Hollywood may be big, but Melbourne’s no stranger to the screen. With laneways that pass as New York, inner suburbs standing in for the 1950s, and sweeping country backdrops just hours away, the state has become a major player in both international and local productions.
Big Films Shot in Melbourne
- The Dressmaker (2015) – Filmed in the tiny Wimmera town of Mount Rothwell, with interiors in Melbourne
- Ghost Rider (2007) – Nicolas Cage rode his motorcycle across Flinders Street
- Mad Max (1979) – The post-apocalyptic classic filmed on Werribee plains and in western suburbs
- Queen of the Damned (2002) – The Melbourne cemetery stood in for L.A. (yes, really)
Homegrown TV Classics
- Neighbours – Australia’s longest-running soap, filmed in Vermont South (Ramsay Street) and at studios in Nunawading
- Blue Heelers – Based in fictional Mount Thomas, but filmed in Williamstown and Castlemaine
- Kath & Kim – Shot in Melbourne suburbs like Patterson Lakes and Fountain Gate
- Offspring – Inner-north Melbourne at its most Melbourne: Fitzroy, Carlton, and Royal Women’s Hospital
- Underbelly – Recreated real-life Melbourne crime in the actual laneways and alleyways where it happened
International Interest
- Melbourne now attracts productions through Docklands Studios, tax breaks and post-production hubs
- It often stands in for other cities, including parts of The Pacific, Clickbait, and Shantaram
If you spot trailers and cables down a laneway, don’t be surprised Melbourne’s film set status isn’t going anywhere.
