General News
2 May, 2023
A feast for the eyes and the imagination
At least 4000 people swooped into Dimboola for the town's big ticket event of the year, declaring the Wimmera Steampunk Festival a runaway success. Hundreds poured through the gates on Saturday night, adding to the 3000-plus ticketed attendees, and...
At least 4000 people swooped into Dimboola for the town's big ticket event of the year, declaring the Wimmera Steampunk Festival a runaway success.
Hundreds poured through the gates on Saturday night, adding to the 3000-plus ticketed attendees, and not including many more who browsed the market stalls and side acts outside the main stage precinct.
The weekend-long festival was an enormous money-spinner for the town, as store doors stayed open into the night, welcoming the world of weird and whimsy that is Steampunk.
Leanne Combrink of 2J's in Dimboola's main street said they began the evening with around a dozen Steampunk-themed hats, three dozen pairs of goggles and hundreds of masks.
"We only have the one hat left in the window," she said just after 6.30pm.
"There are four pairs of goggles left, wait - there goes another pair - now there are three. And the cabinet which was full of masks is looking almost empty."
"It was superb," said festival organiser Chan Uoy. "This is what living in the Wimmera is all about to me - the community. This wouldn't happen if it wasn't for community support.
"And the calibre of costumes was so high. If you were a first-timer in Dimboola, expecting a small town, you would be blown away by some of the images you see out there.
"Having a group of professional photographers from the Horsham Camera Club who donated their pictures to us has just elevated us to new heights."
The town can catch its breath before the festival returns in 2025 with its Carnival of Peculiarities - unlike Mr Uoy.
"We want to transform Dimboola into a fantastical 19th century carnival with acrobats, stilt walkers, a hall of mirrors, a freak show, Gypsy fortune tellers - the works," he said.
"One thing is for sure - and it is hard - but we need more volunteers. We need quadruple the number of volunteers.
"I'm already looking ahead at ways to keep the momentum going between now and 2025."
Steampunk in pictures: pages 8-9 plus many more in our Life liftout.