The Great Southern offers a variety of unique filming locations, and a well supported production environment.

To view an extensive gallery of Western Australian film locations, including the Great Southern, click here. If you don’t find what you’re looking for, or want to get an introduction into the region, please contact us.

Unique features of the region

Great Southern landscapes include features unique to the region such as the Stirling Range and the Fitzgerald River National Park. Bluff Knoll in the Stirlings is the highest peak in southern Western Australia. Peaks and ridges in the Stirlings provide distinctive and dramatic settings for outdoor activities such as bushwalking and rock-climbing.

The Stirling Range, Fitzgerald River National Park, the Porongurup National Park and other areas host rare endemic flora. Abundant displays of native flora can occur in grand settings of layered ranges or stark granite features. A unique formation of hills in the Stirling Range, known as the Sleeping Lady, is an evocative backdrop in search of a suitable film.

Pioneer heritage buildings in the region include the first farm established in Western Australia, at Albany’s Old Farm Strawberry Hill. The Rocks is a grand mansion in Albany that was formerly the summer residence of the Governor of Western Australia.

The Forts at Albany is a former military site that dates back to 1893. The former quarantine station Quaranup, built in 1875, has a morgue with a dissection slab.

Relatively recent heritage in the Great Southern includes the fabled Snake Run skateboard track in Albany, which opened in 1976 and is now heritage-listed. It is acknowledged as the oldest purpose-built skate track in the southern hemisphere. Unusual features of the region also include the rusting hulk of the Cheynes II whale-chaser, grounded in the south-east corner of Albany’s Princess Royal Harbour. Underwater settings include the wreck of HMAS Perth and the older dive wreck of the whale-chaser Cheynes III.

The Cheynes IV is a whale-chaser tourist attraction that has been slipped at Discovery Bay, potentially a setting for ship-based scenes.

Breaksea Island, in Albany’s King George Sound, has two restored lighthouse keepers’ cottages in a rugged granite setting. Breaksea features in Lighthouse Girl, by children’s author and novelist Dianne Wolfer.

Great Southern locations
    Explore Great Southern Regions

    Climate and light

    The Great Southern lies between 33 and 35 degrees south of the equator. As a comparison, southern Spain and southern California lie at about 35 degrees north. At the summer solstice, the sun’s highest point is 78 degrees elevation; at the winter solstice it tracks up to 31 degrees.

    On the south coast at the summer solstice, the sun rises at 4.51am AWST (GMT +8.00) and sets at 7.22pm. At the winter solstice, the sun rises at 7.16am and sets at 5.04pm.

    Coastal areas of the Great Southern have distinctive weather patterns beyond the conventional classification of ‘Mediterranean’. Summer usually divides into two halves. From December to mid-January, the weather warms up but the coast is still susceptible to days of cloud and rain. In the second half of summer and the first weeks of autumn, expect more days of fine, warm and calm weather. From March through to May, conditions are often calm and fine, but the days are cooler. Winter (June, July, August) is wet, cool, often cloudy and sometimes stormy. Spring (September to November) generally brings changeable conditions, varying from winter-like days, including storms, to sunny precursors of summer.

    Away from the ocean (from about 50km inland), the coast’s summer pattern is moderate. Inland areas experience longer, drier summers with more days of clear skies. Winter and spring change farm paddocks in the rural landscape from the dry tan and grey of summer to a vibrant green. In August and September, the canola (rapeseed) crops flower; for a few weeks, huge inland paddocks are coloured a brilliant yellow.

    Near the coast, onshore winds can create hazy conditions at any time. Offshore winds, still conditions and clearing rain usually provide clearer horizons, provided no bushfires or burning activities are generating smoke. Haze from agricultural and controlled burning is a possibility in the fire shoulder seasons, around October-November and May-June.

    Transport

    Albany is 400km south of Perth, which is about five hours by car. Travellers from Perth enter the Great Southern just over halfway into the journey. Kojonup is 260km south of Perth, or about three hours by car, and Katanning is 280km.

    Air Services
    Regular air services connect Perth Airport and Albany Airport, with up to four return flights a day. The flight time is just over an hour. Perth Airport is a 30-minute drive from the centre of Perth. Albany Airport is 15 minutes from the centre of town. Taxis and hire car services are available.

    Roads
    In Australia, vehicles are right-hand drive and travel on the left-hand side of the road.
    Sealed roads connect all significant population centres in the Great Southern and many of the most desirable locations and natural attractions. Some special locations are necessarily off the sealed road network.

    Transport Services
    A full range of transport services including car, bus and truck hire are available in Albany and in larger regional towns. Cranes, elevated work platforms and other lifting equipment are also available.

    Rail
    There are no passenger train services available between Perth and Albany. However, an extensive rail freight network still operates and may provide suitable locations for producers. Albany and many regional towns have station buildings next to the railway lines, dating back as far as the 1880s and 1890s.

    Accommodation

    A wide range of accommodation is available in Albany, including a luxury private retreat, hotels, motels and a variety of bed-and-breakfast options. Other accommodation options are scattered throughout the region. Popular coastal destinations may be fully booked during the peak summer holiday period and at Easter. Visitor centres in Albany and most of the regional towns can provide information on local accommodation:

    Albany Visitor Centre
    Denmark Tourism
    Katanning Visitor Centre
    Kojonup Visitor Centre
    Mount Barker Visitor Centre

    Essential facts

    Government: Parliamentary democracy.

    Filming in the Great Southern is subject to the laws of the Australian Commonwealth Government, the Western Australian State Government and the local governments of the region.

    Currency: Australian dollar
    International calling code: +61
    Time zone (Western Australia): UTC+8
    Visas: International film industry visitors must obtain a suitable entry visa for work or business activities. Click here for Visa details.

    Australian motor vehicles are right-hand drive and are driven on the left-hand side of the road. Visitors from countries that drive on the right are advised to exercise a high degree of caution. International driving permits are required for car hire agreements, and must be carried on the driver’s person when in charge of a vehicle.

    Power supplies are 240V 50Hz using earthed three-pin plugs. Adapters are required for devices brought from most other countries.

    Contacts

    Helpful links

    Filmed Here

    From international feature length movies, to nostalgic children's shows, the Great Southern has been the setting of diverse screen productions.
    Find out more

    Screenwest

    Screenwest smooth pathways for filmmakers and local governments – from navigating permits to understanding what it means when a film or TV project comes to town.
    Visit Screenwest