{"id":719541,"date":"2026-06-06T19:05:24","date_gmt":"2026-06-06T19:05:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/719541\/"},"modified":"2026-06-06T19:05:24","modified_gmt":"2026-06-06T19:05:24","slug":"destination-wa-film-and-tv-increasingly-turning-its-attentions-to-western-australia-as-screen-industry-booms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/719541\/","title":{"rendered":"Destination WA: film and TV increasingly turning its attentions to Western Australia as screen industry booms"},"content":{"rendered":"

For years, Western Australia has traded on its isolation.<\/p>\n

As a State, we\u2019ve lured tourists west with images of wild, remote spaces, pristine landscapes and untouched wilderness.<\/p>\n

But that same remoteness also worked against us \u2014 particularly when it came to enticing film and television projects to choose Western Australia as a location to film.<\/p>\n

Producers saw those beautiful vistas, but backed away, feeling they were just too out of reach.<\/p>\n

The infrastructure wasn\u2019t there, it was too expensive to relocate cast and crew, and the cost well and truly outweighed the benefit.<\/p>\n

But all that is changing.<\/p>\n

\"HomeCamera IconHome And Away star Bonnie Sveen takes a load off between takes at Bullara Station, outside of Exmouth. Credit: Jeremy Greive\/Channel 7<\/p>\n

In the past few years, generous financial incentives \u2014 plus the recently opened $233.5 million Perth Film Studios \u2014 have seen an increasing number of film and TV projects choose Western Australia.<\/p>\n

Earlier this year, Home And Away fans were treated to a series of special episodes, filmed in the State late last year.<\/p>\n

As well as filming in and around Perth, the production headed up to WA\u2019s remote Coral Coast, shooting in Exmouth, nearby Cape Range National Park, and using Bullara Station as a major location for the drama.<\/p>\n

Home and Away\u2019s executive producer Julie McGauran says the shoot, though logistically challenging, was a success.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know what, every person would have two hands shooting up, ready to go back there again,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had been talking about (taking the show to WA) for a little while … and then we started talking to Tourism WA and it all aligned.\u201d<\/p>\n

Home and Away is just one of several productions looking westwards.<\/p>\n

In fact, there is a something of a \u201cquiet revolution\u201d happening in the film sector, both here and globally.<\/p>\n

\"HomeCamera IconHome and Away took a crew of 38 people to shoot on WA\u2019s Coral Coast. Pictured: Home and Away stars Bonnie Sveen and Stephen Peacocke. Credit: Supplied Jeremy Greive<\/p>\n

Western Australia is currently experiencing something of a \u201cproduction boom\u201d, aggressively drawing high-profile national and international projects away from traditional east coast and overseas hubs.<\/p>\n

Driven by a State-backed Screen Industry Strategy, 10 to 20 per cent production incentives, and the launch of the state-of-the-art Perth Film Studios lot in Malaga, WA has officially commodified its greatest natural asset: its sheer versatility.<\/p>\n

\"MarkCamera IconMark Coles Smith as Jay Swan, Director of Photography Sky Davies, Best Boy Thomas Arnott and standby props Olivia Beaumont on location in Pemberton for Mystery Road: Origin. Credit: David Dare Parker\/Bunya Productions<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the great things about Western Australia is there are just so many looks,\u201d says Chris Veerhuis, ex-head of production at Screen West, who spent three and a half years there implementing the Western Australian Production Attraction Incentive before returning to helm his own production company.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt has so many diverse looks, and looks that have never been seen before.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are not a tired location: Perth, Fremantle, the regions are all fresh on screens.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd paramount to the example (of a show seeking that out) would be the show Breakers, which is currently shooting down south.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s the big-budget Netflix surf series starring The Boys\u2019 Anthony Starr.<\/p>\n

It is being produced by Clerkenwell Films, the UK-based company responsible for TV mega-hit, Baby Reindeer.<\/p>\n

Along with the Stan Original \/ BBC project Two Birds \u2014 currently shooting on location in Kalgoorlie and in Perth at the newly-opened studios \u2014 they are leading the charge.<\/p>\n

And they are just the latest in a stream of productions that have used the state in recent years, with Mystery Road: Origin season two for ABC, the third season of The Twelve and Run for Binge, Ghosts Australia for Paramount Plus, Scrublands: Silver for Stan and Reckless for SBS and NITV amongst projects that have taken advantage of the State\u2019s screen initiatives in recent years.<\/p>\n

But these two new productions are different: both involve overseas production companies, kicking things up a notch.<\/p>\n

Should shooting go smoothly \u2014 and so far, so good \u2014 they will help persuade other big names in the film and TV world to consider the west coast as a viable location for their projects.<\/p>\n

\"Scrublands:Camera IconScrublands: Silver shooting in Augusta. Credit: Photograph by David Dare Parker<\/p>\n

\u201cWA has, and always will have, incredible locations, and people have always been attracted to that \u2014 it\u2019s the studio that adds the final piece to the puzzle,\u201d says Ricki Lea Bestall, CEO of Screen West.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Netflix series is injecting $19 million directly into the economy, and over 100 local jobs\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cThe AC Chapter One (project) is injecting over $17 mill to the economy, and more than 100 Western Australian cast and crew.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think West Australia is just a great place to be right now,\u201d she continues.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur incentives are the most competitive, and I think we are the easiest state to work with and shoot with.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe work closely with our partners in government and also in locations, plus we\u2019ve got, I think, the best film studios in the Southern Hemisphere, on the biggest backlot in the Southern Hemisphere, so you can build what you want.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"TheCamera IconThe new Perth Film Studios in Whiteman Park Credit: Andrew Ritchie<\/p>\n

Bestall gives a persuasive sell, but there is undoubtedly still a ways to go.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s early days, and WA will have to go all-out to try to compete with bigger and more established studios over East and internationally.<\/p>\n

For years, creatives have been forced away from the State, and as a result there\u2019s something of a skills shortage locally.<\/p>\n

But with the studio now open, training initiatives under way and more productions headed in our direction in the months to come, there\u2019s a hope within industry professionals that things may be moving in the right direction<\/p>\n

\u201cThe thing about the new studio is that we have a pathway for people to stay in Western Australia,\u201d Veerhuis explains.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd to pursue the arts as an opportunity, and as a job.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor so long, people have gone east to prove themselves and to make a living \u2014 that doesn\u2019t need to happen anymore.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can stay here, come out of the education system or not, get yourself onto a film or TV series and skill up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gavin O\u2019Grady, executive producer at Clerkenwell Films, is on the ground in Western Australia right now shooting Breakers, and says the State has \u2014 so far \u2014 given his team everything they need \u201ccreatively and practically\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause the show is filmed almost entirely outdoors, reliable weather and consistent natural light were incredibly important, and the region gave us that alongside some of the most spectacular landscapes in the world,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs one of the world\u2019s premier surfing destinations, Margaret River also brought an authenticity that would have been impossible to replicate elsewhere.<\/p>\n

\u201cSurf culture is deeply embedded in the community, and the powerful Indian Ocean conditions gave us access to world-class waves and visually dynamic surf sequences that are central to the story we wanted to tell.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the things that is really interesting about that project is that Clerkenwell are UK-based, but it\u2019s for Netflix, so that means it is a world-scale project that is going to see Margaret River and surrounds (go far and wide),\u201d says Veerhuis.<\/p>\n

That kind of exposure will have huge knock-on benefits for the region, which is already benefiting from having cast and crew on the ground and spending their production \u2018per diems\u2019 in the area.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt will generate things like tourism \u2014 it has that return on investment,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n

Barriers that once prevented large-scale projects from choosing WA as a location are slowly being eradicated, the financial blow softened by those incentive sweeteners.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe number one thing for producers will be the look. What does it look like? Is it new? Is it interesting? Is it fresh? Does it serve the story?\u201d says Veerhuis.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut after that it\u2019s about serviceability: can we actually physically get there, can we service it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\"DirectorCamera IconDirector Jub Clerc and Director Wayne Blair on the set of Mystery Road, Origin outside Manjimump in the South West. Credit: David Dare Parker Bunya Productions<\/p>\n

That is no longer an abstract question. These productions are proving it can be done, with those incentives the cherry on the cake.<\/p>\n

\u201cWestern Australia has one of the best rebates, if not THE best rebate in the country,\u201d Veerhuis points out.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is no fixed number \u2014 it differs production by production \u2014 but the federal (incentive) is set at 30 per cent, so you know you\u2019ll get 30 per cent from the Feds, plus what you get from the State.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s an alluring figure for international productions.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd that is where Screen West has that opportunity to really touch point,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo really find that number for the right project, because each project has a unique cost point, and they are offsetting certain things, delivering certain crew and actors in.\u201d<\/p>\n

We\u2019re looking like an increasingly attractive proposition.<\/p>\n

And, as Bestall and Veerhuis both point out, Western Australia\u2019s unique \u201clook\u201d \u2014 that very same thing that has lured travellers here for decades \u2014 is something that might just push us over the line to one-up our competitors.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have incredible talent, obviously,\u201d says Bestall. \u201cBut the weather. The light. Every DOP (director of photography) or film maker talks about the incredible light here \u2014 it\u2019s somewhat similar to LA.\u201d<\/p>\n

The breadth of locations, coupled with the safety of filming somewhere like Western Australia, with its ease of getting around, only serves to add to its appeal.<\/p>\n

Perth and surrounds can \u201cdouble\u201d for other places in the world.<\/p>\n

You want the Mediterranean? We got you. How about a European city? Fremantle\u2019s got the heritage, and Screen West\u2019s 1900-strong database of potential film locations showcases all this.<\/p>\n

Previous productions have leaned into this already: Ghosts Australia used historic Woodbridge House. York was used as a setting for the town in Runt, and York Town Hall plus nearby Buckland Estate, Faversham House and Castle Hotel took starring roles in The Twelve season two.<\/p>\n

\"YorkCamera IconYork Town Hall & Imperial Homestead. Credit: Will Yeoman<\/p>\n

The 1912-built Augusta Hotel featured prominently in Scrublands: Silver, which shot in and around the tiny South West town in 2024, and regionally, Bremer Bay was a key location for the Tim Winton film Blueback.<\/p>\n

The Dongara Denison Drive-In was used in the Stan series Invisible Boys, and Derby, in the Far North of the state, was used to film that streamers\u2019 comedy, Population 11.<\/p>\n

\"RikkiCamera IconRikki Leah Bestall is CEO of Screen West. Credit: Simon Westlake<\/p>\n

Fremantle has become increasingly sought-after, finding itself front and centre in eight productions over the past two years, including Twice Over, Run, Reckless, End to End, Whale Shark Jack, The Travellers, The Twelve and Proclivitas.<\/p>\n

\u201cFremantle is increasingly emerging as one of Australia\u2019s most compelling film and television backdrops, combining striking visual appeal with depth of character and practical ease,\u201d says Hana Murray, Events & Place Partner for The City of Fremantle.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s had a positive knock-on effect for the local econy.<\/p>\n

\u201cProductions generate significant local spending across accommodation, hospitality, and service providers,\u201d Murray adds.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor example, recent filming of Reckless (SBS\/NITV) and Run (Warner Bros\/Binge) delivered approximately $550,000 in economic benefit over three months, largely during the winter season.\u201d<\/p>\n

With a slate of as-yet-unannounced projects on the way, Bestall hopes WA will continue to prove a compelling location.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have gone full steam ahead in the last 18 months to really fill out our locations directory, to make sure whether you want historic houses, or whether you want incredible landscapes, or Tuscan villas or a horse paddock, we are ready with those opportunities.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s an exciting time.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For years, Western Australia has traded on its isolation. As a State, we\u2019ve lured tourists west with images…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":719542,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[64,63,2331,134,1625,344,44,427],"class_list":["post-719541","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-australia","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-culture","tag-entertainment","tag-lifestyle","tag-movies","tag-news","tag-tv"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/719541","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=719541"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/719541\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/719542"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=719541"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=719541"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=719541"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}