Outback Queensland delivers some of the most striking and production-ready landscapes anywhere in Australia. From sweeping desert plains and burnt-orange escarpments to rugged gorges and heritage towns, the region offers producers a cinematic canvas capable of becoming almost any backdrop imaginable.
Whether you’re crafting a colony on Mars, a frontier western, a post-apocalyptic wasteland or an intimate character drama, Outback Queensland brings scale, rugged charm and natural environments that no sound stage can match.
From the stark frontier world of John Hillcoat’s The Proposition to the atmospheric neo-western Mystery Road, the political landscapes of Total Control and the contemporary outback thriller Goldstone, Australian filmmakers have consistently turned to this part of the state for its versatility and visual impact.
Largely untapped by international filmmakers, here is a glimpse of what these extraordinary locations the sunshine state can offer, with all regions part of Screen Queensland’s Film-Friendly Councils network.
BIRDSVILLE
Deep in the heart of wild rural country, Birdsville is one of Australia’s most recognised outback towns. Watch the sunset over the Big Red Sand Dune, back a winner at the world-renowned Birdsville Races, or use this iconic destination for your next production.
The town was the setting for the documentary Birdsville or Bust and will soon serve as the backdrop for the psychological horror film From Below, written and directed by Sean Loch and scheduled to begin filming next year.
CHARTERS TOWERS
A historic gold-mining township framed by open ranges and long horizons, Charters Towers brings a different visual flavour—part frontier settlement, part remote Outback wilderness.
The area hosted filming for the seventh season of Australian Survivor: Blood V Water, showcasing the region’s atmospheric ruins, rocky ridges and striking natural palette.
CLONCURRY
Cloncurry is widely recognised as Queensland’s friendliest town, known for its warm hospitality, community spirit and authentic outback experience. Remote, rugged and spectacular, the location offers producers a terrain with natural intensity even from the comfort of your air-conditioned accommodation.
In 2021 Cloncurry welcomed a new wave of thrill-seekers, when it became the mighty tough backdrop for Australian Survivor Season 6. It’s striking light, scale and physicality heightened the tension and spectacle of the series, while its infrastructure enabled Endemol Shine Australia to stage one of the largest unscripted productions in the country.
“Visually, the locations, wildlife, sunrises and sunsets were stunning and unlike anything we’d used before. The Cloncurry outback added a whole other level of interest and spectacle that could never be achieved overseas.”
Keely Sonntag, Executive Producer, Endemol Shine Australia
LONGREACH
Longreach is the gateway to Outback Queensland’s vast skies and cinematic horizons. The internationally recognised Qantas Founders Museum and its heritage aircraft offer productions a rare combination of aviation assets and open space, making the town a standout for projects seeking sweeping aerial scale or period-set aviation visuals.
With a well-connected airport offering direct flights into Brisbane and easy onward connections to the US, Longreach combines visual scale with strong logistical support.
MT ISA
Affectionately known as the ‘oasis of the outback’, Mount Isa is a true Outback city surrounded by red cliffs and ochre ranges—and home to the Southern Hemisphere’s largest rodeo. The city’s tough, cinematic landscape is suited to gritty drama, survivalist documentaries and has been a hive of production activity in the last 12 months, for forthcoming factual rodeo projects The Northern Run, In the Arena and Mob Lands.
WINTON
Known as the Hollywood of the Outback, Winton has earned its place in screen history and remains one of Australia’s most iconic regional filming landscapes. With ancient mesas, red plains and otherworldly desert formations, it can double for almost any arid environment on Earth.
Home to The Vision Splendid Outback Film Festival, Winton is the epitome of a film-friendly destination. The town has hosted major, award-winning productions including The Proposition, Mystery Road, Goldstone and Total Control, —showcasing the region’s remarkable landscapes to audiences locally and internationally.
Winton also offers museums, working stations, heritage townscapes and rare geological formations, all within an established production-friendly network and growing local crew base.
Outback Queensland offers an untapped cinematic landscape, all accessible by road or air from Queensland’s capital city Brisbane. When controlled environments or interior builds are required, productions can also access Screen Queensland’s studio facilities in Brisbane and Cairns, offering large sound stages and world class facilities. And the best part? It is all backed by Screen Queensland incentives.
Filming in this part of the world offers significant financial benefits through Screen Queensland’s Production Attraction Strategy. Available to productions with a minimum spend of AU$3.5 million, this incentive can be combined with the Australian Government’s Location Offset, making Queensland a cost-effective option for high-quality international projects.
Outback Queensland also has a network of affiliated Film-Friendly Councils, established to encourage more production in regional areas. We work with councils to help them understand the needs of the screen sector and how their services can streamline local filming, while providing avenues for regions to promote their unique locations. By adopting a film-friendly approach, communities earn a strong reputation with production companies—encouraging even more filming activity into the future.
Screen Queensland is the state government-owned screen agency for one of Australia’s leading production destinations, offering bespoke location services and competitive incentives. The Production Attraction Incentive is available to productions with a minimum spend of AU$3.5 million in the state and can be used in conjunction with the federal government’s Location Offset. The Post, Digital, Visual Effects (PDV) Incentive is available to projects spending a minimum AU$250,000 on qualifying PDV. Screen Queensland also offers location and scouting assistance.
