Geelong on the small screen: A comprehensive list of TV shows filmed in the region
The Geelong region has featured as a backdrop for many comedy, drama and reality television shows over the years. SEE THE LIST.
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The Geelong region has been the backdrop to many well-known Australia television series.
From comedy drama SeaChange to reality TV show Hunted, a broad range of shows have been filmed in the area, with the region’s diverse landscapes giving location scouts plenty of options.
Greater Geelong Mayor Trent Sullivan said the council had received more than 680 film applications for movies, TV shows, advertising and music projects in Greater Geelong since 2002.
Mr Sullivan said hosting film, TV, advertising and music projects here supported our local creative industries, increased recognition of our region and fostered a sense of pride and connection among residents.
“Travel shows boost our brand on the national stage by showcasing our people, lifestyle, region and culture,” he said.
“MasterChef Australia, SeaChange, Bad Mothers, Ms Fisher’s Modern Murder Mysteries, Grand Designs Australia, Coxy’s Big Break, Channel 7’s Sunrise program, Channel 9’s Today Show, La Brea and Postcards are among the TV shows filmed here.”
Mr Sullivan said the Geelong region was a film-friendly one stop shop.
He said the region’s proximity to Melbourne and Docklands Studios made us an ideal choice, based on travel allowances for staff on set.
“With a variety of landscapes – beach, city, suburban, bush, farming, bay, industrial – at our finger tips, we offer the ability to film period and modern era projects,” he said.
“We have vistas and areas in the bay with no surrounding built environment which supports a reduced budget.”
Mr Sullivan said the city was working with VicScreen and productions to pitch Geelong as a destination for film.
“We continue to share footage of Geelong with the media, including TV weather crosses and organised travel segments, to highlight the diversity and quality of our region,” he said.
“There is opportunity to work with our neighbouring councils to ensure the appeal of filming extends to surrounding areas in the Barwon region.”
A Screen Australia spokeswoman said Australian screen stories drove significant cultural and economic benefits.
“Local stories inform and express who we are; reflect and convey our country’s creativity, culture and diversity to local and global audiences and contribute to social cohesion,” she said.
“For example, recent Australian TV series Total Control, Mystery Road, High Country and First Australians portray First Nations individuals and stories authentically.
“Children can see and hear their own voices, values, country and culture through Bluey, Little J and Big Cuz, Round the Twist and Dance Academy.
“Documentary content such as Australia’s Sleep Revolution with Dr Michael Mosley, Maggie Beer’s Big Mission, and How to Poison a Planet provide insight into serious health and social issues.”
The spokeswoman said locally produced television made commercial sense.
“Stories and characters that resonate and connect with audiences are more likely to succeed, both here and on a world stage – and create jobs, tourism and export opportunities,” she said.
SHOWS FILMED IN GEELONG AND SURROUNDS
SeaChange
SeaChange was a comedy drama series, filmed at St Leonards for the streetscape scenes and Barwon Heads for the seaside scenes, which first aired in 1998.
Laura Gibson, played by Sigrid Thornton, was a city lawyer and made a sea change with her children Miranda and Rupert after her husband was arrested for fraud and she found he had an affair with her sister.
Laura takes a job as the magistrate for the small coastal town of Pearl Bay.
The St Leonards Hotel was Pearl Bay’s Tropical Star Hotel, Barwon Heads Caravan Park was Laura Gibson’s house, and At the Heads Restaurant was known as The Boatshed in Pearl Bay.
Other scenes were filmed at Williamstown and Black Rock.
The series aired for three seasons initially, and was then revitalised in 2018 for a fourth season.
The revitalised season was filmed at Brunswick Heads, NSW.
The Cry:
The Cry was a 2018 psychological drama miniseries starring Jenna Coleman and Ewen Leslie.
Joanna (played by Coleman) and Alistair (Leslie) travelled from Scotland to visit family in Australia.
They are seeking custody of Alistair’s daughter Chloe (Markella Kavenagh) from his ex-wife, Alexandra (Asher Keddie).
Joanna and Alistair’s baby son Noah goes missing as they drive from Melbourne to the coastal town of Wilde Bay.
Queenscliff IGA was the supermarket visited by Alistair and Joanna before Noah disappeared and there were also scenes filmed at Point Lonsdale.
The aerial views of Wilde Bay were filmed at Apollo Bay.
Rostered On:
First aired in 2016, Rostered On was a comedy about the day-to-day struggles of working for a faceless retail corporation named Electroworld.
The three seasons, filmed single-camera, were first aired on Facebook and YouTube before being picked up by Netflix.
It was the brainchild of Bell Park writer and director Ryan Chamley.
The cast included Geelong actor Paul Moore, Diana Brumen, Ronn Kurtz, Susie Kazda, Adam Balales and Doug Lyons.
Waurn Ponds Shopping Centre was the site of Electroworld and the credits of the pilot episode thank Betta Electrical Geelong.
Round the Twist:
The Great Ocean Road was the backdrop to children’s television series Round the Twist.
Tony Twist, played by Richard Moir, and his children, 14-year-old twins Pete (played by Rian McLean) and Linda (Ebonnie Masini) and seven-year-old Bronson (Mathew Waters) move to an old lighthouse on the coast, which they soon discover is haunted.
The lighthouse is Split Point Lighthouse, Aireys Inlet, originally called Eagles Nest Point.
The series included four seasons, which aired from 1990 to 2001.
Scenes were also filmed at Queenscliff, Point Lonsdale, and Williamstown in Melbourne.
Summer Love:
Summer Love was a collection of eight unique love stories that take place at one holiday house.
Across eight episodes different couples, family members and even strangers stay at the house and experience a range of different holiday adventures.
It was nominated for two Logie awards in 2023.
Beach scenes were filmed at a variety of locations between Anglesea and Spout Creek.
The holiday house was in Fairhaven, while Aireys Inlet, Anglesea and Moggs Creek also provided locations for filming.
The cast included Patrick Brammall, Sibylla Budd, Harriet Dyer, Richardson, Stephen Curry, Miranda Tapsell and Richard Davies.
Heart and Soul
Heart and Soul was a reality television show that centred around a soul band of 30 school girls from Geelong.
The band, the Sweethearts, learn valuable lessons throughout the course of a year.
Together they work through the loss of their mentor and music director, brave tensions, line-up changes and heartbreak to triumph at music festivals in Europe and America.
The television show aired in 2013 and 2015 and featured 26 episodes.
The cast included Emmaline Carroll, Chloe Beckwith, Ross Lipson, Maddi Anderson, Tilly Baker, Jess Ellwood, Janeva Burrill and Rachel Gleeson.
Filming took place in Geelong, and various European countries.
Highway to Heel
The queen of Geelong’s entertainment scene, drag queen Art Simone, hit the open road in her own series, Highway to Heel.
The six episode season in 2020 featured Jemima Handful who taste tested Aussie road trip snacks, Pashion Couture who had to make a garment out of rubbish found in a paddock by the freeway, and Miss Jay who creates a three course meal while sitting in the front seat of a car.
In episode four Aysha Buffet transforms Jack, Art Simone’s alter ego, while semi ‘brofessional’ breakdancers Keif and Dazza compete for Art’s love in the following episode and the season concludes with Philmah Bocks transforming the interior of Art’s car while driving 100km/h on a highway.
Geelong’s Piano Bar set the scene for the club featured in the season.
Angry Boys:
Angry Boys was a comedy mockumentary where Chris Lilley brought to life six characters for the 12 episode season.
Lilley played characters including identical twins Daniel and Nathan Sims and former Surfing World Champion Blake Oakfield
The television show aimed to explore the issues facing young men including their influences, pressures, dreams and ambitions.
Scenes were filmed in Torquay, Lara and Little River.
Counter Play
The drama series Counter Play was once hailed the Australian Gossip Girl, with a focus on a group of rich people in the town South Port.
Three affluent, powerful families, the Cornwalls, Haynesworths and Morgans, believe their secrets shall never surface.
No one was to be trusted as false identities, blackmail, greed, murder and love triangles ensue.
It was originally a six-part web series before it was continued in season two as a commercial venture.
Point Campbell House in Leopold is best known for group accommodation, private events, weddings and photo shoots.
However in 2018 it was the set for several scenes in Counter Play.
The cast included Mikaela Phillips, Tyson Martick and Isabel Dilena.
It also included Ocean Grove actor Trinity Marell-Seach who was cast as Dillon, a teenager in the second season of the show.
Bad Mothers:
Bad Mothers aired in 2019 for eight dramatic episodes.
Charlotte, played by Melissa George is ousted from a mothers’ club and her world collides with four ‘bad mums’.
Together they help each other through parenthood, romance, work, revenge, and solving a murder.
The cast included Mandy McElhinney, Daniel MacPherson, Don Hany, Shalom Brune-Franklin, Jessica Tovey, Tess Haubrich and Melissa George.
Filming took place in Geelong’s city centre, the waterfront and at Rippleside.
Surviving Summer:
Surviving Summer was a Netflix series launched on Netflix in 2022.
It was produced by Joanna Werner, of Barwon Heads.
The cast included Sky Katz, Kai Lewins and Lilliana Bowrey.
Summer, played by Katz, is a New York teenager who was expelled from school and sent to Australia.
She moves to Shorehaven and spends the next three months falling in love with surfing, driving her new friends crazy and up-ending everyone’s lives.
The series had 18 episodes across two season.
It was filmed on the Surf Coast, including Fairhaven.
Grand Designs Transformations
A spin off from Grand Designs Australia, Grand Designs Transformations aired its first episode in January 2024.
Hosted by Anthony Burke and Yasmine Ghoniem, the show documents people who renovate their dream homes and shows the challenges they face.
Episode six saw Belmont couple Bree and Luke transform their family home.
The pair restored a Victorian cottage and added a massive contemporary extension to the house.
The season had eight episodes.
Postcards
There have been multiple iterations of Postcards since 1995 which showcase Australia’s holiday and tourism destinations and must-dos.
Presenters include Brodie Harper, Shane Delia, Lauren Phillips, Livinia Nixon, Madeline Spark, Kris Smith and Todd Woodbridge.
The travel and lifestyle television show has previously been hosted by Shane Crawford, Rebecca Judd, Giaan Rooney, Bridget McIntyre, Suzie Wilks and Geoff ‘Coxy’ Cox.
Geelong and many of the stops along the Great Ocean Road have featured in episodes throughout the seasons.
Last year, Shane Delia took a foodie tour of Geelong that featured pho, banh mi and Singaporean cuisine.
MasterChef
Cooking competition television show MasterChef has been on Australian televisions since 2009.
In 2019, Queenscliff’s The Q Train featured on the show, while in 2014, an episode was filmed at Campbell Point House in Leopold.
Coxy’s Big Break
From 2004 to 2015, musician and media personality Geoff ‘Coxy’ Cox travelled across Australia and the world to film Coxy’s Big Break.
International destinations included New Zealand, Hong Kong, Japan, Bali, Vanuatu, the Cook Islands, New Caledonia, China, Hawaii, Austria, Ireland, Thailand and Antarctica.
More than 340 episodes aired across 11 years.
Geelong’s Pakington St, Adventure Park, waterfront, indoor skatepark The Park were among the destinations Coxy highlighted throughout various episodes.
Grand Designs Australia
Grand Designs Australia is a spin-off of the British television series Grand Designs.
It documents people attempting to build custom-designed homes.
Australian architect, Peter Maddison was the host and explored the motivations, memories and connections behind exciting and cutting edge homes.
Throughout the show the host would visit the build site, show a computer aided design of the plans, interview the build clients and others involved like architects and site managers before returning to see the final product.
Throughout the seasons a seven-bedroom, six-bathroom Bellarine Peninsula home and a home in Torquay have featured on the show.
Hunted:
A large game of cat and mouse, a group of ‘fugitives’ are on the run from experienced ‘hunters’ in the television show Hunted.
The competition series centres on nine teams of two who have 21 days to make it to an extraction point.
They are released from a common location with an overnight bag and $500 and a goal to evade the ‘hunters’.
Winners receive $100,000.
Two seasons have aired in Australia to date.
In February 2024, large helicopters were looming over Geelong as contestants, dressed in dark clothing were seen on the waterfront before filming commenced for the newest season.
Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries
As a three season drama series, Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries revolved around the life of private detective Phryne Fisher, played by Essie Davis, in 1920s Melbourne.
In the first season, a running theme was the kidnapping and death of Phryne’s younger sister Janey.
It first aired in 2012, with spin-off Ms Fisher’s Modern Murder Mysteries in 2019 and feature film titled Miss Fisher and the Crypt of Tears in 2020 also released.
The cast included Nathan Page, Ashleigh Cummings, Hugo Johnstone-Burt and Richard Bligh.
The Old Geelong Goal featured in season one, episodes one and four.
In season two some scenes were filmed in Queenscliff, including at the Queenscliff Hotel and the Bellarine Railway.
Originally published as Geelong on the small screen: A comprehensive list of TV shows filmed in the region
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