April was steampunk month.
It was the 36th anniversary of the coining of the word ‘steampunk’ to describe the literary genre by KW Jeter.
It is the birthday month of the main character in my first steampunk series, The Adventures of Viola Stewart.
It was the month I revealed my new steampunk short story collection, and the month we travelled interstate (5 hours drive) from Adelaide to Dimboola for the Wimmera Steampunk Festival.
The drive took six hours; there was the inevitable roadworks, April burnoffs, and ‘tea’ breaks – one of which resulted a fortuitous find at the ’24 Seven Cafe’ at Tailem Bend: the most deliciously sinful chocolate fudge brownie, with emphasis on the chocolate fudge. (We stopped there on the return trip for more!)
This year accommodation in Dimboola booked out quickly, with many having to stay in the surrounding townships. We stayed in Horsham – about a 30 minute drive from Dimboola – equivalent to our usual jaunt to the city here in Adelaide.
The town of Dimboola really got into the mood, with local businesses on Lloyd and Lochiel Streets joining the atmosphere. The Victoria hotel is worth the visit if you love 19thC Victorian architecture and design – with dark wood interiors highlighted with strong colours and gorgeous curiosities, and the perfect spot to sit and watch the world go by.
The Wimmera Steampunk Festival is a combination of street party (theme: Time Traveller’s Soiree), creator markets, costume parade, and music – ranging through rock, folk, and even a brass band (which, like the Pied Piper – had revellers trailing it as they processed along the street), and a light show over the Dimboola Imaginarium (residing in the historic bank building).
Though the ‘Time Travellers’ Soiree’ was held on the Saturday, there were other steampunk-related events over the weekend, including a Poe play, Steampunk dinner, more bands, and two author talks, one by Perth author Carol Ryles on the Friday, the second by yours truly at the Dimboola Imaginarium on Sunday.
Sunday 23rd April is also the birthday of the main character in my first steampunk series, The Adventures of Viola Stewart. To celebrate, I gave all talk attendees an eBook copy of my upcoming steampunk short story collection Cogs and Conspiracies scheduled for release on 17th May.
The event itself was full of the whimsy, individuality, makers ethic, and joy which is an integral part of steampunk. Most attendees garbed up in their steampunk finery, with some astounding creations of their imagination.
I finally got to meet The Brass Harpies in person – a trio of amazing women who promote steampunk – who I’ve been chatting to online for years (it was lockdown, remember). (Looking forward to them making the trip over for our own Adelaide Steampunk Aetherfest).
The event was organised by Chan Uoy, owner of the Dimboola Imaginarium, and sponsored by many local businesses. Thank you Chan and Dimboola for a fantastic event, to Chan for hosting my talk on Sunday, and to everyone who attended. Apologies to those who couldn’t attend as the room was full.
I want to particularly thank the staff of Horsham Priceline for their invaluable help. I’d left my painkillers behind in Adelaide (they were on the bench, ready to pack, when we got home) and I had a major fibroflare on Saturday night after a extremely long day. Fortunately, I had a script on file at the pharmacy in South Australia, so with a little email technology, they saved the day and I could function on Sunday for my talk. (Phew!)
And here’s my event video:
I’m looking forward to attending the next Wimmera Steampunk Festival in 2025.
(My Patreon supporters got a sneak peek and extended behind the scenes version. You can support me at: https://www.patreon.com/KarenJCarlisle)