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| Have you spotted actor Eric Bana in and around Canberra? (Getty Images/Matt Winkelmeyer) |
By Adrienne Francis
Have you spotted A-list celebrities like Eric Bana, Charlize Theron or Taron Egerton in the ACT and surrounds lately?
Well, now's your chance — according to Screen Canberra, there is an "unprecedented" level of filming activity across the region at the moment.
Netflix has been preparing regional locations and filming scenes for a new thriller called Apex at Ginninderra Falls this week.
And filming is underway for a second season of the narrative comedy series Austin, produced by the ABC and Northern Pictures.
"Right at this moment is an unprecedented time for the capital region," Holly Trueman, CEO of Screen Canberra, said.
"We have two productions filming today. That hasn't happened before."
Hollywood stars in the ACT
Charlize Theron is starring in Apex, which is being filmed in Australia. (Reuters: Mario Anzuoni)
Details are scarce about the production of Apex, other than that it's being filmed here on home turf.
Netflix says the plot centres on a grieving woman — Charlize Theron — seeking solace in the wilderness, only to find herself ensnared in a deadly game of cat and mouse with a serial killer.
Eric Bana and Taron Egerton also star in the thriller, which is being filmed in the Blue Mountains and Sydney, as well as several rural locations.
The NSW village of Bowning in Yass Valley, about an hour's drive from Canberra, is normally home to about 500 people.
But the filming of Apex has brought a new buzz to the town.
Local bar tender Belinda Worthy said there's plenty of excitement among her regulars about the filming of the Hollywood thriller.
"The hype at the pub is just amazing, everyone is talking about it," she said.
Bowning's General Store and Post Office was revamped ahead of filming, and is now off-limits to villagers, with the site under security guard 24/7 until filming concludes.
"They have taken everything out, put everything back in, repainted everything [and] just given it a really good freshen up," said Ms Worthy.
"You can still get your mail through the post office [but] they have a security guard out the front.
"They have got a burnt-out truck there and some other four-wheel drive vehicles, some vans.
"Edith, the lady that owns it, has been trying to sell for a while, so hopefully it encourages someone to buy it."
Canberra's natural attractions the real star
Ginninderra Falls, which is located on private land in Wallaroo, is another local attraction featured in Apex.
"They are filming just outside of Canberra in the gorge system, so it is our natural landscapes which have attracted them to the region," Ms Trueman said.
"We know that it is a thriller, and that Charlize Theron is a rock climber in it, so it is not surprising that they are down in our gorge system.
"It's just exciting to see other parts of Canberra besides Parliament House … being shown in such a different light."
But not everyone is impressed with the preparations for the Ginninderra Falls filming.
"It's a great site, and it's really a pleasure for people to visit there and to go for walks down to the Murrumbidgee River and such," Ginninderra Falls Association vice president Robyn Coghlan said.
"But at the same time, that puts a toll on the environment. When it's not being used, it's just in its natural state."
In the days leading up to filming, production concerns grew that the Falls would not have enough waterflow for filming.
So, the ACT government agreed to release water from Lake Ginninderra in Belconnen to plump up the falls — twice.
"My husband goes canoeing on Lake Ginninderra and he noticed the change in level there," Mrs Coghlan said.
"He's not impressed."
200 crew members housed in Canberra
Ms Trueman says Canberra's status as a national attraction, and the numerous hotels boasting kitchen facilities and private dining rooms that comes along with that, has also helped attract the Apex production.
In fact, they've secured accommodation bookings for an estimated 200 Apex crew members.
"We have got the facilities to look after VIPs very well because of parliament," Ms Trueman said.
"We have got that on tap. What regional areas have that at their disposal?
"They have shipped in large numbers of crew, and we have been able to accommodate them in world class accommodation."
The view from the top of Ginninderra Falls, out over Ginninderra Creek. (ABC News: Ewan Gilbert)
The economic spin-off from productions like these is enticing.
"It adds up very quickly, the money that these productions bring in," Ms Trueman said.
"If we've got 200 crew in town, and they're all in … accommodation at $200 a night, then that's at least $250,000 that we're dropping just in beds.
"New South Wales are predicting at least $56 million spend back into the economy."
Extra funding helps secure productions
In NSW, Apex is expected to create more than 460 local jobs and contribute an estimated $56.5 million in expenditure to the state's economy.
Ms Trueman credits Screen NSW's Made in NSW Fund, as well as federal government changes last July to a screen industry location offset, for helping to attract the large Netflix production.
"When people come from outside of Australia and commit to filming here and spending a lot of money on our shores, then we will give them tax incentives to do that," she said.
"That is why we have Apex now, and as an industry we are expecting to see more people from Hollywood."
Austin actors Roy Billing, Michael Theo and Gia Carides. (Supplied: Streem)
Similarly, in the ACT, a discretionary grant administered by Screen Canberra on behalf of the ACT government has lured filming for the second season of popular comedy Austin, produced by ABC and Northern Pictures.
The CBR Screen Investment Fund aims to uphold the quality and quantity of screen productions in the ACT, and contribute to the profile of the ACT region nationally and internationally.
"We assess the tourism value, how much Canberra on screen we are seeing and if there is any benefit to crew in Canberra to progress our people living in the capital, and how much money they are actually spending here," Ms Trueman said.
Austin season two filming commences
Filming for season two of Austin is already underway in Canberra, and Ms Trueman said she's hoping to see the city come to life.
"In the second season, I'm sure we'll have some bus stops again, I'm sure we'll have some bookshops again," she says.
"They're out and about filming at the moment, and they're filming all over the place. So I'm hoping to see [the] city come to life in the suburbs."
Ms Trueman said series one employed around 50 crew behind the camera and about 300 extras on screen, and expectations for series two are similar.
"It's just wonderful to have that many people employed here in their hometown," she said.
"I'm expecting similar numbers to what we had in Austin series one, but what I'm really excited about is that we've been able to work with the production team to elevate a lot of the people who were in series one and to progress their careers.
"So that's something that's really important for us, is that career progression and moving forward."
First published at ABC News, February 8, 2025
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