Russell Crowe’s Coffs Harbour film studio plans revealed

Planning documents show how a Hollywood actor’s grand plans for the Pacific Bay Resort Studios & Village precinct will look. See the details and maps.

Russell Crowe’s grand ambition to bring Hollywood Down Under is well and truly alive, with planning documents revealing just how the “world-class” film studios will look.

The Oscar-winning actor announced in June this year he would be bankrolling the estimated $438 million vision for a former banana plantation site in Coffs Harbour which is currently home to Pacific Bay Resort.

Crowe, a long-term resident of Nana Glen in the Coffs hinterland, revealed the plans had been in the works for several years and were fuelled by his desire to bring his work closer to home.

An artist impression shows how the Pacific Bay Resort Studios and Village could look.

He spoke with Coffs Harbour City Council Mayor Denise Knight before building on the vision with the help of former Olympian and resort owner Peter Montgomery as well as Australian film producer Keith Rodger.

The project has been dubbed Pacific Bay Resort Studios and Village.

According to a report submitted to the NSW Government planning department, it will comprise of a studio cluster, a community and culture cluster and a living cluster.

The studio cluster is set to include sound stages, production offices and workshops as well as sheds, suites and tenancies for high tech industry.

A map shows the proposed layout of Pacific Bay Resort Studios and Village.

The community and culture cluster will feature a building incorporating offices, suites, studios, theatrettes, food and beverage and carparking.

A second building will comprise of tenancies allied to studio functions.

The cluster will include a “state-of-the-art” film and television school, an indigenous art gallery, an Olympic and film memorabilia museum and the village centre, which will include the existing resort function centre, a restaurant and reception.

A multi-level hotel, serviced apartments and shops and retail businesses will also feature in the cluster.

Meanwhile, the living cluster will feature a boutique hotel, bungalow accommodation, residential flat buildings, terrace dwellings, single dwelling, the existing Wyndham Resort and commercial tenancies to complement the accommodation.

A map shows the proposed layout of Pacific Bay Resort Studios and Village.

The buildings are proposed to range from two to seven storeys, while the individual clusters will be more defined in a future subdivision plan.

Various forms of housing would be built to establish a permanent community in the precinct and to allow for large amounts of film and television staff including sought-after directors and actors to stay on site with their families.

The film studios would also be complemented by two back lots, where outdoor scenes would be filmed.

The first includes about 600ha of woodland and pastureland about 20 minutes from the studio atop the Great Dividing Range.

The second is Bonville Golf Resort which is also owned and operated by Mr Montgomery.

A map shows the proposed layout of Pacific Bay Resort Studios and Village.

The documents say an environmental-impact statement is being prepared before the project will be placed on public exhibition.

Crowe was joined by former Deputy Premier John Barilaro, former NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet, Coffs MP Gurmesh Singh and Coffs Harbour Mayor Denise Knight at Pacific Bay Resort in June to announce the otherwise poorly-kept secret.

The state government threw its support behind the plans, which Crowe envisioned would bring a desperately needed jobs boost to the region.

“It takes a village of professionals to make a movie,” Crowe said.

“The opportunity to build a facility like this spreads opportunity through the community by creating jobs.

“But not just jobs – actual professions and careers.”