What is Steampunk?

Steampunk is more than a fashion style.

It is about creativity and creating. Through your own personal journey, you will find yourself interacting with the public and even with your closest friends—in ways you may not have imagined before, sharing your love for a truly limitless style of art.

Across Australia, thousands of people attend festivals, create incredible costumes, build remarkable inventions, perform music, write stories, run markets and keep the spirit of steampunk alive. Until now, there has been no single place bringing it all together.

You can become whoever you want to be,

and you will be surrounded by and supported by people who share your interests. You may take on another persona, express yourself grandly and colourfully, and allow yourself to grow alongside your creativity.

In doing so, you will discover a sense of community.

Perhaps even an untapped creative vein will come to the fore after meeting others. You will encounter like‑minded people who are as imaginative as yourself, each with their own story to tell. Some of those stories may involve overcoming adversity—learning difficulties, depression, or any of the many challenges people face.

Through making art, whether fashion, mechanical, intricate, or large, you will bring joy to your group, to others, and of course to yourself, while educating the public about history and art. Steampunk, after all, is a perfect blend of the two.

You will become a shining example that adversity can be overcome, and that great things are possible even if the road has been difficult. Many who have suffered hardship feel a duty to show others a way forward, to be living proof of what is possible. They demonstrate that one can face challenges such as depression, and that creativity can be both an outlet and a shield against the darkness of suffering.

Written by Petar McAnix, with thoughts by Dijor.