Screen NSW presents the Illawarra region, located on the south coast of New South Wales, considered one of the most film-friendly, accessible, diverse and beautiful regions in Australia.

The Illawarra region, only a 35-minute flight, and a 1.5-hour drive (85km) south of Sydney provides filmmakers with several big city locations with a ‘small-town’ relaxed and friendly vibe.

On approach to the region, visitors will instantly see how the UK and Irish coastlines can be easily replicated by Gerringong or Saddleback Mountain. Old country roads will ‘hug’ you as you pass through them in Jamberoo. Tropical waterways via Lake Illawarra mimic a ‘Big Island’ or ‘Maui’ landscape while Californian coastal drives are easily doubled via the curvaceous Wollongong Sea Cliff Bridge.

Image right: Wollongong Sea Cliff Bridge. Image courtesy of tourism.australia.com

At the other end of the visual scale, dystopian backdrops are easily accessible at Blue Scope Steel’s disused industrial areas. There are also ports galore within a short radius from the city fulfilling both large-scale, industrial vessel requirements through to the leisurely port of Shellharbour with its iconic lighthouse and adjacent Belmore Basin.

Those with aviation-based narratives will find Wollongong’s Historical Aircraft Restoration Society (HARS) impressive with its permanent display of John Travolta’s donated 707 and onsite decommissioned Boeing 747 – a surreal entity at the base of the Illawarra’s flourishing escarpment

Period dramas can add visual candy with the Old Helensburgh Tunnel and Kangaroo Valley Bridge, or achieve a pioneer feel with Queen Street in Berry or Moss Vale Road in Kangaroo Valley.

Finally, those with more alien and other-worldy film projects should explore the area around Bombo Quarry for dramatic interplanetary landscapes.

We look forward to welcoming you to Sydney in 2023!

With competitive incentives, world-class cast, crew, stages and cutting-edge film technology, NSW ensured a blockbuster year for film production in 2022, with over $1 billion invested in the State including recent productions The Fall Guy, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, and The Artful Dodger. 

For additional information on filming in NSW contact:

MARK LAZARUS
Senior Manager, Destination Attraction (Made in NSW fund)
[email protected]
+61 428 677 883

SUE MCCREADIE
Manager, Post, Digital and Visual Effects (PDV & Digital Games funds)
[email protected]
+61 410 696 911
www.screen.nsw.gov.au

SCREEN NSW

The team can assist with information on locations, technical and creative talent, studio space, postproduction, and visual effects facilities and on all aspects of filming.

Watch the NSW Locations Reel below: