Australian filming location facts
The Matrix, Mad Max, Crocodile Dundee, Dead Calm, Point Break
Famous films have been shot or set in Martin Place (Sydney), Kakadu (Northern Territory), The Whitsundays (Queensland), Broken Hill (NSW) and Bell's Beach (Victoria).
Many a famous film has featured Aussie or landmarks and locations. Here are some of the best.
The Matrix
When Sydney was chosen as the filming location for the ground-breaking sci-fi trilogy, it was because the city skyline is fairly identikit – once the harbour bridge and opera house were edited out digitally, it could have been anywhere. However, certain spots are definitely recognisable. One of the more iconic scenes, where Neo is going through his training programme and is distracted by a woman in a red dress, was shot in the heart of the CBD. The fountain is in Martin Place. Meanwhile, the spectacular helicopter crash was based around the BT tower on Market Street. Meanwhile, the non-outdoor sequences were largely shot at Fox Studios in Moore Park.
Crocodile Dundee
Despite being nearly 20 years old, the cringe-inducing Paul Hogan vehicle is still Australia’s highest grossing film of all time. Yes, it still looks horribly dated, but one part of it still looks astonishing, and that’s Kakadu National Park, Mick Dundee’s fictional home.
This world-heritage listed region is part of the Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory’s Top End, and is famed for ancient Aboriginal rock art, incredible wildlife, spectacular views and gorgeous waterfalls.
Mad Max
The films that made Mel Gibson were all filmed in Australia in various post-apocalyptic looking spots. Perversely, all three flicks were filmed in completely different places, but, hey, if there’s one thing that Australia’s not short on, it’s barren landscapes.
A lot of the first film was filmed around Little River, a small village 45km west of Melbourne, especially a lot of the bike scenes.
The second moved to Broken Hill, in outback New South Wales, and was mainly filmed on the roads around Silverton and Broken Hill. The compound, however, is in The Pinnacles, three mounds near Broken Hill, and it all kicks off at the Mundi Mundi lookout on the road out from Silverton.
As for the third, Bartertown is a disused quarry in Homebush Bay, Sydney, and the car chase scenes are filmed on the Lunar Plains near Coober Pedy, South Australia.
Dead Calm
OK, so it’s set in the South Pacific, but the film that launched Nicole Kidman onto the map internationally was actually filmed in the Whitsundays off the Queensland coast. Managing to scrupulously avoid the many beautiful islands that must have kept popping into view, it’s a film of tranquil seas, a couple trying to get away from it all, and a psycho who joins their boat.
Outside of the Caribbean and the Greek Islands, the Whitsundays are regarded as the best place for sailing in the world, and there are plenty of companies that run overnight adventures, taking in the Great Barrier Reef and some of the best unspoilt beaches you’ll ever see.
Point Break
Despite being the possibly the worst scripted and acted film of all time, this piece of surf schlock has become a cult classic. The ending, where Bodhi disappears into the massive swell off Bells Beach in Victoria, is particularly corny, but it wasn’t actually filmed there. To save money, the scene was shot in the US, but Bells Beach is still one of the world’s greatest surfing locations and is one of the prime spots on the world pro-surfing circuit. It’s at the beginning of the Great Ocean Road, shortly after Torquay, should you wish to emulate Patrick Swayze.
