18th and 19th century re-enactment groups are also popular, and convey Australian interest in early colonial pre-federation military regiments.
The oldest surviving re-enactment groups in Australia are the Ancient and Medieval Martial Arts Society, originally established in 1971 and the New Varangian Guard founded in early 80s.
One of the older and most established groups Europa at Springwood NSW who focus on the Viking occupation of York.
In the ACT, the Dark Ages re-enactment group, Ancient Arts Fellowship (AAF) focuses on Viking, Norman, and Anglo Saxon portrayal.
This is a popular area of focus for the Kingdom of Lochac, a subgroup of the Society for Creative Anachronism in Australia.
The Knights Guild of Wessex and Mercia researches daily life in 12th century England and are located in South East Queensland.
The largest is the Pike and Musket Society (also known as the Routiers) and the New England Colonial Living History Group.
An example is New England Colonial Living History Group, located in Armidale, NSW There is some interest in American Civil War re-enactment, perhaps as a result of Australia's role in the conflict.
The Australian Medieval Conference is a large biennial event focusing on arts, culture, and combat of this period.
This event is a large Dark Age biennial Easter Gathering in Armidale in northern New South Wales.
This is a combination of re-enactment groups from various parts of the world namely Australia and New Zealand, held every second Easter in The Armidale Pine Forest.
[11][12] The Society for Creative Anachronism has held the Rowany Festival annually since April 1983,[13] and is the longest running medieval/living history event in Australia.
The first conference was held in the mid-1970s in a back yard, with the second hosted at the Macquarie University playing fields (now the M2 Toll Plaza) in October 1983.
There were many activities, including lectures and workshops on historical and cultural topics, arts and crafts, feasts, games, and combat.
It includes over 30 medieval re-enactment groups covering the period from 600 to 1600 AD in Europe and the Middle East.
It is held annually over the June weekend which has the second Monday, which was historically the Queens Birthday public holiday.
Held annually on the 23rd and 24 September, the St Ives Medieval Faire hosts the international jousting championships.