and entertainment programme headlined this year by American country superstar Alan Jackson.

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. Listen Duration: 3 minutes 3 m Deni Ute Muster for Labour Day Weekend ( Pete Lewis ) Download 1.4 MB

The group has done so well that this year they added a Blues & Roots Festival starring Santana, Bonnie Raitt, Zac Brown and the Steve Miller Band, which attracted big crowds over Easter.

Mayor Lindsay Renwick - a proud ute owner himself - says Deniliquin has created a successful series of events that now draw not only huge crowds from across Australia but recognition that they are among the best in the country .

"It is all about creating jobs and a sense of pride in our community," he said.

"We have shown other small regional towns just what they are capable of when locals put their heads together."

The Deniliquin Ute Muster won gold at the 2012 NSW Tourism Awards in the Festival & Events category largely due to the ongoing economic and tourism benefits the event brings to the local area

Karla Notley, marketing manager of the Deniliquin Ute Muster, says that entering and winning the award has been an amazing process and achievement for both the event and the town.

"We’re really proud of winning the award," she said.

"It’s helped us secure lots of great publicity for the area, but more importantly it’s helped us get some really big name acts for this year’s ute muster.

"We also used our award win to launch and host the inaugural Deniliquin Blues & Roots Festival in April 2013. It was a huge success with more than 5,000 people in attendance each day."

The Deniliquin Ute Muster also won gold at the 2012 National Qantas Australia Tourism Awards in the Festivals and Events category and in July was inducted into the Inland Tourism Awards' Hall of Fame.