The small outback Queensland town of Roma might be best known for its cattle saleyards – the largest in the Southern Hemisphere – but now, it's on the international stage for something else: highland dancing.
For the second time in five years, a young Roma woman has been selected to dance in the prestigious Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo.
Residents, who live and work in jeans and boots, are excited, if not a little confused.
"I think the first thing they think is what are we wearing? Because a lot of community members have never seen a kilt before," says Tully Stone, who's been competing in the sport for most of her life.
"My Mum put my older sister into almost every sport offered in the small community, and highland [dancing] was just one of them, and I was her little follower, so I just joined in when it was my time," she says.
Now she'll be performing on the biggest highland dancing stage in the world, the esplanade of Edinburgh Castle, and doing so less than a year after finishing high school.
"It feels pretty surreal," Stone says.
"I did not think in a million years that I was going to make it because I'm just freshly 18, and obviously there's amazing dancers around the world that would've applied."
Outback training ground
While fewer than 7,000 people call Roma home, the local highland dance studio has no trouble attracting students.
"It's definitely becoming popular, there's quite a big waitlist, that's for sure," Stone says.
Behind Roma's keenness on kilts is dance instructor Glenys Hughes, who's been teaching the sport in town for 25 years.
"I think when I first started with an existing teacher here, we possibly had about 15 students. Currently, I have about 67 students dancing with us," Ms Hughes says.
And it's become a spectacle for the whole community.
"We perform at school and church fetes, Christmas parades and things like that.
"It's not necessarily suited to the hot climate though, when you're wearing four metres worth of wool in your tartan kilt.
"It certainly does attract attention."
What does it take to be a Tattoo dancer?
For Tully Stone, being selected for the Tattoo has required plenty of hard work.
"I would definitely say it's a sport," she says.
"I think one of our dances is equivalent to a three-kilometre run, just purely because you're jumping on one foot for two-and-a-half minutes."
And Stone's commitment has paid off, with only three other Australians making the team.
Her dancing instructor believes she's always had what it takes.
"She started as a very little dancer. She always showed that she had that aptitude and strength and she's the sort of dancer that whatever task you gave her she would work at it until she got it," Ms Hughes says.
Watching on from Roma
As the Tattoo's August dates rapidly approach, the Roma community is already making plans to watch.
"It makes you so proud that someone from Roma can actually be seen dancing on the world stage," Ms Hughes says.
Whether it's from the stands or from 15,000 kilometres away, Stone knows she'll be well supported.
"My Mum is definitely going to be there because she grew up watching the Tattoo. She loves the bagpipes," Stone says.
"I said to my Dad, 'Are you going to come over and watch?' and he said, 'Why would I do that when I can just watch it on the telly on New Year's Eve?'"
"I went, 'alright, I'll let you off on this one'."
