Images: My Brilliant Career. Cr. Ian Routledge/Netflix © 2026.
South Australia is making waves on Netflix, with the state’s historic homes, gorgeous countryside and period architecture providing the backdrop for the new adaptation of My Brilliant Career.
The six-part Australian series, based on Miles Franklin’s 1901 novel, premiered globally on August 13th and was filmed in Adelaide, at Adelaide Studios and across various locations throughout South Australia, with support from the South Australian Film Corporation.
The series has already made a splash internationally, debuting at number four on Netflix’s Global Top 10 English TV Show list and reaching the Top 10 in 54 countries.
It has also landed at number three in Australia, number four in New Zealand and number nine in the UK, recording 3.1 million views since its release.
The show follows Philippa Northeast as Sybylla Melven, a fiercely independent young woman determined to become a writer despite her family’s expectations that she should marry.
Set in 1900s Australia, the story follows Sybylla as she leaves behind a difficult family life and enters a world of wealth, romance and social expectations, all while trying to forge a creative life on her own terms.
Showrunner Liz Doran said the story’s title itself captures the uncertainty at the heart of Sybylla’s journey.
“One of the things I’ve always really loved about the title of the book is that there’s no guarantee of ‘a brilliant career’ for anyone,” said Liz. “Sybylla doesn’t know if her career is going to be brilliant or not. She just knows that she has this fire inside of her that has to be answered, and if she doesn’t honour that, then she will have lost something in her own life.”
While the story itself is fictional, many of the places used to create its world are very real, and some have histories every bit as fascinating as the characters who inhabit them.
From grand country estates and sprawling pastoral properties to historic homes and sweeping farmland, South Australia provided the perfect backdrop for bringing Sybylla’s world to life. For viewers watching from SA, there’s an added thrill in recognising familiar landscapes beneath the period costumes and 1900s setting.
Yallum Park, Penola
Yallum Park Homestead is a grand Victorian mansion built for prominent pastoralist, politician and philanthropist John Riddoch between 1878 and 1880 and in the show is the fancy home of Sybylla’s grandmother.
The beautifully preserved property features high 4.3-metre ceilings, marble mantelpieces, a stained-glass window, elegant antique furniture and an extensive collection of English wallpapers dating back to 1878.
The historic homestead has welcomed several notable guests over the years, including King George V, who visited while he was still the Duke of Cornwall, and renowned poet Adam Lindsay Gordon, who was also a favoured visitor. Behind the main house are two smaller residences, Gordon House and Austin House, while the expansive landscaped gardens offer another glimpse into the grandeur of the estate. Yallum Park remains privately owned, but guided tours are available, allowing visitors to step inside one of South Australia’s remarkable historic homes.
Para Para Mansion, Gawler West
Para Para Mansion is the backdrop for much of the show, and was constructed between 1851 and 1862 for Walter Duffield MLC, a prominent Gawler businessman, pastoralist and politician.
When gold was discovered nearby, Walter remained in Gawler and capitalised on the boom by supplying flour to the goldfields. Over the following decades, the estate became an important part of Gawler’s history, before falling into decay by the end of the Great Depression and facing the possibility of demolition.
The mansion was ultimately saved by the Cork family, who cared for the property throughout much of the 20th century. In the early 21st century, Laurel and Wes took on the challenge of preserving Para Para while raising their family there, and are now developing the remaining 12 acres of the historic estate into a lavender farm.
The Southern Barossa
The Southern Barossa also features among the South Australian regions used during production, with its rolling farmland and open rural landscapes helping create the expansive world of 1900 Australia.
The region’s historic properties, paddocks and country roads provide a distinctly South Australian backdrop for Sybylla’s story as she moves between different worlds.
Adelaide and Adelaide Studios
Adelaide also plays a major role behind the scenes. The series was filmed in the South Australian capital and at Adelaide Studios in Glenside, using South Australia’s established screen infrastructure to recreate the world of 1900 Australia.
Adelaide Studios is where many of the interior scenes were filmed, with lavish 19th-century sets becoming the backdrop for much of the show.
For South Australia, the production represents another major opportunity to showcase the state’s landscapes, heritage architecture and thriving screen industry to audiences around the world. And the timing couldn’t be better, with the series already making its mark internationally.
“My Brilliant Career is such an Australian classic, so it felt both a privilege and a big responsibility for Liz and I to remake it,” shared Executive Producer Chloe Rickard. “Australian stories deserve to be told, and in this case, told again. Audiences will be able to reconnect to this much-loved work and, excitedly for us, many will be discovering it for the first time.”
The series is already making waves with international audiences, debuting at number four on Netflix’s Global Top 10 English TV Shows list and breaking into the Top 10 in 54 countries.
Critics have also embraced the new adaptation, with HELLO! Magazine calling it a “sensational” new period drama, while Mamamia described it as “the sexy, radical period drama we deserve.”
And for Adelaide and regional South Australian viewers, there’s an extra reason to tune in. Beyond Sybylla’s romance, rebellion and pursuit of creative freedom, the series captures landscapes and locations that will feel instantly familiar to South Australian audiences.
All six episodes of My Brilliant Career are now streaming on Netflix.
Location information is based on publicly released production information and available historical/location reporting. Netflix and the production have not released a complete scene-by-scene filming breakdown.
