Set Jetting in South Australia

As the planet’s sixth largest country, it’s fair to say that Australia has plenty of space to accommodate Hollywood film crews.

Big screen blockbusters need big screen scenery – and South Australia has been acting as a backdrop for years. From the Martian-like landscapes of the outback to the waterways of the Coorong, South Australia’s diverse scenery draws location scouts the globe over. Whether it be recreating the moon’s surface or filming apex predators in their natural environment – you can spot some of South Australia’s iconic locations, wildlife, and people across dozens of titles. Ready to step on set? We’ve wrapped up some of the most iconic South Australian movie appearances of all time.

Flinders Ranges 

Home to the world’s largest outback mountain range, Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park casts a pre-historic shadow. Beginning near Mount Remarkable National Park and spanning all the way up to Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary, the Flinders Ranges was forged over 540 million years and is home to the oldest fossil evidence of animal life. Weaving your way through this mountainous region, you are reminded of a forgotten past – think Jurassic Park, but instead of tropical trees you are met with mountains that glow like firelight come sunrise and sunset.

The Tourist (tv series) 

It’s attracted the likes of Hollywood star Jamie Dornan, of Fifty Shades of Grey fame, to its doorstep. The actor called Adelaide home during the pandemic so he could be close to a variety of South Australian shooting locations for the first season of his television show, The Tourist. The iconic ranges can be spotted in the series, along with Adelaide’s North Haven Beach – which was used to recreate a scene set at Bali’s Kuta Beach.

Gold (film) 

Another A-lister to call Australia home thanks to the allure of our scenery is Zac Efron. In 2020, the actor began principal photography for his movie Gold in Leigh Creek, a remote town in the Flinders Ranges. There is a pivotal scene in the film that features a desert sandstorm, one the film’s crew planned to recreate by hauling giant fans and sand out to this remote shooting location. But, rumour has it that Mother Nature got the brief and whipped up one of her own – with Efron agreeing to shoot in the midst of the real deal instead.

The Royal Hotel (film) 

The 2023 psychological thriller The Royal Hotel, starring Julia Garner, was also set in this region. The movie was shot within a forgotten country pub in the small town of Yatina, home to around 20 people. Located just shy of the Mount Remarkable National Park, this unassuming rural community became home to one of Australia’s most exciting home-grown productions – thanks to the living room of their disused pub.  

The Rover (film) 

The Batman and moody-teenage vampire, Robert Pattinson, embarked on a journey to the southern Flinders Ranges to commence filming on The Rover. Joined by Australian film royalty, Emmy award winning Guy Pearce, the pair zig-zagged across the Flinders Ranges and Outback to shoot the contemporary western – visiting towns such as Hammond, Quorn, Copley and Leigh Creek. The seven-week shoot was produced by Animal Kingdom’s Liz Watts, who said of South Australia’s backdrops: “We are shooting in some of the most haunting and stunning landscapes in the world”.

South Australian outback 

The Australian outback is credited in the production notes of dozens, if not hundreds, of films. It’s long held an odd allure – with vast sweeping plains and rich ochre red dirt making for an out-of-this-world appearance. It is this unearthly feeling that draws film crews to the heart of Australia, all while lowering the costs of CGI budgets. Why spend thousands on sci-fi special effects, when Australia’s natural beauty looks eerily like the photos taken by NASA’s Mars rover?  

Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome (film) 

Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome, starring Australian A-lister Mel Gibson, arguably put the town of Coober Pedy on the map. Thrusting Australia’s outback onto the global stage, this cult-classic was largely shot in and around this opal mining town nine hours north of Adelaide. Coober Pedy is known for its oddities – and its opal miners – but it has also become an unintentional museum of film, with relics from Hollywood sets left smattered across the town. The opal mining capital of the world has also been home to the productions for Kangaroo Jack and Mortal Kombat.

The inbetweeners 2 

Further afield and wedged between the great lakes of Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre National Park and Lake Torrens, is the town of Marree. An unassuming town that looks just like any other you would find in the Australian outback – Marree has a few odd claims to fame. It is home to Australia’s first mosque and the intersection of the famous Oodnadatta and Birdsville Tracks. But it’s known the world over for being home to one giant conspiracy – the Marree Man. The Marree Man, a giant geoglyph spanning 2.7km long, made headlines globally in the late 90s when it was first discovered. This town welcomed the cast and crew of The Inbetweeners 2, a film based on a hugely popular British sitcom.

Fleurieu and Eyre Peninsulas

These two stretches of South Australian coastlines – separated by hundreds of kilometres – have more in common than just pristine white sandy beaches. Both locations have been used to recreate the beaches of the European part of Turkey.

The Water Diviner 

Russel Crowe’s The Water Diviner – a drama based on an Australian father in search of his three sons after the battle of Gallipoli – was partly shot at Maslin’s Beach on the Fleuireu Peninsula. Just a 40 minute drive from the CBD, Maslin’s was used to recreate Gallipoli beach in the film.

Gallipoli 

But South Australia is already home to a Gallipoli Beach – literally. Mel Gibson is a South Australian frequent flyer, having also visited the state to shoot his film Gallipoli. The 1981 war epic borrowed a large section of the Eyre Peninsula’s coastline to recreate the infamous battle. Location scouts picked a particular cove, not far from Port Lincoln, that boasts 250 metres of white sandy beach and sheer cliffs. While long seen as just an extension of the nearby Farm Beach, after the film wrapped production, it was so commonly referred to as ‘Gallipoli Beach’ that the name stuck. So much so, you can see it called that on Google Maps!

Jaws 

On the other side of this peninsula is Dangerous Reef and nearby Neptune Islands Conservation Park. Famous for its population of great white sharks, it comes as no surprise then that shark cage diving was invented here by Rodney Fox in the late 60s. A local diver and shark attack survivor, Rodney received a call from none other than Steven Spielberg. The iconic director was researching for a new film – it would be called Jaws. Now one of the globe’s most well-known titles, it was Rodney who helped capture underwater footage of real-life sharks off Neptune Islands to be used in the film. It was this unexpected brush with Hollywood that became the catalyst for his thriving tourism business. Shortly after the film was released in 1976, Rodney began receiving requests to take people out on great white shark expeditions – starting the world’s first shark cage diving tour. You can still venture out to the Neptune Islands with Rodney Fox Shark Expeditions today.

River Regions 

The third longest navigable river in the world – the Murray River – flows into, and out of, South Australia. The Murray River, Lakes and Coorong Region is home to the Murray Mouth (the point where the river meets the sea) and the Coorong National Park. A wildlife sanctuary, the Coorong is home to an important coastal lagoon network and tumbling white sand dunes – essentially making it the barrier between the river and the ocean, that stretches along our eastern coastline.

Storm Boy 

While beloved by locals for being a tranquil camping, fishing and kayaking spot, the film Storm Boy (starring Geoffrey Rush) drew national attention to this pristine environment. The film follows a retired businessman as he recalls his childhood spent raising an orphaned pelican – a species commonly spotted in and around this bird sanctuary.

Run Rabbit Run 

Also borrowing the majesty of the Murray to make some movie magic, is the film Run Rabbit Run. Adelaide-born star Sarah Snook (who rose to fame on the hit series Succession) stars in the Netflix horror flick that kicked-off principal photography in Waikerie, in the Riverland region.

Clare Valley 

Deep within this wine region, located two hours out of Adelaide, is a grand old manor. Martindale Hall looks as though it has been picked up from the countryside of England and plonked in a paddock far from civility. Its stunning exterior can be easily recognised in scenes from an Australian classic, Picnic at Hanging Rock. Starring Jacki Weaver and Rachel Roberts, the film is known for kicking off an era of Australian new wave cinema.

Go behind the scenes of South Australia

So you have caught a glimpse of South Australia on the big screen – now it’s time to delve a little deeper. In our groundbreaking new content series, exclusive to southaustralia.com, you will meet nine seemingly ordinary individuals. They aren’t famous and you won’t find their name on google. You might not even know that their day job exists. But their stories are extraordinary. Discover the stories of the people that make South Australia what it is by checking out Untold South Australia.