The race is in its 40^th year and takes place alongside the Evandale Village Fair.

Kate Rowe, one of the organisers, said the event initially started as a race between six to seven riders in Tunbridge and eventually grew into an international event at Evandale.

The competition has drawn riders from around the world and this year organisers are expecting riders from the UK and New Zealand.

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"And all the other penny farthing events in Europe and the UK always quote the Evandale format for setting up their events so it's actually quite a famous event," she said.

Penny farthings are a common sight in Evandale and it's not unusual to spot penny farthing riders as you're having a coffee on the verandah, Ms Rowe said.

This year will feature several young people from Evandale taking part in the competition. However, Ms Rowe said the race with the highest number of competitors this year would be the 70-plus category.

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The event has had a few disruptions over the years due to COVID-19. Last year's event only featured the race without the village fair. However, both events will be running this year side by side.

The village fair will include a performance by Tania Kernaghan, puppets, a circus and maypole dancing. There'll also be food stalls and three different Tasmanian brewers.

Ms Rowe said a lot of the riders compete in period costume and many in the village "get decked out for the day", all of which make Evandale look a little like it did during the 19^th century.

The village fair takes place on Saturday, February 18 while the races run over the weekend. For more information, visit the Evandale Village Fair website.

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