The rural town of Hamilton, a three-and-a-half-hour drive from the west side of Melbourne, is a completely different world from the Republic of the Congo in West Africa.
But for a group of immigrant families, many parts of the region remind them of their homeland.
In January this year, Leonard Nyandwi and his family moved from Tarneit, Melbourne's western district, to Hamilton..
"in the countryside, in such an environment, I think this is home."
Nyandwi spent 15 years in a refugee camp, and Tarneit was supposed to be the end of the journey, but it was still not home for a family accustomed to country life.
"in the city, it's hard to get to know your neighbors. You can't see the neighbors, you don't know who's next door, but here, everyone feels welcome home. We can have tea together, and they are all very warm. "
Nyandwis is one of four families reported to have moved from Tarneit to the rural town.
Bacumi Niyibigira and his wife also moved to the country with seven children, mainly because of the low cost of living and the appeal of rural communities to them.
"everyone here is friendly, but everyone in Melbourne is busy," Niyibigira said. He works in a local wooden factory, and his boss, Brad Thomas, is eager for wisdom.
Thomas was born and raised in Hamilton, where he witnessed changes. "I think the population here has barely changed since I was born, and it's a good place to develop."
The resettlement plan was inspired by an Australian-Canton programme. The program tells about the idea of resettling refugee families in the small town of Mingoola, New York. It also aims to increase the population of those families who want to stay in Australia for a long time.
Carly Jordan is Hamilton's project experience, and she contacted the head of the Mingoola project. " We have a smaller population here, and for us, this is an opportunity to promote population growth and economic development. And these families want to move to the countryside, who are already from the African countryside, and for them, the country feels even more at home. "
More than 300 African immigrant families living in the city have registered their interest in moving to the less developed regions since the Australian-Canton program was broadcast.
Scholars have been evaluating the project to explore the possibility of its wide spread in Victoria.
The next step is to move 10 families to Southern Grampians Shire, and 10 to Glenelg Shire. by 2019
A lot of families in other regions are interested, says Jaala Pulford, director of development for the state's sub-developed regions.
"this model may be very suitable for other regions. I also know that some other communities in the sub-developed areas of Victoria are very interested in this practice. "