New South Wales man Elijah Mortlock never imagined he would perform in drag in the country town he grew up in.

But he is making waves in Bega, on the state's Far South Coast, donning six-inch heels, a cinched waist and a blonde wig.

At 23 years of age, Mr Mortlock has claimed the crown as the town's first and only known drag queen.

Alicia Zaman recently performed at the Far South Coast Rainbow Waves Festival. ( ABC South East NSW: Adriane Reardon )

"It's been a long time coming," Mr Mortlock said.

"I'm so happy I get to be at the forefront of all this."

Long time coming



Bega, which lies between the coast and the Snowy Mountains, is best known for its dairy production.

The area also attracts retirees and is a popular holiday destination.

Mr Mortlock said he was unable to explore drag culture growing up because there was not a strong queer presence in the community.

Elijah Mortlock needs a few hours in make-up to become Alicia Zaman. ( ABC South East NSW: Adriane Reardon )

But on a visit to Sydney last year, he was finally able to during a night out with friends.

"The rest is history," said Mr Mortlock.

"Alicia Zaman's been wanting to come out for a while.

"But there's never really been any opportunities for drag queens in this area."

Nationwide regional pride

Still in her freshman year, 'Alicia Zaman' has ignited a conversation about the lack of gay representation in regional areas.

She recently performed at the first Far South Coast Rainbow Waves Festival, a youth-driven, Mardi Gras-style event used to support LGBTI youth.

"People who know me as Elijah now know me as Alicia as well," said Mr Mortlock.

Elijah Mortlock uses a combination of concealer, glitter and knitted boobs to become Alicia Zaman. ( ABC South East NSW: Adriane Reardon )

"I feel I know the steps we need to take to make it a more accepting place."

Alicia Zaman is not the only one making efforts to support gay pride in regional areas.

Headspace peer worker and Far South Coast Rainbow Waves Festival Coordinator, Carly McDonald, said queer events in country towns are helping to challenge tradition.

"It's a nationwide movement," said Ms McDonald.

"Wagga Wagga had their first Mardi Gras this year, Hay had one this year.

"Regional pride events are becoming more of a thing and we're catching the wave of that."

Elijah kicking in to gear. ( ABC South East NSW: Adriane Reardon )

Advocating for visibility

Ms McDonald, who also grew up on the Far South Coast, has described her up bringing rural New South Wales, identifying as gay, as a struggle.

"People can get a little bit stuck in their ways, in their routine, and how things are supposed to be," Ms McDonald said.

Carly McDonald helped organise the first Rainbow Waves Festival for the Far South Coast. ( ABC South East NSW: Adriane Reardon )

"It's not really spoken about, it's not really seen … it's still very shocking to people here."

Some of the proceeds from the Far South Coast Rainbow Wave Festival went to Headspace Bega's LGBTI youth group.

Taking part in the pride festival became an empowering experience for Ms McDonald, who is determined to do more to make her queer community known.

"It's about bringing it more to light and normalising it," she said.

The dairy queen

Mr Mortlock has found that sexual diversity in Bega is limited, and said young people are moving away from the area to explore their identity.

He said since becoming the town's first drag queen, he has been surprised by the positive response from the public and hopes a larger queer presence will develop in the community.

"This area is definitely changing — it just sucks its taken this long."

Elijah Mortlock grew up on the NSW Far South Coast. He said the lack of a queer presence in the community made him feel alone. ( ABC South East NSW: Adriane Reardon )

Mr Mortlock is putting a call out for more drag queens to represent their country town.

"Everyone's still a little bit scared to step outside the comfort zone … I'm waiting for some more to come forward," he said.

"If I had heard of a drag queen in the area … it would have made growing up and coming out a lot easier, because I wouldn't have felt so alone."