One of the great aspects of home made Australian TV shows is the way that the locations they are filmed in often become characters in the show.
Australian directors love to use Australia’s unique and instantly recognisable landscapes to add drama and often a sense of isolation and vastness to their shows.
While most Australian TV shows are instantly recognisable as being ‘Australian’, the reality is that the Australian landscape varies dramatically across the continent.
For those of us who love to get out and explore Australia, watching Australian TV shows can be a great way to immerse ourselves in the Australian landscape while also an opportunity to get a sense of what to expect when you visit the various corners of the continent.
Take for example Mystery Road (Series 1) which was filmed around Wyndham and Kununurra in the remote East Kimberley region of North Western Australia.
The opening scenes show the Cockburn Ranges in all their glory which eastbound travellers along the Gibb River Road first see as they approach El Questro Wilderness Lodge.
Those fortunate enough to be driving the Gibb near to sunset are often treated to a spectacular show as the setting sun lights up the Cockburn Ranges escarpment.
Bone dry and cracked flood plains, giant boab trees and the mighty Ord River all feature in the show leaving little doubt where the series is set.
Scrublands, a new series that premiered on Stan in November is set in the fictional town of ‘Riverbend’ (supposedly in NSW), but was filmed primarily in the small town of Maldon, Victoria.
Maldon with its population around 1500 is a typical example of one of the hundreds of small gold rush towns scattered across Victoria and New South Wales.
With their old weatherboard houses, lonely sandstone churches, museums and bakeries, these towns like Maldon have changed little over the last century and offer an insight into Australia’s pioneering past.
The Tourist and Wolfe Creek (Season 2) are also great examples of crime series set in the iconic South Australian Outback.
Both series were filmed around the Flinders Ranges, 4 to 5 hours drive north of Adelaide in an area that is unmistakably Outback Australia.
The vast ‘nothingness’ and apparent lack of all things ‘civilised’ creating a perfect setting for these thriller/horror shows intended to keep their city dweller audiences on the edge of their seats.
Australia is a vast continent that you could devote a lifetime to exploring.
A great place to start your journey is watching Australian TV shows like Mystery Road, Scrublands, The Tourist and Wolfe Creek.
All shows are available to stream at stan.com.au
