Riverina born Drag performer 'Strewth' wins the second Wollundry Drag Pageant

The transgender performer came top at this year's huge show performing after winning the people's choice award last year.

A "bogan", "working class drag queen", Strewth came first in this year's pageant after performing in competition for only the first time twelve months ago and the Ariah Park born, Tumut raised, queen said it makes her proud to share her art for a regional audience.

"Growing up as a queer person, I was sort of quite bullied and excluded a lot from things," she said.

"So to now be celebrated, and especially with [Wagga] Mardi Gras being a thing, it's really exciting and gratifying."

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Strewth is also a comedienne, cabaret singer and puppeteer who now lives in Melbourne and she'd like to use her win as a platform to bring other rural artists to a city audience.

"My dream for the next year is to really use this crown to platform some rural performers in Melbourne and start producing my own events," she said.

"And show people from Melbourne and bigger cities that there is this amazing talent hidden away in these places out in the country."

The event featured seven acts and was hosted by Rose Quartz and judged by Ru Paul drag act Jo Jo Zaho.

Organiser Vickie Burkinshaw said last year's event was so successful that they had to move from the Curious Rabbit to the CSU playhouse this year.

She said the show, much like Mardi Gras more broadly, aims to provide a safe space for people to be themselves.

"There's an amazing community here who want to test out drag and who are really well supported," she said.

"I think when you've got people from both locally and from out of town here, it really goes to show the extraordinary talent that we have locally, and it creates a really safe space for people to give it a go."

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