Its natural beauty, gold rush history and character are just some of the reasons that have made Macedon Ranges and Mount Alexander attractive backdrops for film and television.
From bushrangers and historical figures, to the setting of famous Australian novels, you may not be wrong in thinking you’ve spotted a local landscape or talent on screen.
Of course, the region couldn’t escape Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries with it presenting the perfect opportunity to showcase old town charm and travel back to the 1920s. The television series, filmed largely in Victoria, has attracted scores of die-hard fans, in fact, there have been entire bus tours devoted to reliving the show’s magic.
Season three’s Tiger Moth flying sequences are believed to have been shot at Riddells Creek for Murder and the Maiden. And when producers wanted to recreate an authentic 1920s train and railway station, how could they look past the Victorian Goldfields Railway which operates between Maldon and Castlemaine?
Sets are said to have been built at Muckleford railway station and Castlemaine railway station was transformed into a 1920s Spencer Street.
Muckleford’s station was used again for The Dressmaker (2015) starring Kate Winslet set in the fictional town of Dungatar and based on the novel by Rosalie Ham.
Castlemaine has adopted several fictional town names in the name of film.
It became Mount Thomas for the pilot of 90s Aussie police drama Blue Heelers and more recently it has adopted the profile of Yoorana, serving as one of the key backdrops for popular paranormal drama Glitch.
Favouring much of regional Victoria for shooting, Glitch has kept audiences captivated for three seasons as its resurrected characters try to uncover how they returned to life.
Given the show’s paranormal nature, it was fitting when cast members and film crew claimed that scenes shot at Clarkefield’s Coach and Horses pub were interrupted by ghosts. Haunted or not, this mid-production reveal certainly served as a great way to prep fans for the final season!
When it comes to haunting tales from the region, there is none more famous than Picnic at Hanging Rock. As many locals will know, Joan Lindsay’s 1967 book has been adapted for both the silver screen (1975) and television miniseries (2018)… and, of course, they wouldn’t have been the same without the real-life rock formation, home to Newham, which inspired it all. The picnic itself is said to have been filmed at Mount Macedon’s Sanatorium Lake for the miniseries.
Mount Macedon’s beauty and subtle eeriness also provided the perfect atmosphere for parts of Where the Wild Things Are (2009) and Nicholas Cage film Knowing (2009).
The region’s bushland was fitting for 2016 film The Legend of Ben Hall, based on the exploits of bushranger Ben Hall and his gang, starring Jack Martin. Audiences may recognise scenes shot in and around Hepburn, Moorabool, Golden Plains, Mount Alexander and the Macedon Ranges.
It was once again the landscape that was ideal for Healing (2014), Anzacs (1985), Eureka Stockade (1984), and local Eric Bana fans will never forget when parts of his 2007 film Romulus, My Father took in scenes from Castlemaine, Carisbrook and Maldon.
It hasn’t just been the region’s natural gems that have drawn filmmakers to the area.
Aussie 1980s series The Flying Doctors landed some of its filming in Lancefield. It was a series based upon the efforts of the real Royal Flying Doctors Service of Australia, a non-profit air ambulance servicing isolated Australian communities.
Meanwhile, Kyneton was the setting for miniseries Whose Baby (1986) retelling the story of a real-life baby swap in 1945. It was a news story that broke national headlines.
More recently, the town was used for TV drama The Fort, shining a light on domestic violence.
The region has also been home to many stars from the screen including Offspring’s Asher Keddie, Kenny’s Shane Jacobson, Prisoner’s Anne Phelan and comedian Tom Gleeson, to name a few.
Mount Alexander and the Macedon Ranges have played host to a range of film and television series and, certainly, not all are listed here, and possibly many more to come.
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