'Just by chance': Mum takes to catwalk for Melbourne Fashion Week

But that's exactly what happened on International Women's Day.

It was a chance encounter at her friend's 40^th birthday about six months ago in Warrnambool that led to a modelling contract that put her centre stage this month.

While she did some modelling in her 20s, it was not something she enjoyed. But now she has returned to a changed industry.

At 33, Stephanie was the youngest model on the catwalk for the F*** The Invisible Runway show during fashion week.

"The show I walked in I was really proud to be a part of. The concept of the show was rejecting the notion of women becoming invisible as they get older," she said.

"All of the models were over 30. It was really quirky and really liberating. Most were in their late 30s and up to their late 70s.

"It was amazing. It was a fabulous experience.

"It's something I'll bookmark and I won't ever forget really."

After the show finished at 8pm, Stephanie left behind the glitz and glamour of the catwalk and drove to Casterton to meet her partner, Simon, and their three young kids where they spent the night sleeping in the horse float.

"It's like one extreme to the next," she said.

During summer, they play polocrosse for the Western District team and Stephanie had to be up at 6.30am the next day to get ready for the matches.

"We camp in the horse float. We have a blow up mattress and the nose of the horse float has bunk beds for the kids to camp in," she said.

Getting back into modelling was not on the radar for Stephanie who is mum to Edith, 6, Ava, 4, and Sidney, 3.

"Not after three kids in my 30s. I did not think I would be getting back into the industry," she said.

"It was sort of all just by chance."

Her friend's brother introduced her to his wife who ran a modelling agency in Melbourne - The Talent Buro - and they offered her a contract.

"From there it's just evolved into causal jobs here and there in Melbourne which has been really awesome," Stephanie said.

"I did an Easter campaign for Kmart at the end of last year which has just come out in the last month."

The poster - which is on display as you walk into Warrnambool's Kmart store - is of her with her "pretend family".

"That was pretty strange for my kids to comprehend what was going on there," she said with a laugh.

She has also just secured a contract with clothing label Elm - which has a store in Warrnambool - with an upcoming photo shoot during the Easter holidays.

"The girls at the agency are brilliant. They know I have family and also have my own skin clinic that I work at from home," Stephanie said.

At age 17, she won a contract after her grandmother entered her in the Cosmopolitan Model Search - a competition that was held in a Ballarat shopping centre.

"I did a bit of work with them in my early 20s. I didn't particularly enjoy it at that age and what the industry was like back then but I'm enjoying it now," she said.

"It's pretty interesting coming back over a decade later. I can actually say I'm really proud of where the industry has gone and what they represent and the diversity.

"I don't feel like they had that a decade ago."