Settle quarrels over a cuppa, Steampunk Festival returns with teapot racing

Behind him, two tea-duelling mistresses wearing voluptuous Victorian dresses and breath-taking, tightly strung corsets. They would be helping to settle differences between friends and foes over a civilised cup of tea and a biscuit.

It could only mean one thing - Steampunk at Altitude Festival had returned; where a community of steampunk enthusiasts gather in Nimmitabel for a weekend of fun and entertainment.

Sky pirates wielding cog-covered Nerf guns, a Prussian army built from repurposed curiosity, steampunk-ed Sea Wolves, and travellers wearing top hats and goggles will descend to the town on Saturday, May 4 and Sunday, May 5.

Billie Josey, the tiffin mistress of Capital Tea Duelling Society, said it was "dress-ups for grown-ups" and the quirkier was always the better.

She had been customising her outfit to pair with the 'It's a Circus' theme.

"The thing about steampunk and particularly the steampunk community is that you don't have to have a very complicated and fully accessorised outfit to be part of the community," she said, with many starting with goggles and a top hat.

As tiffin mistress for Capital Tea Duelling Society, Billie will be hosting duels for friends and foes and even complete strangers.

"The brew mistress will making the tea and make sure it's a good pot, and the tiffin mistress will ask two members of the audience to take a seat at the duelling table," Billie said.

"She then pours a cup of tea for each duellist, and the duellists can add milk or sugar to taste, or as a tactical selection, [before] they need to choose their 'weapon'."

These weapons include Nice biscuits, Milk Arrowroot biscuits, and Teddy Bear biscuits.

Scotch Fingers and Ginger Nuts are off the table due to their structural integrity.

"We try and offer a selection that is quite fair but also gives duellers a bit of a challenge and a bit of variety so they can select their weapon wisely," Bilie said.

After dunking and holding their chosen biscuit in the tea for a matter of moments, the tiffin mistress will call draw, and the duellers are to raise them out of the tea and hold their biscuit upright.

Billie said the challenge was not about whose biscuit crumbles first, but who eats their biscuit last.

Meanwhile, for the first time, there will be a Teapot Racer Workshop on Saturday which will require individuals to bring along the chassis of a remote control car and a teapot of their choosing, in preparation for Sunday's Grand Teapot Race.

"They can be quite simple or quite elaborate, and racers need to follow a course usually involving a slalom between teacups and saucers," Billie said.

"There's a sloped ramp and a seesaw, with controllers navigating their teapot racer to the end of the course in the fastest possible time."