The country Victorian town of Hamilton, about three-and-a-half hours' drive west of Melbourne, is a world away from the Republic of Congo in west Africa.
But for a group of migrant families, there is much to remind them of their roots.
Leonard Nyandwi and his family moved to Hamilton from Tarneit, in the western suburbs of Melbourne, in January.
"In the countryside, the environment here, I feel like I'm home," Mr Nyandwi said.
After 15 years in a refugee camp, Tarneit was meant to be the end of the journey, but it wasn't quite right for a family used to rural living.
"In the city it was very hard to know my neighbours," Mr Nyandwi said.
"You won't see [your] neighbour, you don't know who is next door.
"But here in the region, everyone you meet is like 'oh, welcome home'.
"So we can share tea and they're very welcoming."
The appeal of a rural lifestyle
The Nyandwis are one of four families to have relocated to the small country town from the big smoke.
Bacumi Niyibigira and his wife also moved to Hamilton with their seven children, drawn by the lower cost of living and the appeal of a rural community.
"Here, everyone is friendly," Mr Niyibigira said.
"But in Melbourne, no, everyone is busy, busy."
He works in a local joinery, where owner Brad Thomas has been hungry for workers.
Born and bred in Hamilton, Mr Thomas has witnessed the effect of dwindling numbers on local schools and the footy team.
"The hardest thing is now the younger kids don't really hang around towns like they used to," Mr Thomas said.
"This way you bring a family to town with young kids and it makes a big difference to the community.
"I think ever since I've been in Hamilton our population hasn't grown and it's got so much to offer … it's just a great little town that needs to grow."
Rural areas 'feel like home'
The relocation project was sparked by an episode of the ABC's Australian Story, which showcased an idea to bring refugee families to the struggling New South Wales town of Mingoola.
The idea was to boost the local population with families who would want to stay long term.
Carly Jordan is the project manager in Hamilton and was working with a community program, Leadership Great South Coast.
She reached out to the instigators of the Mingoola project, the Great Lakes Agency for Peace and Development.
"We have population decline, so it's an opportunity for us to boost our population and increase the economy," she said.
Ms Jordan said the program was a natural pairing between a town looking for new blood and families wanting a rural lifestyle.
"These families just want to move to rural areas, they're from rural areas back in Africa, and for them this feels like home," she said.
Country living in demand
Since the ABC story went to air, more than 300 African migrant families living in cities across Australia have registered their interest in moving to regional areas.
The program is now being evaluated by an academic to test its successes and see whether the model could be rolled out across Victoria.
The Great South Coast Migration Project is supported by volunteers, but the Victorian Government has backed its expansion, stumping up about $160,000.
The next step is to move 10 families to the Southern Grampians Shire and 10 to the Glenelg Shire by the end of 2019.
Victorian Regional Development Minister Jaala Pulford said there was also strong interest from other areas.
"This model might actually be quite adaptable to other regions," she said.
"I know there are communities in other parts of regional Victoria that are very, very interested in doing similar."
