Television Locations
The majority of Australian television programs have been filmed in Sydney and Melbourne. In Sydney, the major output was by the Seven Network, whose studios were for many years located in Epping, on Sydney s North Shore. Initially, most of the dramatic TV programs that came out of Melbourne either originated with the ABC (their studios were at Ripponlea TV studios in Elsternwick), or Crawford Productions, a production house set up in 1945 by Hector Crawford and his sister, Dorothy, to produce radio programs. Crawfords would go on to pioneer television drama in Australia. The Company started life in small premises located in Little Collins Street, Melbourne, moved to the Olderfleet Building, Collins Street, Melbourne, then to Southampton Crescent, Abbotsford (1972), and eventually to its present location, 259 Middleborough Road, Box Hill, in 1982. Now part of the WIN television group and under the proprietorship of Bruce Gordon, Crawfords Australia s eight-acre studio complex in Melbourne remains a key centre for film and television program production in Australia.
Russell Street Police Headquarters, Homicide
Homicide was an Australian police procedural television series made by Crawford Productions for the Seven Network. The series dealt with the homicide squad of the Victoria police force and episodes revolved around the various cases the detectives are called upon to investigate. Over the years the cast included such legendary people as John Fegan, Terry McDermott, Leonard Teale, George Mallaby, Lionel Long, Alwyn Kurts, Norman Yemm, Mike Preston, Gary Day, Charles Tingwell, John Stanton and Don Barker.
Homicide was the first major television series to be produced in Australia, the domestic television market having been previously dominated by American and British imports. Homicide proved that that there was a market for home-grown programming and was highly successful. For this reason, as well as for inspiring a series of popular cop dramas that followed, it remains one of the most important programmes in the history of Australian television. Early episodes were in black and white with the bulk of material recorded on videotape in the studios of HSV7 in Melbourne using a Multi-camera setup. External filming took place all over Melbourne; the opening sequence in which a police car pulls up outside Police Headquarters was filmed outside the actual Art Deco Victorian Police Headquarters of the day, at 336-376 Russell Street, city.
Set in a small Victorian rural township, Bellbird was the first true Australian made soap opera. The show s storylines followed the lives of the residents of the small country town that gave the show its title. The first episode was directed by James Davern. He continued with Bellbird for seven years, working as writer, script editor and then executive producer of the series, before becoming the creator and driving force behind that other successful rural based TV drama, A Country Practice. Principal cast members included Maurie Fields, Carl Bleazby, Lynette Curran, Elspeth Ballantyne, Gerda Nicolson, Peter Aanensen and Carmel Millhouse. Numerous cast changes were made over the years. The addition of Crawford s stars Terence Donovan, Chuck Faulkner, Alwyn Kurts and Gerard Kennedy to the cast gave the show its final boost in its last year of production. The show s ratings were always modest but it had a devoted following, especially in rural Australia.
The series was produced by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation at its Ripponlea TV studios in Elsternwick, Melbourne. Footage for the opening titles sequence was shot on location in the Victorian country town of Daylesford. Many of the location scenes were filmed in Cranbourne on a huge dairying estate, scenes were also filmed at Sunbury just north of Melbourne. Other rural looking spots around Melbourne would be used in other assorted location shoots.
A film version in 1971, entitled Country Town, featured much the same cast as the series. Yea, a country town in central Victoria, was the main filming location. Several farm sequences, and Philip and Rhoda s romantic picnic at Hanging Rock, were shot in the Romsey area north of Melbourne. The scenes demonstrating the effects of the severe drought were filmed in Wentworth, New South Wales, where ironically the filmmakers encountered persistent rain. Some farm scenes were shot at the nearby Lake Victoria Station. The trotting race sequences were shot at Southern Speedway in the Melbourne suburb of Heatherton.
Division 4 was the only drama series on Australian television to rival the popularity of Homicide. Division 4 was a product of the same company, Crawford Productions, and arrived on the scene five years after Homicide first started its ground-breaking run. Focusing on the activities of Yarra Central police station, its main players were Terence Donovan, Ted Hamilton, Chuck Faulkner, Gerard Kennedy, Patricia Smith and Frank Taylor. The show was originally set in St Kilda and given the imaginative title Saints And Sinners, but St Kilda City Council objected to the series as shooting began, claiming that it would do great harm to St Kilda s image and consequently its property values. The concept of what became the 301 episode series, Division 4, was altered and the setting became the fictitious suburb of Yarra Central, and the title was changed to the rather innocuous Police File. Not entirely happy with the Police File title, Crawfords were looking for another name. A secretary was typing a list of suggestions, one of which was Department 24 2 (a throwback to the successful radio series D24), and she mis-typed it as Division 4 2. It struck a chord, and Division 4 was adopted as the new title. The show was shot around inner Melbourne, including St Kilda, after the show went to air and the City Council relented.
A rural police series, made by Melbourne-based Crawford Productions, that was screened on Network Ten. A popular success; it starred veteran Australian actor Michael Pate, who had spent many years in Hollywood in the 1950s and 1960s, and featured Paul Cronin, who was later given his own spinoff series, Solo One. This short-lived TV series was in Emerald in the Dandenong Ranges outside of Melbourne.
With the success of Matlock Police, Crawfords cemented its position as Australia s leading drama production house, and gained the unique distinction of having a successful weekly drama series running simultaneously on each of the three major commercial networks. Generally, Crawford cop shows were very faithful to police procedure, but in this instance the producers took some dramatic licence, as police motorbikes at the time were not equipped with radios. In a classic case of life imitating art, the popularity of the Hogan character raised the profile of motorcycle cops so much that the Victoria Police ended up fitting radios to their bikes.
Matlock Police was different from its inner-city based predecessors by being set in a small country town, the fictional Matlock, Victoria (a real Matlock does exist in Victoria, but it is very much a ghost town with a tiny population). The Matlock of the series was loosely based on Shepparton in Victoria. A great deal of thought went into creating Matlock, and a manual was issued to scriptwriters giving full details of the town s geography, amenities, social structure, etc., as well as that of the surrounding area. A variety of locations were sought out to depict the town and surrounds, with most filming being done around the Lilydale / Yarra Valley area to the east of Melbourne, which afforded a vast range of country that could be used to faithfully re-create almost any rural setting. Some suburban locations were also used, with Whitehorse Road in Box Hill depicting the main street of Matlock in early episodes, and the Ringwood police station doubled as the Matlock police station for the entire series. Interior scenes utilised the studios of ATV-0 at Nunawading, in the locality now known as Forest Hill, but referred to at the time as East Burwood.
Starring Max Meldrum, John Waters, Olivia Hamnett, Brendon Lunney and Peter Flett (1st series), Rush depicted life on the Australian goldfields in the 1850s and 60s. Two series were made, and they were effectively two different programmes. The first series was set in Victoria during the gold rush of the 1850 s, and was produced in Melbourne and filmed in black and white. A second series went to air two years later, and the period and location was changed to the 1860 s in New South Wales. This time it was produced in Sydney, filmed in colour and featured an almost entirely new cast line-up the only character carried over from the original was that of Sergeant McKellar, played by John Waters.
Interior scenes of the first series were filmed at the ABC s Melbourne studios. An external set for the Crockers Gully goldfield was built on a 230 acre property at Lysterfield, on the eastern outskirts of Melbourne. The whole property was used for filming, but the town itself only occupied about two acres. Sixty tents were erected, all made in the same manner as they were during the gold rush. Buildings were constructed using the same type of timber as the originals, which had to be transported from Buxton, north-east of Melbourne.
Cash and Company was an Australian television period adventure series, set during the Victorian gold rush of the 1850s, that saw 13 one hour episodes filmed during its first season of production. The series was renamed Tandarra for the second series as the character of Sam Cash (played by Serge Lazareff) was no longer featured. His character was replaced by Ryler, a former bounty hunter, played by Gerard Kennedy, a former cast member of Division 4. The series was shot almost entirely on location at Sunbury, Victoria, the same area where Mad Max (1979) was filmed. Emu Bottom Homestead, Sunbury, featured as the homestead around which most of the action took place.
The Sullivans
A period soap style drama series set in a Melbourne suburb, about families coping with the hardships of the second world war. The story began in 1939, with the declaration of war against Germany. From the outset the series focused on the Sullivan family. With Paul Cronin, Lorraine Bayley, Andrew McFarlane, Steve Tandy, Richard Morgan, Maggie Dench, Susan Hannaford, Vivean Grey and Michael Caton in the leading roles, the series was huge not only in Australia but was also one of the first Australian TV shows to transfer successfully around the world (screened in 30 worldwide markets). Norman Yemm, Kylie and Dannii Minogue, John Orcsik, Noni Hazelhurst, Gary Sweet, Sigrid Thornton, Charles Bud Tingwell, John Waters, Sam Neill, Gus Mercurio, Terry McDermott, Belinda Gilbin, Peter Ford, Chantal Contouri, Kerry Armstrong, Chris Haywood and Mel Gibson all appeared on the show in minor roles.
Set and filmed in Melbourne with Canterbury being the main location because of its proximity to Abbotsford which is where production company Crawfords were based. The pub featured in the series is The Retreat Hotel, 226 Nicholson Street, Abbotsford. The fictitious 7 Gordon Street, Camberwell was the on-screen address of the Sullivans family home. The cottage used as the Sullivan s home was purchased by the show s producers, Crawfords, in 1976. It was sold when filming finished. The cottage no longer exists, having been replaced by a new 2-storey home. 35 Matlock St, Canterbury was Willy s Store. Maling Road, Canterbury was regularly seen.
Prisoner was a television soap opera set in Wentworth Detention Centre, a fictional women s prison. Prisoner became one of the most enduring TV shows in Australian television history, running on Network Ten for 692 episodes. The majority of Prisoner episodes were filmed exclusively in Melbourne. The building used to represent Barnhurst is located within a large expanse of parklands by the Yarra River in the inner-city suburb of Abbotsford. The first Driscoll House is on the corner of Yarra and Park Streets, Abbotsford. Meg and Dennis flat is at 50 Marne Street, South Yarra. The Prahran Courthouse was used for all courthouse sequences. The building that represented Blackmoor Prison is the old Melbourne Metropolitan Board of Works pumping station which is on Douglas Parade (corner Craig Street), Spotswood. This building was also seen in the film Mad Max (1979) as the Halls of Justice building. The building is now part of the Scienceworks Museum and is open to the public.
Neigthbours
Neighbours is a Channel 10 serial chronicling the lives of the residents of Ramsay Street in the fictional Australian suburb of Erinsborough. When the series began, it revolved around three families the Ramsays, the Robinsons and the Clarkes, living at no. 24, no. 26 and no. 28 respectively. Nowadays, the scope of the programme is much wider and only one member of the original families remains in the street. Ramsay Street is in fact Pinoak Court, in the suburb of Vermont South which is 29 kilometres from Melbourne CBD. The journey by car would take around 24 minutes via the Eastern Freeway. Outdoor scenes are generally shot in the Melbourne suburbs of Box Hill, Burwood East and Doncaster. Internal filming takes place at Global Television Studios, South Melbourne.
Round the Twist is a Logie Award-winning Australian children s television series about three children and their widowed father who live in a lighthouse and become involved in many magical adventures. Only four series were made despite the show having an eleven year run. The first two series were based on fantasy stories written by author Paul Jennings; the latter two were based on a variety of authors work. Many external scenes were shot around the region of the Split Point Lighthouse in Aireys Inlet, Victoria. Built in 1891, the Split Point Lighthouse at Aireys Inlet (on the Great Ocean Road about 90 mins. from Melbourne) doubles as a home for the Twist family.
As with most of Australia s successful TV comedy shows, Let The Blood Run Free was born in Melbourne cabaret. It began as an improvised soap opera about a decaying city hospital at the Le Joke comedy club. No scripts were written for the twice-nightly shows it was improvised theatre in its purest form. The TV version of Blood preserved one important aspect of the original stage show audience involvement. Let The Blood Run Free has been screened in over fifty countries worldwide and dubbed into seven languages. It remains one of the most original, most uninhibited and most insanely entertaining shows ever produced. The Royal Victorian Institute for the Blind at 557 St Kilda Road, Melbourne, was used as the setting for the underfunded and mismanaged St Christopher s Hospital.
Blue Heelers is an Australian police drama series which depicted the lives of police officers stationed at the fictional Mount Thomas police station in a small town in Victoria. It was Australia s most popular television drama, drawing more than 2.5 million viewers every week at its peak and jointly holds the record for most episodes produced of a weekly prime time drama. When it aired its 510th episode in 2006, it equalled Homicide s record, set in 1977. Blue Heelers launched the careers of many Australian actors such as Lisa McCune, Grant Bowler, Ditch Davey, Rachel Gordon, Tasma Walton, Charlie Clausen and Jane Allsop. While many of these actors are still best known for their character on Blue Heelers, some have gone on to bigger roles.
Most of the filming, including the scenes in the police station and pub, were filmed inside Stags Head hotel in Williamstown, Vic, around Williamstown and the more established parts of Werribee. The scenes of the outside of the Mount Thomas police station were actually filmed at the old, disused Williamstown police station, which was then a private residence. Scenes at Mount Thomas High School were filmed at Williamstown High School. The town of Castlemaine was most often used as the backdrop for Mount Thomas, seen in almost every episode.
Although the Blue Heelers pilot was shot in Castlemaine, the cast and crew very rarely returned there to shoot further episodes; the scenes in Castlemaine were usually just generic scenes where no action actually takes place. Chris Riley s fictional Imperial Hotel, for example, was actually the real Imperial Hotel in Castlemaine (photo). Mount Thomas fictional Commercial Hotel was filmed at the Willy Tavern in Williamstown. The second Mount Thomas police station, adopted during the programme s reform of 2004, as well as the site of Maggie Doyle s iconic death in the railyards, is located at Newport Railway workshops. The Werribee Mercy Hospital is known as Mount Thomas Hospital in the show.
RocKwiz hosts Julia Zemiro and Brian Nankervis
Julia Zemiro and Brian Nankervis host Australia s most original music trivia quiz show, in an unadulterated display of rock nerdery. Recorded live in the Gershwin Room at the legendary music venue, St Kilda s Esplanade Hotel, and screened on Saturday nights on SBS, the show features two mystery music guests and 4 punters selected from the pub audience, pitted against one another, in five fast and furious rounds of fearsome music trivia all for the ultimate prize & the honour of winning!
Inspired by the life of a real undercover operative, Stingers is about undercover cops: people with covert lives and constantly changing identities. Starring Peter Phelps, Kate Kendall and Jessica Napier, it reveals the shadowy and ambiguous life of police who work behind enemy lines, always without a badge and frequently without protection. Stingers was set and filmed in Melbourne. The Terminus Hotel, 605 Victoria St, Abbotsford, Vic. was the local watering hole for undercover cop Peter Church (Peter Phelps), while the Greyhound Hotel at 1 Brighton Road, St Kilda, provided the location for many of the character s undercover drug busts. The Australian Education Union building in Abbotsford served as the exterior for police headquarters, and the former convent chapel St Heliers, in Abbotsford, played the role of a psychiatric hospital.
In the opening episode, we are introduced to Laura Gibson (Sigrid Thornton), a neurotic corporate lawyer. In one day, her entire life is ruined: her son Rupert is expelled from school, she almost kills the family cat, she loses out on a partnership at work, she finds out that her sister Trudi (Fiona Corke) is having an affair with her husband Jack, and learns that he has been arrested for fraud. On a whim, she takes a job as a magistrate in the small seaside town of Pearl Bay, where she once stayed with her family during happier times. Filming was based at Barwon Heads, Victoria. You can actually stay the night in Laura s beach house from SeaChange for $175 a night it s owned by the local caravan park in Barwon Heads (Ewing Blyth Drive). The Pearl Bay Courthouse was actually filmed in Melbourne, at the Williamstown Lifesaving Club (The Esplanade, Williamstown).
A Melbourne based TV drama that follows the lives of eight friends who share an apartment block; all are looking for the same thing love, sex, romance and success and anything else that s worth going after. The main cast comprised of Claudia Karvan, Samuel Johnson, Deborah Mailman, Spencer McLaren, Abi Tucker and Joel Edgerton. The show was filmed at various locations around the inner Melbourne suburb of St Kilda. The apartment block at 14a Acland Street, St Kilda provided exteriors for the home of the characters of The Secret Life of Us. The Acland Street apartment block Their rooftop parties, however, took place on top of another block down the road, looking out over St Kilda icons the Palais Theatre and Luna Park, at 22a The Esplanade, St Kilda.
Kath & Kim
Kath & Kim is a satirical sitcom created and written by Jane Turner and Gina Riley, who play the title roles. The characters of Kath, Kim and Sharon (played by Magda Szubanski) were originally developed in the early 1990s in a recurring skit in the highly successful Big Girl s Blouse comedy sketch show. These skits, a send-up of a fly-on-the-wall type reality TV series following a mother and daughter planning the daughter s wedding, continued to evolve in the short-lived comedy series Something Stupid.
The series is set in the fictional suburb of Fountain Lakes, in Melbourne, but is primarily filmed in and around areas of Patterson Lakes in that city. Kath s townhouse residence is located in Fountain Lakes, which is actually in the waterfront street of Lagoon Place, Patterson Lakes. Fountain Gate Shopping Centre on Princes Highway, Narree Warren, is where Kath and Kim shop. The local IKEA store, Target, and various local restaurants in the area have been featured regularly.
The bulk of City Homicide is shot at Seven s South Melbourne studios and the show features Melbourne landmarks, such as Flinders Street Station and the city s trams. The series was set on the Homicide floor of a metropolitan police headquarters in Melbourne. The main characters were six detectives, who solve the murder cases, and their three superior officers.
The outside locations were filmed at Brighton Secondary College, 120 Marriage Rd Brighton East. It is a parody of high-school life epitomised by its three protagonists: effeminate and megalomaniacal Director of Performing Arts Mr G; self-absorbed, privileged teenager Ja mie King; and disobedient, vulgar Tongan student Jonah Takalua. All played by Lilley, the characters never interact. It lampoons Australian high school life and many aspects of the human condition and is filmed in a documentary style, with non-actors playing supporting characters.
