Silver screen Australian homes

The setting makes all the difference between a good movie/TV show and a great one. Sometimes humble, sometimes grand, the home sets the tone for the drama taking place. Take a look at these five Australian homes that have been featured on the small and silver screens.

The Castle

“A man’s home is his castle” is the premise of the beloved 1997 film The Castle. In this case, the ‘castle’ is a humble family home next to a noisy Melbourne airport. That didn’t matter to Darryl Kerrigan, played brilliantly by Michael Caton. When the airport authority threatened to take his home from him, he took his case to the High Court of Australia. A classic tale of an Aussie battler, The Castle won the hearts of viewers around the world.

Muriel’s Wedding

The 1994 comedy Muriel’s Wedding catapulted Toni Collette’s film career. Socially awkward and overweight (Collette put on 14 kilos for the role), Muriel longs to leave her sleepy home town, the fictional Porpoise Spit, and live a more glamorous life in Sydney. You might be surprised to learn that Muriel’s home in Porpoise Spit was actually a house in Coolangatta, Queensland.

Picnic at Hanging Rock

Released in 1975, Picnic at Hanging Rock is a classic Australian film directed by Peter Weir. Based on a 1967 novel by Joan Lindsay, it is about four schoolgirls who go missing during a school picnic in 1900. The school they attend, Appleyard College, is actually a 19th century mansion: Martindale Hall in South Australia’s Clare Valley. Martindale Hall is now part of the 45 acre Martindale Hall Conservation Park.

Australia

Baz Luhrmann’s epic drama Australia mostly takes place in remote outback areas, but Drover, played by Hugh Jackman, finds himself accompanying Lady Sarah Ashley (Nichole Kidman) to a ball at Darwin’s Government House. The mansion that played the part of Government House was actually Sydney’s Strickland House. Strickland House is located in Vaucluse and is open to the public.

Monte Cristo

Built in 1885, Monte Cristo in Junee NSW has been featured in a number of movies and TV shows. The home’s classic architecture is only one reason why it is a popular movie setting. From 1948 to 1963, the house remained unoccupied. Many say it was because it was haunted by ghosts. Aside from its popularity as a movie setting, Monte Cristo has the distinction of being one of Australia’s most haunted houses.

This is just a taste of Australia’s homes and locations that have ‘starred’ in the movies or on TV. Did you know, for instance, that many scenes in The Matrix were filmed in the Sydney CBD? With a mixture of stunning architecture, rugged outback, beautiful coastlines and lush tropical oases, there’s an Australian setting for just about any movie genre.

Image credits:

• http://www.murielsweddingmovie.com/Assets/Pictures/DetailsB4a.jpg
• http://www.bugbitten.com/images/77a44d5cfb595b3545d61aa742268c9b/Going_outback-96820/Going_outback-3428144.jpeg
• http://www.finder.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Strickland-house.jpg
• Rosalie Dale, http://www.house-crazy.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Monte-Cristo-Homestead1.jpg