It’s 4am on Saturday, July 15, and a queue of around 100 shivering Sydneysiders snakes around the corner to the Verona Gallery at 17 Oxford Street, Paddington.

Some have camped there overnight, and as the minutes go by, dozens more join. It’s the heart of winter, and doors aren’t opening for another four hours. But these people aren’t going anywhere – not when there are works by Archibald Prize winners up for grabs.