'They've really embraced us': rural Muslims celebrate Eid without a mosque

But as the only Muslim family for miles, they've had to get creative about their faith, especially during the holy month of Ramadan.

"My wife does a lot with little decorations, she puts up little pockets with little prizes and Islamic questions in it," the father said.

"We try to do as much as we can with the kids at home."

The family of six moved to Mirrool in south-west NSW in 2019. They are among the almost two billion Muslims in the world who have been fasting from sunrise to sunset every day since March 11.

At the sighting of the moon, most likely on April 10, Ramadan will end and the 'Festival of Breaking the Fast' or Eid al-Fitr will begin.

For the Arja family, this means piling their four children into the car and heading to the mosque in Young to join other regional Muslims, about 140 kilometres away.

"It's not recommended to live far away from the mosque because it's a compulsory thing where Muslims have to attend," Mr Arja said.

"We chose this, and maybe one day there will be a mosque out here, you never know."

Eid al-Fitr celebrations involve gathering for prayer in large congregations, sharing food, giving to charity and visiting loved ones.

Muslims in the town of Young make up 4.4 per cent of the population of more than 10,000.

Shageer and Sazma Mohammed also made the treechange from Sydney to a small town with no mosque in 2021.

The Glen Innes couple will open their home to their neighbours and the community during Eid al-Fitr as an opportunity to show hospitality.

"You want to share that happiness with other community members with not just your Muslim friends and families," Mr Mohammed said.

During Ramadan, the Mohammeds also held an Iftar dinner at the community centre which offered free meals to anyone, including those in need.

He says that as a Muslim in a regional area, Ramadan and Eid are about creating awareness in the community on what it means to be a Muslim.

"We always say it's the equivalent to our Christmas," he said.

Since moving to the town of 6,000 people, Mr Mohammed says he, his wife and mother-in-law have been welcomed.

"They [the community] realise that diversity in different ideas and religions ... is good for the town," he said.

"They've really embraced us."

Some larger regional centres have growing Islamic populations with Ramadan and Eid celebrations bringing unity among Muslim believers from all ethnicities.

Muslim Association of the Riverina Wagga Wagga Australia's (MARWA) Dr Sajid Latif has seen a greater than usual turn out to daily prayers over Ramadan.

"It [Ramadan] is an opportunity where people are working together, connected together, building strong bonds, strengthening their faith and exercising unity," he said.

Dr Latif said that regional cities with only one mosque created a more diverse Islamic community where the community was not based on ethnic background, as was often the case in larger cities.

"There's a sense of togetherness and often you're opening your dinner table to others [and] it's spiritual and rewarding to them," he said.

"I could safely say that probably more than two-thirds of the days in the whole month, I would have a knock on my door of people dropping [in] over food."

Due to the impacts of the ongoing war in Gaza, many Muslims around the world are subduing their Eid celebrations out of solidarity for those impacted by the conflict.