GeekFest 2018 Presenters: Jennifer Windt.

Time travel is not just science fiction—in fact, we all engage in mental time travel, and we do so all the time. We time travel when we remember past experiences, but also when we anticipate future ones. And we time travel in spontaneous fantasy or daydreams—as well as when we fall asleep and dream at night. In this talk, I will explore the role of time travel in our conscious lives. Might time travel even be closely intertwined with our sense of self and identity?

Jennifer M. Windt is a lecturer in philosophy at Monash University. Her research centers on philosophy of mind and philosophy of cognitive science, with a particular focus on mind wandering and spontaneous thought in wakefulness, dreaming, sleep, and self-consciousness. She is the author of Dreaming (2015, MIT) and together with Thomas Metzinger edited Open MIND (2016, MIT; an open access version is available at open-mind.net). As of July 2017, she is starting a 3-year research project on mind wandering in wakefulness and sleep funded by the Australian Research Council.

GeekFest 2018 Presenters: Matthew Lee.

Matthew is the editor and publisher of The Campaigner magazine, a tabletop lifestyle publication put together in Australia but available to the world. He is also owner of game and hobby media services company Motive Force, and a member of Tabletop Game Designers Australia.

Have a magazine, book or other publication you want to make, but don’t know where to start? Join Matthew as he talks about the basics of creating physical media. Learn about how to get started, and what options you have when bringing your creation to life.

Paint+Take 2018

First Place 2017, by Nik Top.

Ever looked at all those awesome figures online or in the gaming magazines and wanted to learn how to paint them for yourself? Well your luck is in - Paint+Take returns for 2018!  The rules of Paint+Take are simple - if you paint it, you can take it. We provide the miniatures, brushes and paints, plus a handy place mat (because we get in trouble when you paint on the actual tables...) with basic painting instructions on it. There are a whole plethora of Reaper Bones miniatures to choose from, and each table is provided with a choice of eleven paints including two metallics.

Painting Classes:
Want to learn more advanced techniques? There will be two hour long painting workshops run in the very same venue by a large man with a beard.
Learn to paint Skin and Fur: 1000-1100
Learn to paint Armour and Cloth: 1300-1400

Second Place 2017, Pete Spiller

Painting Contest:
The traditional GeekFest Paint+Take Painting Contest also returns with first, second and third prizes for best figure painted at GeekFest. There are also a number of 'Cool paint job' awards - these don't go to the best painted figures but to the ones with the coolest ideas.
Entry is simple - just paint a figure in the Paint+Take building, leave your name, a contact number AND the miniature with the organisers and come back at 1615 when the winners will be announced and showered with prizes!
This year's contest is divided into:
Junior (under 16)
Open (over 16)

Photo Booth:
The Paint+Take Photo Booth returns! Once you've finished painting your amazing mini, why not take a photo in our amazing photo booth and share it online? The photo booth has been designed to offer a range of spectacular backdrops and uses LED lighting.

Gladys; (2017 demo)

Gauntfield; (2017 demo)

Blue Wizard; (2017 demo)

GeekFest 2018 dates and theme announced.

GeekFest 2018 will take place in January 21st 2018. We have decided to introduce an annual theme to the event - 2018's theme is... TIME TRAVEL!

See you there!

Star Queens: The Fierce Awakens

STAR QUEENS. THE FIERCE AWAKENS is a Star Wars Drag Show which takes you on a fabulous light speed journey through deep space in a galaxy far, far away. Starring Philmah Bocks & Art Simone, the girls visit classic moments from the original films, incorporating their left of centre creativity and humour. Sourcing Australia's best costume designers, they have produced a set of jaw-dropping couture, accompanied by a fierce soundtrack mixed and produced by DJ Argonaut and choreography by Two Of A Kind. The show is produced by Philmah Bocks with the signature twisted entertainment that both Philmah & Art are well known for, this is one epic show surely not to be missed.

And this year, they will also be presenting their take of Pricilla, Queen of the Desert.

The Star Queens will be performing on the verandah of the Pig and Whistle cafe twice daily (1300 and 1600), as well as mingling with the crowds and delivering a discussion on makeup. Philma Art and Jemima have also agreed to be cosplay judges.

Animelab

Animelab will be returning to GeekFest 2017, screening a fine selection of Anime trailers and demos in the Mechanics' Institute.

Keipa's Carpentary

Brendan Crawford of Keipa's Carpentary will be at GeekFest.
Brendan Crawford has been involved with Medieval Re-enactment for more than 30 years. He now runs Keipa's Carpentry and makes a variety of medieval items. These include wooden "Waster" training swords, children's Heraldic swords and shields for kids to design and paint their own heraldic devices on (paints, brushes and information will be available at his stall), and a variety of board games from the Viking, Medieval, Roman, and even Egyptian periods (He teaches these games as well).
Keipa's Carpentry can be found on Facebook

 

Giant Games

Feel like playing something big? Just beside the old bank building you will find the Giant Games Arena! Giant Chess, Checkers, Jenga and Toppollo will be running all day.
But wait, I hear you cry, what is this Toppollo of which you speak? For that matter, how does one play Jenga, or Chess?
Ah, gentle reader, allow me to lift the veil and reveal Toppollo, the brain child of Paint+Take organiser Owen, a dextrous dexterity game of staggering simplicity. Balance your odd collection of wooden shapes (or in the giant version, cardboard boxes) atop one another hoping they don't fall down. The first player to get rid of all their peices is crowned the victor, but beware - ANY blocks which fall off the stack in your turn are added to your pile... Full details of Toppollo are available here.

Spectator Gaming

At GeekFest 2017, we will be running a number of games in front of a live studio audience. In a church.
Come along and watch RPGs such as All Outta Bubblegum, where players try to solve simple everyday problems in the most extreme butt-whooping way possible and Everyone is John, in which the voices in John's head vie for control to try to achieve their outlandish aims. In these games nothing is certain except hilarity. And audience participation! Every time we play we will be inviting an audience member to join us on stage and join in the crazy.

But wait - there's more! We're also planning on playing But Wait - There's More the game of improvised late night telemarketing ads! Can we convince the audience to buy a horse... with wifi? What about a shovel which helps you get the man of your dreams AND extends from 6-12 inches at the touch of a finger? Come along to the Spectator Gaming Arena (okay, the church) to find out!

Tickets now on sale

Tickets for GeekFest 2017 are now on sale via TryBooking or the 'tickets' link in the menu at left.

All tickets cover entry to GeekFest and participation in all of the events.

GOLD PASS: $25. Adult 2-day entry and GeekFilm festival.
SILVER PASS: $15. Child 2-day entry.
RED PASS: $10. Adult 1-day entry.
YELLOW PASS: $10. Child 1-day entry.
BLUE PASS: $5. Adult observer (not participating in events), 1-day entry.
GEEKFILM PASS: $10, GeekFilm festival only.

Roleplaying Games in the Train

Once again, DM Brad will be running short one-shot RPG sessions in the second class carriage of the train at GeekFest 2017.

All Outta Bubblegum:

You're here to kick butt and chew bubblegum... and you're all outta bubblegum. In this super simple RPG, players are given a mundane task to perform, by rolling under the number of pieces of bubblegum they have. When they fail, they lose bubblegum. Which means eventually they run out of bubblegum and have no choice but to KICK BUTT! Ever wanted to travel to melbourne on a rocket-propelled emu on rollerskates just so you can get your uni enrolment in on time? Or use ninja stealth powers to steal a phone simply so you can be the first of your friends to download the Korumburra app? Then All Outta Bubblegum is for you.

Everyone is John:

John has problems. He's hearing voices in his head, and those voices keep telling him to do strange things. In this quick to learn competitive RPG, each player is one of those voices, vying for control over John as he spends the day at GeekFest. Each voice has three objectives they want to achieve, and a bunch of skills to try to achieve them, whether it's lifting ducks above your head, drawing moustaches on medieval enactors or smuggling an emu out of the park. At the end of the session, the voice who has achieved the most wins.

Both All Outta Bubblegum and Everyone is John are freely available online if you want to check out the rules before playing.

Late November update

Here we are a little under two months out from GeekFest - time for an update on freshly confirmed events!

MINECRAFT: Minecraft will be back in 2017 in the auditorium at the main entrance building.

RPGS: There will be sessions of popular (and wildly crazy games) Everyone is John and All Outta Bubblegum both days in the second class railway carriage.

SPECTATOR RPGS LIVE ON STAGE: On both afternoons, there will be RPGs and improvisational games taking place live on stage at the Church. With audience participation.

COLLECTIBLE CARD GAMES: There will be CCG events occurring - we're still ironing out details of exactly which games.

STAR QUEENS: We've confirmed the return of the hugely popular Star Queens for GeekFest 2017, stay tuned for exciting announcements about workshops with them!

COSPLAY WORKSHOP: Helena Evans will be running Cosplay workshops on both days. Stay tuned for more details.

ANIME LAB: Anime Lab will be at the park and screening anime once again.

COLOURING CONTEST: The children's colouring contest will be back with hourly prizes.

We're working on a schedule, which will be online soon, along with more extensive information about all of the events. We've also got exciting news about confirmed vendors, and will be posting extensive information as it comes in.

Event Schedule finalised

The 2016 GeekFest event schedule has now been confirmed.
You can check it out on the events page.

Guest Speakers

Craig Fison

Craig Fison was a very popular speaker at our first Geekfest and we're excited that he'll be back for the second!
Craig has worked in Art Direction, Production Design, Construction, as a Props Model maker, a sculpting and miniatures maker and finisher, in Set Decorating, and as a Scenic painter in Australia and worldwide.
His film projects include working in the art department on commercial films like Moulin Rouge, Mission Impossible II, Star Wars: Attack of the Clones, The ...Matrix Revolutions, Ghost Ship, Superman Returns, and more independent productions like Peter Pan and Where the Wild Things Are.
He worked as a sculptor and prop maker on Guillermo del Toro’s and Troy Nixey’s film, Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark, and also worked on the yet-to-be released The Moon and the Sun, starring Pierce Brosnan.
Craig moved into art direction as the Art Director on Adam Elliot’s awarding winning animated feature film, Mary and Max.

Shaun Freeman

Shaun Freeman, one of our Geekfest speakers, is an Australian animator who lives on a small farm in Korumburra. He has worked in the industry since 2003 on commercials, games and feature films (both vfx/creature anim and character animation). His movies include 'The Book of Life', 'I, Frankenstein', 'The Nut Job', 'Free Birds', 'After Earth', 'Ted', 'Happy Feet' & 'Happy Feet 2', 'Open Season' (2 & 3), 'Princess' and 'Everyone's Hero'. Short films include: 'Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem', Daffy's Rhapsody', 'Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas', 'Rabid Rider' and 'Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Furious Five'. Much of his work has been done here as a remote animator, although sometimes he is required onsite

Alison Goodman

Alison Goodman, author and steampunk aficionado, will be coming to Geekfest to do a reading from her latest novel and to teach us a Regency/Victorian 'finishing dance' - a fun dance to end a ball when everyone's had a bit too much to drink!
Alison is the author of EON and EONA, a New York Times Bestselling fantasy duology. Her latest novel --Lady Helen and the Dark Days Club-- is Book 1 in a new trilogy; it was published in Australia this month and will be published in the USA and UK in January. It has been reviewed by Publishers Weekly as "a delicious collision of Regency romance and dark fantasy". Alison calls it "Pride and Prejudice meets Buffy in English high society".
EON, which has recently been optioned to be made into a movie, was short-listed for Victorian, NSW, and WA Premier’s Literary awards, and won the 2008 Aurealis Award for Best Fantasy Novel. It was also listed as an American Library Association Best Young Adult Book (2010), a James Tiptree Jr. Honour book, and a CBCA Notable Book.
Alison’s first novel, Singing the Dogstar Blues, won the 1998 Aurealis Award for Best Young Adult Novel, and was also listed as an American Library Association Best Book (2004) and CBCA Notable Book. Her second novel, a crime thriller titled Killing the Rabbit, was shortlisted for the 2007 Davitt Award.
Alison lives in Melbourne with her husband and their Machiavellian Jack Russell Terrier, and is currently working on Book 2 and 3 of The Lady Helen series.

James Graewolf

An introduction to Steampunk’, the pros of steampunk, the aesthetics and inspirations for steampunk, some ‘show and tell’ of some costumes and props, a couple of brief ‘do it yourself’ sections and finishing with a Q&A

Star Queens present the

Drag Queen makeup workshop

Want to experience the glitz and glamour of being a Drag Queen?
If so Come along and learn the secret tips and tricks to create your own drag persona!

Introduction to Cosplay

Cosplay is a hobby where fans dress up as their favorite character from a fandom (anime, manga, tv series, movie, etc) for fun. There are many competitions all around the world for cosplay and it is growing in popularity.

Alternate Worlds will be at GeekFest 2016!

Dealers in the finest in comics, collectibles, games, toys and drool-inducing merch, Alternate Worlds will have a stall at GeekFest 2016.

Paint+Take

Painting miniatures and figures is a popular and fast growing hobby, whether you use them for popular Wargames such as Warmachine, Bolt Action or Infinity, or such role-playing games as Dungeons & Dragons, Pathfinder or Savage Worlds, or you just like to display them proudly on a shelf, there is nothing which makes a miniature pop like a good paint job. Have you always wanted tot ry your hand at painting, but never had the confidence or been put off by the number of paints you need or the small size of the figures?
Fear not, this year's GeekFest will feature a Paint+Take!
Drop into the School House any time through out the day, pick a free miniatures from the wide range of Fantasy, Sci Fi and Steampunk offerings, and spend some time painting it with the brushes and paints provided! Best of all, you get to keep what you paint!

There will also be a display of painted miniatures, wargames terrain and sundry other geeky modelling artefacts.

The Infamous Second Hand Stall

Are you avoiding GeekFest because you know you will leave considerably lighter in pocket, and your pocket is already up there with hydrogen in terms of lightness? Are you looking for a way to flog off some old geeky ephemera? Are you looking for a place to buy pre-loved geeky ephemera?
If you have answered in the affirmative to any of these questions, then rejoice, for the Infamous GeekFest Second Hand Stall is back!

If you have things to sell, you can either print out and complete this extremely convenient form before dropping them off, or simply turn up on the day (and fill in the same form, but in the certain knowledge that you are wasting time which could be spent on geeking out like a god-king.)

Cosplay at GeekFest 2016

Cosplay is a hobby where fans dress up as their favorite character from a fandom (anime, manga, tv series, movie, etc) for fun, usually to take photos through photoshoots and/or to attend a convention or meet up. There are many competitions all around the world for cosplay and it is growing in popularity. People can make or buy cosplays to wear and here at GeekFest we would love to see a wide range of different cosplays! 
We are running a panel, called; “Introduction to Cosplay” which will be run by national cosplay competitors to get the word out about cosplay and hopefully make it a hobby that is well known throughout the community, because who doesn’t like a good excuse to dress up? 
So come and join us at GeekFest 2016, dress up and attend the Cosplay Introduction Panel! We look forward to seeing you there!

The inaugural Kostume Ball

In 2016, GeekFest is proud to announce the inaugural KOSTUME BALL!!!
You know it's cool because we spelled it with a 'k'...

1930-2300
18+ only event

Dance the night away with DJ Hempville!

Strut your stuff in geeky finery!

Consume alcohol!

Be crowned King OR Queen of the ball!

$20 Kostume Ball ticket includes a magnificent DRINK TOKEN!

$25 Gole Pass includes ALL Day Activities PLUS Kostume Ball AND a magnificent DRINK TOKEN!

Feasting!

We have had many vendors of toothsome morsels confirm their attendance at GeekFest 2016! Scattered throughout the park shall be such magnificent provender providers as:

• The Boolarra Coffee Cart, providing caffinated bliss to the masses!
• Maddison Magical Pop n Floss, makers of finest spun sugar!
• The Burra Car Club, dealers in finest sausages barbecued by classic car fans!
• J & Ray Potatoes, providers of potent and potable potatoes!*

We are negotiating with further food sellers, so watch this space!
No word yet on the Cheetos situation.

*Alliteration for the win!