Steampunk@Altitude: How Mulwaree Online Helped Put a Small Town on the National Map
When the organisers of Steampunk@Altitude approached Mulwaree Online, they weren’t running a large-scale commercial festival. They were passionate community members in a high-altitude town on the New England Tablelands, determined to bring something quirky, creative, and unexpected to life.
What began as a modest regional event with a tight-knit following is now one of Australia’s most distinctive themed festivals. With attendees travelling from across the state—and even interstate—the festival has become a beacon for steampunk culture, creative tourism, and rural revitalisation.
The turning point? A full-stack digital transformation by Mulwaree Online that included:
- A bespoke website at steampunk.in
- A targeted SEO and blogging strategy
- Google My Business optimisation
- Online ticketing and pre-sales
- A digital marketplace for stallholders
- Accommodation listings
- And yes—even a feature story on ABC TV.
Steampunk@Altitude is now more than a festival. It’s a case study in what happens when a small community is paired with smart digital strategy—and isn’t afraid to dream big.
The Challenge: A Unique Festival in a Forgotten Town
The town hosting Steampunk@Altitude (Uralla, NSW) had everything going for it—altitude, atmosphere, heritage buildings, and strong community spirit. What it didn’t have was online visibility.
The festival had started with word of mouth and Facebook posts, but the organisers quickly hit a ceiling. Interest was growing, but so were the questions:
- “Where do we buy tickets?”
- “Is there anywhere to stay?”
- “How do I become a market stallholder?”
- “What even is steampunk?”
Their web presence consisted of a single page with sparse details and no integrated services. There was no booking system, no blog, and no visibility on search engines. The town wasn’t appearing in tourism search results, and the festival wasn’t showing up at all outside of social media.
Without a digital foundation, they risked becoming just another rural event that couldn’t grow beyond the local postcode.
The Vision: Make Steampunk@Altitude Discoverable, Bookable, and Unforgettable
When Mulwaree Online was brought on board, the organisers had a simple goal:
“Help us make Steampunk@Altitude something that brings people to town—not just for a weekend, but year after year.”
This meant developing a digital strategy that didn’t just promote a single event—it had to support a growing brand, drive regional tourism, and showcase what made this event so different from others.
The Website: Steampunk.in
The first step was building a dedicated festival website—fast-loading, beautifully designed, and easy to update.
The site would become the central hub for everything related to Steampunk@Altitude, including:
- The full festival program
- Performer and market stallholder registrations
- Online ticketing for pre-sales
- Travel and accommodation links
- Volunteer sign-ups
- A blog for year-round engagement
- Social media integration
- Newsletter collection and updates
Importantly, the site was designed to feel thematic and atmospheric, reflecting the festival’s aesthetic—steampunk gears, goggles, old-world charm, and Victorian-era styling blended with futuristic flair.
Built on lightweight infrastructure and optimised for mobile, the website now attracts thousands of visits in the lead-up to each event.
SEO: Bringing Steampunk to the Search Engines
With a dedicated domain secured at steampunk.in, Mulwaree Online created an SEO strategy tailored to rural festivals and niche cultural events.
Rather than chasing irrelevant traffic, the team focused on phrases that matched user intent:
- “Steampunk festival Australia”
- “Things to do in New England NSW”
- “Costume festivals regional NSW”
- “Steampunk events 2025”
- “Family friendly festivals near Armidale”
Optimised landing pages were created for key categories:
- About the Festival – explaining steampunk to first-timers
- The Program – updated annually to include event lineups
- Stallholders – with a dedicated marketplace page
- Tickets – linked to a pre-sales system
- Accommodation – with curated local links
- FAQs – packed with keywords and practical info
These pages were regularly updated to maintain relevance and search ranking. Google soon rewarded the site with high placement, and it now ranks on page one for nearly all its target terms, bringing thousands of curious festival-goers to the site.
Google My Business: Making the Festival Local and Legitimate
Even though Steampunk@Altitude is a temporary event, Google My Business proved to be an essential part of the digital strategy.
Mulwaree Online helped the organisers:
- Set up a verified GMB listing for the event
- Use event dates and ticket links with structured data
- Add images, location pins, and organiser contact info
- Collect and showcase reviews from attendees
- Appear in Google Maps searches for “steampunk events,” “Uralla things to do,” and “festivals near me”
The result? Mobile users travelling through the area could now discover the event organically, and locals began seeing it promoted as a serious cultural fixture in town.
Ticketing & Pre-Sales: Making Attendance Easy
Previously, ticket sales were a mess of last-minute door purchases and social media confusion. Mulwaree Online integrated a secure, low-fee ticketing solution with:
- Early bird pricing
- Live availability
- Email confirmation
- QR codes for at-gate scanning
- Auto-reminders for attendees
This gave festival organisers access to attendee data (for future outreach), allowed volunteers to manage door flow more easily, and created urgency and professionalism in the eyes of the public.
The Blog: Building Community Between Events
Festivals shouldn’t only exist the weekend they’re held. The blog on Steampunk.in gave organisers a way to stay connected with their audience year-round, with content like:
- Costume ideas and tutorials
- Highlights from previous years
- Performer profiles
- Historical insights into the steampunk genre
- Updates on vendors, weather, and attractions
This blog not only added SEO value, but created community engagement, with visitors spending more time on the site and sharing posts across social media.
Accommodation Listings: Turning Visitors into Tourists
One of the main challenges in hosting regional events is helping people find places to stay.
Mulwaree Online created a curated accommodation directory, including:
- Links to local motels, B&Bs, caravan parks
- Travel times to and from the festival site
- Seasonal tips for visitors (e.g., pack warm clothes!)
- Event partnerships with local providers for discounts
This small addition made a big difference: it helped boost local tourism, increased average visitor stay, and resulted in multiple motels booking out weeks in advance.
Marketplace Integration: Supporting Stallholders and Local Creatives
Steampunk@Altitude isn’t just a spectacle—it’s a market.
With vendors selling everything from handmade goggles and corsets to mechanical sculptures and tea sets, the marketplace is a vital part of the experience.
Mulwaree Online created:
- A dedicated Stallholder Application Portal
- Stall previews and product listings
- Public-facing profiles for confirmed vendors
- Blog features spotlighting standout creatives
This promoted vendors, encouraged early applications, and made the market itself part of the attraction, not just an afterthought.
The Media Payoff: ABC TV Coverage
Great SEO and digital visibility not only attract customers—but journalists too.
Thanks to the buzz generated by the website, blog, GMB presence, and ticketing buzz, ABC TV took notice. The network featured Steampunk@Altitude in a primetime regional arts and culture segment, bringing national attention to the event.
This kind of earned media is hard to buy—and nearly impossible to get without a solid online presence. But with everything centralised at steampunk.in, the story wrote itself.
Summary: A Small Town, A Big Imagination, and a Digital Strategy That Delivered
Client: Steampunk@Altitude
Website: steampunk.in
Region: New England Tablelands, NSW
Challenge: Low visibility, no centralised online hub, unstructured ticketing
Solution: Full website, local SEO, GMB optimisation, blog, ticketing, accommodation links, and stallholder marketplace
Outcome: Page 1 rankings, national media coverage, pre-sale success, and a fully booked local economy
What the Organisers Say
“We didn’t just want a website—we wanted a movement. Mulwaree Online gave us the tools to grow beyond what we thought possible. Our little town is now known across the country, and we’re already planning a bigger, better event next year.”
Want to do what Steampunk@Altitude did?
Whether you’re running a festival, building a regional brand, or trying to get your town noticed—Mulwaree Online can help.
Visit Steampunk at Altitude