Move over Jon Snow. Take cover King Arthur. There's a new band of armoured warriors in town. Well, in Albion Park near Wollongong in New South Wales, to be exact.
The Knights of Albion is a small but mighty clan that competes in bouts of "buhurt" — the sport of historic medieval combat.
Participants typically fight in five-on-five teams, donning shining steel suits from head to toe and using blunted weapons to force their opponents to the ground.
Scott James, a founding member of the community club, discovered the sport at a medieval festival in Queensland in 2018.
"It's like martial arts but in armour," James said.
"We have very strict rules like no hits behind the knees or neck, but it does still look a little chaotic."
If you stumbled upon the Knights of Albion training at the local park, as they do three times a week, you might assume it is an elaborate re-enactment from centuries past.
But once you hear the clangour of swords and the groans of exhaustion, you quickly realise there's nothing fake about it.
"It's not fantasy. It's not LARP [live action role play]. It's very historical," he said.
"You get a chance to feel exactly what it was like in the 14th and 15th centuries, but you're not going to die.
"We've still got to go to work the next day."
Historical accuracy a must
Fighters need to follow historical requirements for their armour and weapons to compete at official tournaments, although there is some leniency.
For example, many suits are made from titanium, a metal derived from an element that was not discovered until the 18th century.
"The armour we have is based on pictures and tapestries from museums," James said.
"This is the state-of-the-art technology from the 14th century. It was designed to save people's lives."
Unsurprisingly, falchion swords, hatchet axes or brigandine chest pieces are not for sale at retail sports stores.
They are usually made by European blacksmiths and will set you back thousands of dollars, meaning fighters must become handy repairers.
"We have kit nights, I like to call it 'Netflix and stitch', where we teach members to fasten with pop rivets or sew leather straps," he said.
"[Armour is] doing its job if it breaks down.
"It breaks, so I don't."
'Just like any contact sport'
It takes real estate agent Anton Summerfields about 20 minutes to ditch his business suit and gear up in 30 kilograms of armour.
He has only been in the sport for a year but said it was the best form of exercise he had ever done.
"I don't like going to gyms, and this is a next-level type of fitness," he said.
"You get to lose some aggression, so it helps with my mental health, and I've lost a fair bit of weight doing it."
While fear of injury is a natural worry for some, the Knights of Albion believe buhurt is less dangerous than other contact sports.
"I feel safer playing this than playing tackle footy," Summerfields said.
"There's that much padding inside our armour and helmets. We're better protected."
Buhurters on the international stage
The sport is steadily growing in Australia, with 15 clubs and more than 170 active fighters across the country.
Two Australian teams, the Brisbane Beasts and Melbourne's Team Kraken, recently competed at the Buhurt League World Cup in Prague, Czech Republic.
Their combined efforts claimed 4th place in the men's 12-on-12 fight and individual gold medals in the men's and women's 'Sword and Buckler' category.
While the Knights of Albion have their future sights set on the international stage, their current focus is raising enough funds to train at purpose-built facilities.
They will also compete at Sydney's medieval fair, Winterfest, in July.
"Getting into this has awakened my inner kid and sparked that fire of sport and competition again," Summerfields said.
"I'd love to put the [green and gold] jersey on one day. I am very ambitious."
