Where you can recreate your favourite movie scenes in Queensland

FILMMAKERS flocked to Queensland long before pirates and superheroes. Find out where you can recreate your favourite movie scenes.

Where to recreate your fave movie scenes

FILMMAKERS flocked to Queensland long before pirates and superheroes.

Here are just a few locations that were transformed for the silver screen.

Muriel’s Wedding (1994)

Scenes of the film’s fictional coastal town Porpoise Spit were filmed in Coolangatta on the Gold Coast, including the feel good moment Muriel and Rhonda drive off together.

To recreate this scene, drive past the Pines Shopping Centre — don’t forget to shout “goodbye mall!” Then head to Marine Parade and shout “goodbye tourists, see you surfies” as you pass the Ocean Plaza. For the big finale turn down McLean St, go straight through the roundabout and shout “goodbye Porpoise Spit” as you go over Musgrave St hill. Playing ‘Dancing Queen’ is compulsory.

Filming for Hibiscus Island where Muriel and Rhonda win the talent competition singing ‘Waterloo’ was done on Hamilton Island in the Whitsundays. The resort’s swimming pool can be seen behind the mean girls when they notice Muriel’s arrival.

Actors Toni Collette and Bill Hunter in 1994 film 'Muriel's Wedding'.

“Crocodile” Dundee (1986)

You don’t need a helicopter to get to the real Walkabout Creek Hotel in McKinlay. The remote northwest town’s only pub has been a popular tourist spot since the blockbuster picked it as Mick Dundee’s favourite drinking spot. Originally known as the Federal Hotel when it opened in 1900, the pub is a must-do if you’re ever driving along the Landsborough Highway.

Paul Hogan as Mick Dundee.

Australia (2008)

Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman spent in seven weeks in the east coast town of Bowen filming Baz Luhrmann’s 2008 blockbuster Australia. The locals embraced the Hollywood spirit so much, they painted “Bowenwood” on an old water tank on top of a hill.

The Territory Hotel in the movie was purpose built then burned to the ground for the bombing raids on 1940s Darwin, but you can still visit Jochheim’s Pies for a Hunky Hugh Jackman pie and a Baz Luhrmann baguette. The Nicole Kidman Mango Cheesecake is seasonally available.

Fool’s Gold (2008)

Pre-Oscar winning Matthew McConaughey caused quite a stir in Port Douglas during the filming of the adventure romance flick Fool’s Gold, also featuring Kate Hudson. The Great Barrier Reef’s crystal blue waters was the perfect replica for Caribbean. McConaughey was especially popular among the locals after shouting everyone a drink at the Court House Hotel for his 37th birthday. Some of the film’s beach scenes were also shot at Hamilton Island.

Matthew McConaughey in scene from film Fool's Gold.

Jackie Chan’s First Strike (1996)

Chinatown’s mall in Fortitude Valley was used to film an elaborate car chase featuring Jackie Chan. The scene ended with a car crashing through a second storey window, creating a massive explosion. The mall’s pagoda had to be rebuilt after it was destroyed by the stunt.

San Andreas (2015)

Apocalyptic action film San Andreas thankfully did not send Brisbane into a traffic crisis when it closed off Elizabeth St in 2014 to film a disaster scene. Hundreds of extras repeatedly ran past St Stephen’s Cathedral to capture the chaos caused by an earthquake on downtown San Francisco.

Unbroken (2014)

Fort Lytton National Park near the Port of Brisbane was transformed into a Japanese prisoner of war camp for three months in 2013 while Angelina Jolie directed Unbroken. The movie was based on the survival of World War II soldier Louis Zamperini, who died four months before the film was released.

Jeremy Irvine plays POW Eric Lomax in The Railway Man.

The Railway Man (2013)

Oscar-winning actor Colin Firth remembers Queensland as the place he was dragged across the North Ipswich Railyards and thrown in a cell for the 2013 war film The Railway Man. The scene was a key moment for Firth’s character, former POW Eric Lomax, who was forced to work on the Thai-Burma Railway during World War II. Some of the film’s earlier scenes were shot at Fort Lytton National Park.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010)

Cleveland Point on the Gold Coast was the perfect location to shoot the ocean scenes for the third instalment in the Narnia franchise, with the peninsula offering waterfront views from every angle. The Dawn Treader ship was built at Movie World then disassembled and rebuilt on a movable platform at the point for the three weeks of filming. Southport School’s dining hall was also used to film the interior scene when Edmund tries to enlist in the army.

Moreton Island was transformed for two weeks from paradise to magical nightmare for Scooby-Doo.

Scooby-Doo (2002)

Moreton Island was transformed for two weeks from paradise to magical nightmare for the 2002 live-action film Scooby-Doo. Tangalooma Island Resort was dressed up to look like Spooky Island and the jetty used in the scene when the Scooby gang meet Mondavarious, played by Rowan Atkinson.

Thin Red Line (1998)

The war film, which starred several Hollywood heavyweights including Sean Penn and George Clooney, was set on the South Pacific island Guadalcanal but predominantly shot in the Daintree Rainforest and on Bramston Beach, south of Cairns.

Inspector Gadget 2 (2003)

The whole film was shot in Brisbane with many recognisable sites making an appearance including the William Jolly Bridge, where the Inspector faced off against his arch-nemesis Dr Claw in the final scene. The University of Queensland’s St Lucia campus main building, the Forgan Smith building, was used as the Riverton Police Department.

Age of Consent (1969)

Dame Helen Mirren shot one of her first movie roles on Dunk Island, playing a wild girl living on the Great Barrier Reef in the 1969 Australian film Age of Consent. Mirren’s nude scene were cut out of the film for its overseas release but kept for Aussie audiences.

Tony Martin as The Claw on the set of Inspector Gadget 2, filming in a Brisbane warehouse.