Home and Away stars film ‘away shoot’ in the Blue Mountains
Five Home and Away cast members travelled a long way from Summer Bay to take part in an “away shoot” in the Blue Mountains. The popular Aussie drama chose the location one hour away from Sydney after COVID-19 restrictions prevented them from travelling interstate. SEE THE PICTURES
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When COVID-19 threw them a curve ball, the team at Home and Away had to get creative.
The global pandemic forced a Northern Territory ‘away’ shoot that had been months in the planning to be rescheduled and shot much closer to home.
“Corona isn’t going to get in the way of us telling beautiful stories to the audience,” series producer of the much-loved TV drama Lucy Addario tells The Sunday Telegraph.
“We are privileged to be able to let our audience feel something other than fear from coronavirus or whatever else is going on so to be able to continue making great episodes is what we are determined to do.”
Instead of the Top End, the scenes to air this week were shot in the Blue Mountains, an hour out of Sydney.
This all played out just before Easter when the first spread of COVID-19 meant borders between NSW and other states and territories were locked down.
“Creatively it made us think outside the square,” Addario adds.
“I truly believe that what we actually ended up with in the Blue Mountains was possibly better because we were challenged creatively. We captured some beautiful moments.”
Home and Away is usually shot at Seven’s Eveleigh Studios for indoor scenes and Palm Beach and Kenthurst for the outdoors.
Away episodes come up every couple of years, the last being when a small group of cast and crew shot in Parachilna in the Flinders Ranges in South Australia.
Within Australia, they’ve also shot in Melbourne, Adelaide, the south coast of NSW and White Cliffs in western NSW. And they have filmed in Hawaii and twice in the UK.
“The story dictates whether or not we leave the Bay,” Addario explains.
“We don’t go, ‘we want to go away so let’s just make up a story that fits that’.”
Three key storylines will play out in the Blue Mountains, mainly around Home and Away’s Romeo and Juliet couple Bella (Courtney Miller) and Nikau (Kawakawa Fox-Reo), who are on the run from the law in search of freedom and anonymity.
Nikau’s uncles Ari (Rob Kipa-Williams) and Tane (Ethan Browne) are in a race against time to establish who is the alpha male as they search for their brother.
This is all while Mackenzie (Emily Weir) is caught in a love triangle between her partner Ari and his sibling, Tane.
With all of that in mind, Addario and her team looked closer to Sydney for the four-day shoot with the Blue Mountains providing the perfect juxtaposition to the beachscapes usually on show.
“We were disappointed at first but then it is about this beautiful story so as long as our young star-crossed lovers were in a love bubble somewhere, it didn’t really matter where it played out,” Addario says.
“As long as it felt ‘away’ from Summer Bay, we were OK and I guess the Blue Mountains was a lovely contrast because it was so cold compared to the hot sands of Summer Bay.”
Some 45 crew and five cast were involved in the scenes that were directed by David Gould in the fictional setting of Mount Kurrawong.
Cost-wise, it is not cheap to shoot on location and fortunately they had not started filming when plans had to be changed.
“It has got to be a pretty special story for us to commit to going ahead,” Addario says.
“This story with Bella and Nikau is such a wonderful one of young love that we wanted to give them that bubble.”
It was actor Courtney Miller’s second away trip in her two years on the soap.
“I always look forward to away shoots,” Miller says.
“The camaraderie between the crew and shooting in new, beautiful places makes it feel as if we are all part of a short film. The Blue Mountains have always been a childhood memory for me.
“It was also Kawa’s (Kawakawa Fox-Reo) first time seeing the mountains, which made it even more special. I am really proud of the story and the truth we brought to the experiences of the young lovers.”
Emily Weir meanwhile was excited for her first trip with the show.
“Logistically a lot went into it but it all worked really well with the concept having to change at the last minute,” Weir explains.
“The temperature was vastly different to what we are used to at Palm Beach so the characters got a bit more rugged in their wardrobe attire. As an actor it was dealing with a different space and just the depth and breadth of the Blue Mountains where we were shooting in some beautiful locations in gorges and things like that.
“It was a chilly ride but cinematically it was beautiful.”
Home and Away cast and crew took a forced break of nine weeks due to coronavirus just after the Blue Mountains shoot.
When allowed to return to work, strict protocols of temperature checks and social distancing where possible were put in place to ensure production could go ahead.
“No one wants the alternative,” Addario says.
“We have to keep following the protocols. We want to keep the show going, keep everyone employed and delivering half-hour shows every night.”
Weir agrees, saying cast and crew are doing everything they can to ensure the set stays COVID free.
“We are all just so appreciative to just be working in this time in this industry,” she says. “Obviously all protocols are in place from temperature checks, washing hands and mask wearing, just being super aware and making sure that we conduct ourselves in the safest way possible.”
* Home and Away airs Monday to Thursday on Channel 7 at 7pm
Originally published as Home and Away stars film ‘away shoot’ in the Blue Mountains