If you’re looking for something fun to do on a lazy weekend with the mates, why not walk in the footsteps of some of the world’s finest thespians…in your own backyard?
That’s right, South Aussies, some of the best movies of all time were filmed right here in our beloved state, and you can visit them yourself! We’ve categorised the list based on year of production, so, get some friends together, pack the car with some nosh and bevvies, and take a road trip to one of the locations on our list of 20 iconic films shot in SA. And, action.
We’ve sorted these by year of release!
Kangaroo (1952)
Western adventure film, Kangaroo – also known as The Australian Story – focuses on the story of Englishman Richard Connor, played by Peter Lawford, who tries to strike it rich in Australia but faces a series of pitfalls along the way. Kangaroo, the first Technicolour film made on location in Australia, began shooting in Sydney and then branched out to SA.
Thomas Playford, the former Premier of South Australia, donated a housing estate in Port Augusta to be used for filming, and the estate was dubbed ‘Zanuckville’ after the 20th Century Fox producer, Daniel Zanuck. While you can’t visit the actual estate of Zanuckville anymore, you can still take a trip to the outskirts of Port Augusta, near where filming took place.
For more information on visiting Port Augusta, click here.
Storm Boy (1976 & 2019)
Storm Boy (1976) and (2019) tells the story of lonely young boy, Mike, who takes care of three orphaned pelicans while living in isolation with his reclusive father. Both films take place along the Coorong National Park, including Ninety Mile Beach and Godfrey’s Landing, and parts of Goolwa, Port Elliot, and Lake Alexandrina.
The Coorong National Park is known for its rich bird life, wide sandy beaches and rolling sand dunes, and is located approximately 100 kilometres south-east of Adelaide. You can kayak to Godfrey’s Landing, stroll Goolwa Beach boardwalks, and view the Coorong lookouts signed “Storm Boy Country”.
Don’t have a boat, kayak or 4WD? Don’t stress, you can still discover the beautiful wilderness of Storm Boy country with a tour company.
For more information on visiting Storm Boy country, click here.
Money Movers (1978)
Written and directed by Bruce Beresford, Money Movers is a crime story set in Sydney, but shot mainly in SAFC Studios and various spots around Adelaide, including the Rowley Park Speedway and Rundle Mall. Based on Devon Minchin’s 1972 book The Money Movers, the movie stars Terrence Donovan and is a compelling cops-and-robbers drama.
To visit SAFC studios, click here.
Gallipoli (1981)
Gallipoli, the 1981 film directed by Peter Weir, centres on several young men from Western Australia who enlist in the Australian Army in World War 2. The film, starring Mel Gibson and Mark Lee, was set in Western Australia but was primarily filmed in our own backyard of South Australia.
Historic site, Beltana, was the stomping ground for the home of Archy Hamilton (Mark Lee). The rural town, about 335 miles north of Adelaide, in the Flinders Mountain Range, is now little more than a ghost town, population 12. Why not check out this cozy little rural spot on a Sunday arvo with friends? While you’re on the road, take a trip 30 minutes west of Port Lincoln, and walk the wild dunes and beaches near Coffin Bay National Park, where the “Anzac Cove” was recreated in the film.
Stop to enjoy the view and a few oysters, and trek down some of the beautiful, uncharted beach territory. To explore Coffin Bay National Park, click here.
Bad Boy Bubby (1993)
The comedic crime movie about a man who was kept prisoner by his mother for his entire 35 years of life, Bad Boy Bubby is a journey of self-discovery and was filmed in various locations in Port Adelaide, including College Street and Commercial Road. Written and directed by Rolf de Heer, the movie used Crozier Street for filming the exterior shot of Bubby leaving home for the first time and venturing out into the real world, and shot various scenes in the Adelaide CBD, including the Old Adelaide Gaol and St Peter’s Cathedral. Take the Port Adelaide film walk, a guided tour by the Port Adelaide Historical Society, that runs during History Festival.
For more information about booking a tour, click here.
Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994)
Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994).
Musical adventure film, Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, was a huge hit in Hollywood, and was filmed partially in South Australia. The film, starring Guy Pearce and Hugo Weaving, shows the characters’ journey through the Australian outback on a tour bus named Priscilla, most notably featuring scenes shot in Coober Pedy when the titular bus breaks down.
For all the best places to visit in Coober Pedy, click here.
Shine (1996)
Australian biographical drama film, Shine, directed by Scott Hicks, was filmed all over South Australia, with notable locations including Adelaide Botanic Garden, Bonython Hall, Carrick Hill, Elder Conservatorium of Music, Glenside Health Services, Henley Beach, King William St, London, North Adelaide, Rosewater, Royal Albert Hall, Royal College of Music, South Kensington and Springfield. Why not go on a city-to-sea walking trail beginning with North Terrace and ending with a beautiful sunset at Henley Beach?
To watch the trailer, click here.
Black and White (2002)
The dramatic thriller set in 1958 focuses on trial of Aboriginal man Max Stuart, played by David Ngoombujarra, and is based on an actual case in Adelaide in 1959. Black and White, the poignant story that saw Ngoombujarra win Best Actor in a Supporting Role from the Australian Film Institute, shows the compelling story of two young lawyers on the quest for social justice and was filmed right here in Adelaide, with the most notable locations being the Supreme Court of SA in Gouger Street, and the Adelaide Town Hall on King William Street. You can take a self-guided law-and-history city loop tour between the Courts Precinct and Town Hall, and walk in the footsteps of Ngoombujarra and Stuart.
To watch the trailer, click here.
The Tracker (2002)
The 2002 Australian Western starring David Gulpilil and Gary Sweet, The Tracker was set in 1922 outback Australia and was shot in Arkaroola Sanctuary. Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary, known for its rugged, ancient geology, and for being popular with adventurers, is only a heartbeat away from Adelaide in South Australia’s northern Flinders Ranges. Visit the Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary today.
For more details about the Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary today, click here.
Look Both Ways (2005)
Australian romantic drama film, Look Both Ways, is another title you can add to the list of movies shot in Port Adelaide. Director Sarah Watt presents the tale of four interconnected people united by emotional turmoil, over one drama-packed weekend in Adelaide. You can join Nicolas Godfrey for a fun walk around the Port and walk in the footsteps of cast and crew from the 2005 film.
For more information on taking a tour around the Port, click here.
Wolf Creek (2005)
Does the very mention of this movie make anyone else shudder? The nail-biting horror that made everyone wary of backpacking through the outback, Wolf Creek, was filmed almost entirely in South Australia. The low-budget production with skeleton cast and crew, took place over five weeks in Australia’s winter months of 2004, almost completely in SA. The beachfront scenes in the first 15 minutes of the film? Yep, they were shot in Adelaide, standing in for Broome. How about Wolf Creek 2? Serial killer Mick Taylor’s dungeon is in Burra, SA, and was the former Unicorn Brewery Cellars. You can take an eerie trek down this dungeon and see it for yourself!
For more information on visiting the dungeon, click here.
December Boys (2007)
The heart-warming drama, December Boys, starring Daniel Radcliffe and Adelaide’s very own Teresa Palmer, was shot on location in Kangaroo Island. Why not set out on your own KI photo trail? You can watch the sunrise at Remarkable Rocks, see the gorgeous fur seals at Admirals Arch, and soak in the expansive wilderness of Flinders Chase National Park.
For more information on visiting Flinders Chase National Park, click here.
The Boys are Back (2009)
The story of a widowed English sportswriter who moved to Australia and took on the role of sole full-time parent to two boys, The Boys are Back was filmed on the Fleurieu Peninsula in areas like McLaren Vale, Myponga and Aldinga. Other filming locations include The Advertiser building on Waymouth Street, and AAMI Stadium. Why not make it a wine and waves day along the Fleurieu? Check out the cellar doors in McLaren Vale then head over to the Aldinga Cliff-top lookouts.
For all the greatest places to visit in Aldinga, click here.
Snowtown (2011)
Daniel Henshall stars as antagonist and serial killer John Bunting in the biographical crime drama Snowtown, which was filmed in Salisbury North. Fun fact? Henshall was the only professional actor in the movie; the rest of the cast were scouted by the film’s casting agents and discovered mainly in Elizabeth and Salisbury’s shopping malls.
Directed by Justin Kurzel, the onscreen murders taking place were based on 12 brutal killings, which occurred in the 1990s and became known as the ‘bodies in the barrels’ murders, for where the victims were discovered. In fact, only one of the murders was actually committed in Snowtown; the others all occurred in and around the suburb of Smithfield Plains. You can visit the abandoned Snowtown bank from the movie at 30 Railway Terrace E, Snowtown, SA.
To watch the trailer, click here.
The Babadook (2014)
Horror fans of psychological thriller, The Babadook, starring Essie Davis as main character Amelia Vanek, would be interested to know that you can drive past the actual residence in North Adelaide, which is only a quick twenty-minute walk from Adelaide’s CBD. The Babadook, written and directed by Jennifer Kent and based on her short film Monster, is a tale about motherhood and madness, and begs the question: is the monster real, or is she slowly losing her mind? Most of the film’s interior scenes were shot on a sound stage in Adelaide’s city, with the Victorian terrace-style house specifically built for the production, but the exterior shots are of an existing house at 158 Barnard Street in North Adelaide.
To watch the trailer, click here.
The Rover (2014)
Australian dystopian drama, The Rover, is a contemporary western in the Aussie outback. The bulk of filming for the movie, starring Guy Pearce and Robert Pattinson, began in January 2013 in the Southern Flinders Ranges. Filming continued over seven weeks in Hammond, Quorn, Copley and Leigh Creek, and ended in Marree, north of Adelaide, in March. You can ride the Pichi Richi Railway in Quorn, then watch the sunset at Marree on the Oodnadatta/Birdsville Track junction. Why not make a day of it?
For more information on the Oodnadatta/Birdsville Track junction, click here.
Hotel Mumbai (2018)
Based on the 2009 documentary Surviving Mumbai, indie film Hotel Mumbai tells the story of the victims and survivors of the 2008 Mumbai attacks. Set in India, the production was supported by Screen Australia and South Australian Film Corporation (SAFC) and filmed at the Adelaide Studios over a five-week timespan.
For more information on booking the SAFC public tour, click here.
Escape from Pretoria (2020)
Prison film, Escape from Pretoria, tells the story of two white South Africans carrying out anti-apartheid missions in South Africa in 1978. Written and directed by Francis Annan, the film was shot in Adelaide, South Australia, both on location in the city and suburbs, and in the Glenside studios of the South Australian Film Corporation (SATC). Some scenes were shot at Mitcham railway station, and others in Pirie Street, the heart of the CBD.
For more information on SATC, click here.
Mortal Kombat (2021)
The science-fiction movie Mortal Kombat was filmed entirely in Australia. The movie, based on characters from the 90s computer game of the same name, used mainly CGI and studio sets, but there were several filming locations in and around Adelaide city. The film’s opening sequence, the Hanzo Hasashi compound in 17th century Japan, was filmed just an hour’s drive from Adelaide at Mount Crawford’s pine forest.
Cole’s gym in Chicago? It was actually filmed inside the large brick warehouse at 20-30 Crozier Street in Port Adelaide. How close to home is that? The film was made in various locations all across SA, including the exterior entrance to Lord Raiden’s Temple, which was filmed near The Breakaways, in the underground mining town in Coober Pedy.
For more information on visiting The Breakaways, click here.
The Royal Hotel (2023)
The 2023 psychological thriller, The Royal Hotel, was predominantly filmed in the sleepy outback town of Yatina. The film, directed by Kitty Green, focuses on two American best friends backpacking through Australia. They run tight on money, take on jobs in a rural Aussie pub, and the drama begins. The 1874 Yatina Hotel, just north of Clare, was transformed into the titular Royal Hotel, and history was made. Why not take a photo opportunity at the Yatina Hotel.
For more information on visiting the Yatina Hotel, click here.
Did your fave Aussie film make it to the list?
More News
