As the daylight faded, the small regional town of Dimboola in western Victoria came alive with lights, music, classic cars, and enchantment.
More than 2,500 visitors, some coming from as far as Adelaide and the La Trobe Valley, attended the inaugural Wimmera Steampunk Festival over the weekend that showcased costumes, vintage cars, live music, and flash mobs.
Steampunk is a genre of science fiction that explores an alternate history inspired by the 19th century aesthetic and technology of steam power.
The mayor of Hindmarsh Council, Melanie Albrecht, said she had not seen anything like this gathering in Dimboola before.
"It's incredible, it's the most amazing night … the vibe, the music, it's just incredible," she said.
"It shows what we have to offer out here so we hope to get more people from the city to come and see what we've got."
Chan Uoy, the operator of the Dimboola Imaginarium who also organised the festival, said it was a bit of a "social experiment" but he was "blown away by the response".
He moved to Dimboola three years ago from Melbourne where he owned a restaurant in the Docklands.
Steampunk's appeal in country towns
The night exceeded everyone's expectations.
Local accommodation providers were booked our and shops were packed.
Antique shop owner, Jo Donnelly said the local op shop needed to redress their shop window about three times because people kept buying things.
Mr Uoy was aware that steampunk festivals were successful in small country towns in northern Queensland, New Zealand, and Finland.
He believed the familiarity of the 19th century aesthetic, fashion, and machinery made it appealing to rural communities.
"It's everything they're used to already, but steampunk re-imagines that in a fantastical way," he said.
Mr Uoy said the situation he found himself in was surreal.
Re-imagining the region's history
The Dimboola Imaginarium itself is housed in an old National Bank building which was built in 1909.
Inspired by an old photograph of the bank in its heyday, Mr Uoy saw the potential for a steampunk festival to re-imagine the accomplishments of the town in a more inclusive way.
"It's a fantastic, glorious photo that captured that moment in Dimboola's past," he said.
But Mr Uoy said it was "glaringly obvious" that there were no women, Aboriginal Australians, or Chinese in the picture.
He said there were roughly 200 Chinese people who banked there after the gold rush because it was the only bank between Horsham and South Australia.
"For me, as an Asian refugee who came into Australia during the late '70s which was also the tail end of the White Australia policy, I experienced racism myself growing up," Mr Uoy said.
He saw the steampunk festival as an opportunity to re-imagine history in a more inclusive way and invited the Nhill Karen Group, OASIS Wimmera, and the Filipino-Australian Club who performed dances and shared their cuisine.
Cecile Vence, a migrant liaison worker and vice president of the Filipino-Australian Club performed a flash mob dance with her group.
She said it was a privilege and honour to be socially included in a mainstream event.
"The journey we had during practices and rehearsals gave us an opportunity to be united, connected, and develop our creativity," said Ms Vence.
The festival provided an opportunity for Karen community members to combine their national dress with the steampunk aesthetic.
"I'm touched by that because it's embracing our heritage but also being part of our new life in Australia, especially the Wimmera," Mr Uoy said.
