They’re snippets of our own backyard being broadcast around the world.
An array of east coast locations, including private homes and mansions, mostly in Sydney, have been appearing in a range of major Hollywood films.
From postcard landscapes to million-dollar mansions, there are a plethora of both familiar and surprising film sets on the east coast that feature on the big screen.
2023 was a particularly good year for film productions in Australia, with film crews spending a total $1.2 billlion in the country, according to Screen Australia. Films shot in Australia that year included The Fall Guy, Godzilla vs Kong: The New Empire and The Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.
Here are some of the locations you might walk past not realising it has been used a major film:
ANYONE BUT YOU
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Sydney Sweeney and Glenn Powell in a scene from the romantic comedy Anyone But You, shot in Sydney
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Anyone But You (2023) unfolds predominantly in Sydney and NSW.
From Bea (Sydney Sweeney) and Ben’s (Glen Powell) meet‑cute at The Precinct by Toby’s Estate in Barangaroo to the end credits at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
In northern Sydney, a surprising Terrey Hills estate features as Claudia and Pete’s parents’ idyllic home by the beach, according to Atlas of Wonders.
The six-bedroom, eight-bathroom home at 1 Larool Road last sold for $7.12m in 2016 and was rented for at least $1,000 per week around the time of filming in 2023.
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1 Larool Road, Terrey Hills was the home setting of Claudia and Pete’s parents
The ‘nearby’ beach to the home was North Palm Beach.
The cast set sail in the movie from Jones Bay Wharf, Pyrmont, into Sydney Harbour beside the Sydney Opera House.
To the latter end of the film, a scene also features George Street outside the QVB while the cliff‑top wedding was filmed at Marks Park, Tamarama.
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THE FALL GUY
Ryan Gosling in an action scene on The Harbour Bridge from The Fall Guy
Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt at the premiere of “The Fall Guy” 2024 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images
In 2023, Hollywood heavyweight Ryan Gosling shut down the Harbour Bridge to film the action movie, The Fall Guy.
Destination NSW maps out these film locations across the city including a chase taking place across the bridge, a boat chase through Rushcutters Bay and further scenes unfolding in Circular Quay, Elizabeth Street and Martin Place.
Beaches in Kurnell in the Sutherland Shire also appear in the film.
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Ryan Gosling seen on Sydney’s Harbour Bridge filming action scenes for The Fall Guy. Picture Newscorp: Daily Telegraph/ Gaye Gerard
Cars on set during the filming of a car scene on Elizabeth Street in the Sydney CBD for the Movie The Fall Guy. Picture: Damian Shaw
GREAT GATSBY
Leonardo DiCaprio in The Great Gatsby
Sites across Sydney were used to recreate 1920s New York in Baz Luhrmann’s 2013 blockbuster, The Great Gatsby.
St Patrick’s College building in Manly, now the International College of Management, served as the exterior of Jay Gatsby’s grand mansion.
The former White Bay Power Station was used as the desolate Valley of the Ashes and Nick Carraway’s bungalow was built in Centennial Park.
Other locations included Waverley Cemetery, Richmond Polo Club, Rivendell health facility in Concord, The King’s School in Parramatta and Breenhold Gardens in the Blue Mountains.
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Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan and Joel Edgerton in The Great Gatsby
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The International College of Management Sydney at Manly. Picture: ICMS
BABE
Robertson was the film location for the beloved Babe (1995) and Babe 2: Pig in the City (1998)
Hoggett’s Farm was a constructed set in the Southern Highlands
Parts of the film were shot at the Moss Vale showground, pictured here in the 1990s. Picture: NSW Travel
In the picturesque Southern Highlands, Robertson was the film location for the beloved Babe (1995) and Babe 2: Pig in the City (1998).
Hoggett’s farm was a set constructed with a final scene also filmed at Moss Vale Showground, according to Destination NSW.
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AUSTRALIA
Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman in Baz Luhrmann’s Australia
Sydney-born film director Baz Luhrmann’s Australia (2008) included a vast range of locations filmed across the country, with a handful of Sydney sites.
The historic homestead Camelot, built in 1888 and located in Kirkham Lane Elderslie, was used as the English home of Lady Sarah Ashley (Nicole Kidman) at the start of the film.
Later in the movie, the heritage-listed Strickland House in Vaucluse was portrayed as Darwin’s Government House in a setting for the ball scene.
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Camelot House at Kirkham was used as Lady Sarah Ashley (Nicole Kidman) English home in the film. Picture: Robert Pozo
Strickland House, Vaucluse was the setting for the ball in Baz Luhrmann’s 2008, Australia. Picture: Destination NSW
Actors Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman in a scene from the 2008 film
THE MATRIX
Actor Keanu Reeves on set of film “Matrix” being filmed on roof of Price Waterhouse building in Kent Street, Sydney 30 Mar 1998
Actor Keanu Reeves with Hugo Weaving in scene from The Matrix 1999
The sci-fi franchise starring Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss, The Matrix, was also captured upon Sydney streets.
The original film, released in 1999, was one of the first American productions to be filmed in Australia.
Some of Sydney’s major landmarks were edited from film shots to portray the scene locations as more generic, however, viewers might recognise the familiar city skyline.
According to Desination NSW, many of the scenes were filmed around the CBD, including Colonial State Bank Building (where Morpheus was held captive) and the iconic Lloyd Rees fountain in Martin Place (where the simulated “girl in the red dress” scene is set).
A helicopter flight scene also affords a birds eye of the city featuring its iconic skyscrapers below.
Actor Keanu Reeves on the set of film Matrix, filming in Sydney, 1998. Picture: Bendeich Troy
PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT
Priscilla, Queen of the Desert 1994 was shot around Broken Hill. Credit: POLYGRAM
East coast locations were central in Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994).
Destination NSW recounts the film begins and ends in Sydney with scenes at The Imperial Hotel in Erskineville, the pub has hosted drag shows for more than 40 years with a restaurant called Priscilla’s.
Scenes were also shot around Broken Hill and the Palace Hotel, where visitors can even spend the night in the Priscilla Suite where the characters stayed, according to destination NSW.
Mynx Mascato, Aunty Tamara and Lada Marks pictured dancing at The Imperial Hotel, Erskineville, at the announcement of the listing of the LGBTQIA+ venue, the Imperial Hotel, on the State Heritage Register. Picture: NewsWire / Monique Harmer
SUPERMAN RETURNS
The now largely forgotten 2006 film Superman Returns, starring Kevin Spacey as Lex Luther and Brandon Routh as Clark Kent/Superman, was filmed in parts of southern Sydney.
This included a waterfront home in Sylvania Waters, which went on the market for sale in 2009, three years after the film was shown in theatres.
The house was used for a scene near the climax of the film, where Lois Lane, played by Kate Bosworth, has to be rescued in a seaplane.
Film crews rented 2 James Cook Island in Sylvania Waters to shoot Bryan Singer’s 2006 movie Superman Returns. NSW real estate.
The 2006 film received a lukewarm reception from audiences about its release.
The Bryan Singer film divided fans upon its release and proved influential in a later decision to “reboot” the DC film universe with the release of Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel in 2013, starring Henry Cavill.
The house on James Cook Island last sold in 2013 for $3.55m. An automated valuation by Property.com.au estimated the house is currently worth about $6.18m.