Elvis Presley fans are preparing for their annual pilgrimage to a rural town as the "Elvis Express" prepares to leave the station.
The annual Elvis Festival in the central west NSW town of Parkes began on Wednesday, coinciding with what would have been the King of Rock'n'Roll's 90th birthday.
But hundreds of Elvis fans will bring their bejewelled jumpsuits to Sydney's Central railway station on Thursday morning for the departure of the Elvis Express.
Peter White will be driving the "party train" to Parkes for a third year. (Bianca De Marchi/AAP PHOTOS)
The special event service will transform one of the state's regional XPT trains with performances from tribute artists throughout the almost seven-hour journey when it departs the station about 8.20am.
Specially named carriages include the All Shook Up Shuttle, Burning Love Bullet and Priscilla's Place, with the train to be welcomed into town shortly before 3pm.
Train driver Peter White is marking his third year at the helm of the Elvis Express and told AAP in December it's a "party train".
"The actual route is the same, but obviously the passengers are very different," Mr White told AAP.
"It's quite a spectacle, once the train is loaded up ... then it's singing and dancing all the way to Parkes."
The 32nd year of the annual Parkes Elvis Festival is themed around Presley's 1967 film Easy Come, Easy Go.
Beginning in 1993, the festival has grown significantly, recently attracting more than 20,000 people, swelling the Parkes population of roughly 11,000, and injecting more than $11 million into the local economy.
Attendees can compete in the Elvis and Priscilla Presley lookalike competitions, alongside other events including busking, rock'n'roll dancing, and tribute performance contests.