Movies filmed in Newcastle: Hollywood in our own backyard

Starring heartthrobs Adam Garcia and Sam Worthington, Bootmen really showed what Newcastle was all about. Well, not the tap-dancing part, but the steel mill thing is something all Novocastrians can relate to. Civic Theatre was used when Garcia’s character Sean tried his hand at a Sydney production (but failed epically). Hunter Stadium, known back in 2000 as Marathon Stadium, also played a role. Who said it could only be used for sports matches? If you rent or buy this classic Australian movie, I’m sure you will find many more locations you know well pop their heads in throughout. The director, writer, actor, choreographer and producer Dein Perry, on whom this movie is based, was born and raised in Newcastle, so who else could show off what the city has to offer more than a local himself?

The fifth Superman film, one of the largest DC Comics superhero franchises, graced our shores for some action sequences. One scene in the movie involves a thief on top of the “Newhart Federal Bank” firing on police cars on the street below. This building is University House, the city hub of the University of Newcastle, located on King Street opposite Civic Park. Next time you decide to take a walk around Civic Park (minus a few trees), take a moment to admire the centre of town as a piece of cinematic history.

Most people can agree that this film wasn’t all that great, but when showing off the sites of Newcastle, it ticks a lot of boxes. The film follows a young surfer named Jesse, who has dreams of going pro. Cue Newcastle’s famous beaches, as well as a long sequence at Stockton Beach, and this film should have you racing off to the beach in no time.

The first movie in a line of X-Men spin-off prequels, X-Men Origins follows Wolverine before he became the Adamantium-drenched mutant claw man. With a large portion of the film following his story as part of a government squad known as Team-X, the Newcastle credit is reserved for scenes involving our lovely Hugh Jackman and his half-brother Victor Creed, played by Naomi Watt’s partner Liev Schreiber (it’s all about the Aussie connections). Filmed on Blacksmiths Beach, a 30 minute drive south from Newcastle’s CBD, there were a lot of trenches and explosions created to make this WWII Normandy Landing (Omaha Beach) scene look real. It’s a real bummer that this scene only lasted about 4 seconds during the main title credits, but there is no denying that at least a bit of the movie was filmed in our town. Why not take a leisurely stroll along Blacksmiths to get you in the mood for Wolverine’s second prequel offering, The Wolverine, due out in theatres July 25 this year.

This film, based on Australian writer John Marsden’s first book in the seven-part Tomorrow series, follows eight teenagers (many of which have starred on Neighbours and Home and Away of course) who find their country under attack by unknown invaders, and must become unlikely fighters to get their lives back. Sounds a bit like the remade Red Dawn movie recently released on DVD, but what this movie has over this American remake is awesome Newcastle and Hunter scenery. Large parts of the film were shot in Raymond Terrace, using the former main street, King Street, because of its country look. Parts of Maitland, Dungog and the Blue Mountains were also used, but the most important architectural piece of the movie is Luskintyre bridge, located in the Hunter Region near Lochinvar. If you feel like taking a Hunter Valley road trip, why not detour to this cinematic bridge. It might not be the Sydney Harbour Bridge, but it still has a lot of old-school charm.