Iconic Australian movie locations that you can actually visit IRL

The Mad Max franchise has been filming in Australia since its early inception in 1979. From Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior to the latest Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, the remote and stretching sandy plains of Outback NSW have served as the essential backdrop for this break-neck blockbuster. In Silverton in Outback NSW, you can visit The Silverton Hotel and see an actual car from Mad Max II parked out front, along with a Mad Max museum packed with movie artefacts. If you're after more organic movie locations, explore Broken Hill, then drive out to Mundi Mundi and Menindee Lakes. In a movie that's so focussed on the open road, these long stretches of Outback highway will make you feel like an adrenaline-spiked extra. 

The International College of Management in Manly (ICMS) on Sydney's northern beaches has a boring name – but a fascinating backstory. Plus, it's pretty epic to look at. Once a seminary, this immense castle on Manly's North Head was built by the Catholic Church in the 1800s. With its imposing facade and sweeping views across Manly Beach, it captured Great Gatsby director Baz Luhrmann's heart as the perfect Gatsby manorhouse. Starring Leonardo Di Caprio, ICMS transformed into a majestic 1920's New York mansion, with no expense spared for the 2013 flick. A fountain was added to the courtyard, ivy spread across the front and palm trees were removed (and then replaced) from the forecourt. New York in the roaring twenties, but in Manly? It's a yes from us. 

Fun Hollywood fact: Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban got married here too – but before it became Baz's playground (sadly). 

Last, but not least is what is perhaps the most maximum-level Australian film of all time, Crocodile Dundee. Putting Australia, but specifically Kakadu National Park and the Northern Territory, on the world map, Paul Hogan's 1986 masterpiece is personally responsible for every non-Australian dweller asking us in a nervous voice about animals that may or may not kill them. That aside, you can easily visit multiple locations featured in Crocodile Dundee when you travel to the astounding beauty of Kakadu. From Gunlom Falls to Nourlangie to Ubirr Rock, you can walk in 'Manly Mick's' intrepid footsteps. Just stay away from the crocs. 

Broken Hill has been featured in numerous movies, but 1994's Priscilla: Queen of the Desert might take the most famous slice of Broken Hill cake. Filmed in numerous locations across the bizarre desert town, Priscilla is most easily re-visited by all fans at The Palace Hotel. This wild outback pub in the centre of town calls itself the 'spiritual home' of the Aussie movie and featured as a stop-off point for the characters. This ornate pub is covered by a decadent array of technicoloured murals, painted by Indigenous artist Gordon Wayne and the pub’s former owner Mario Celotto. Down a cold one, stay overnight where the characters did in the seriously whacky Priscilla Suite, and tune in for sparkly drag shows and queer extravaganzas galore.

Pro tip: Head to town in September for the annual Broken Heel Festival that is Priscilla: Queen of the Desert themed.  

Peter Weir's 1975 classic Picnic at Hanging Rock is a core component of Australia's national identity. The ethereal exploration of a group of Victorian schoolgirls going missing in the middle of a summer picnic has captured people for decades – and its real-life location lives up to the myth. Hanging Rock, or 'Mount Diogenes', in Victoria's Macedon Ranges is a sacred and ancient place located on the traditional borderline between the Woi Wurrung (Wurundjeri), the Djaara and the Taungurung tribes. Shrouded in mystery, this imposing rock formation has been the source of many people's interactions with the supernatural – inspiring Joan Lindsay's 1967 novel, and in turn, Peter Weir's film adaption. You can explore the rock and the staggering Macedon Ranges, but have your wits about you. As Lindsay says; is this eternal mystery fact, or fiction?

Whitehaven Beach has featured as the idyllic setting for movies like Fools Gold and our personal favourite, Muriel's Wedding. However, the biggest claim to fame for this (already very famous) stretch of sand is probably mega-blockbuster, Pirates of the Caribbean. Whitehaven was used as the dramatic backdrop for a somewhat scene in the franchise's fifth instalment, when Captain Jack Sparrow tries to escape sworn enemy, Captain Salazar and his extremely freaky ghost army. To give you some indication of how big a budget the creators had (for a small-ish scene), they hired out the entire region's tour boats for the weeks of filming to ensure no tourists got in their shot. They also allegedly brought in non-native palm trees (that were later given to Airlie Beach) to make it look more Carribbean-esque. Saavy?

1999 was a big year – and the Wachowski's Matrix was arguably one of the most significant reasons why (last year of the 20th century aside, of course). The sci-fi action movie propelled resident good-guy Keanu Reeves into megastardom and is considered to be one of the most successful movies of all time. However, when it was first being created, Warner Bros thought it sounded risky – so they sent the Hollywood team to shoot in Sydney, Australia to save cash. Filmed in various locations across Sydney's CBD in 1998, The Matrix captures lesser-known Sydney landmarks, including Surry Hills, Pitt Street, an underpass in The Rocks and the Lloyd Rees Fountain in Martin Place.

Fun fact: They edited out the Opera House and Harbour Bridge to make it more believable. Sorry, icons. 

Almost 25 years have flown by since the classic Aussie prime-time drama, McLeod’s Daughter, first aired in Oz. Estranged sisters, Claire and Tess McLeod, lived in a charming sandstone country house called Drover’s Run, set on a sprawling 225-acre estate in South Australia’s wine-producing Barossa Valley. Nowadays, this grand Georgian residence goes by the name, Kingsford Homestead, offering luxurious lodging for its new family of guests. While you’ll recognise the original cedar staircase and smooth slate hallway, the homestead underwent a multi-million dollar transformation, now boasting a nine-pin bowling alley, eight upgraded suites and a private wine tunnel.

Not everyone knows Wake in Fright, but those who do, really do. The 1971 thriller-horror was met with an outcry by the Australian public when it came out, with most people appalled at the portrayal of their countryfolk as deranged gamblers getting wasted in the desert. While being a subtle exposé of the violent masculinity of white Australian settlers, Wake in Fright was also one of the first movies to dig deep into the searing psychological heat of the Australian desert. Filmed in both Broken Hill's main town and in the remote orange tundra surrounding it, you can travel across most of Broken Hill and out into NSW's Corner Country and feel like you're transported into the surreal wilderness of the 70s, yourself.