Shubhabrata Dutta
Created by Tony Ayres, Netflix’s Australian crime mystery drama mini-series ‘The Survivors’ travels between past and present, exploring the murderous secrets that lie hidden within an Australian coastal town. Based on Jane Harper’s best-selling novel, the story centers on Kieran Elliott, who returns to his hometown of Evelyn Bay 15 years after a storm claimed the lives of three of his near and dear ones, including his brother. Still struggling to navigate the pain, he is thrust into yet another tragedy after another girl’s body is discovered by the sea. As the investigation proceeds, long-held secrets and old memories resurface, sending Kieran down a rabbit hole of fear, suspense, and murder. The intimate and private nature of the narrative is showcased using visuals set in a tightly-knit community.
The Survivors Filming Locations
‘The Survivors’ was filmed entirely in Australia, specifically in Greater Hobart, Eaglehawk Neck, Freycinet Peninsula, and Melbourne. Reportedly, between the second half of December 2023 and the end of April 2024, principal photography took place in Hobart, Eaglehawk Neck, and Freycinet Peninsula, while the production and post-production were carried out in Melbourne. The first three locations were used as the primary settings, and Melbourne became the base for scenes that required controlled sets.
Greater Hobart, Australia
The story of ‘The Survivors’ is set in the fictional town of Evelyn Bay, for which the crew resorted to Hobart, a populous city and the capital of the southern Australian state of Tasmania. The scenes featuring the town, its various areas, and the residents were all filmed in various sections of the city. Its nature as one of the least populated capital cities may have led the creative team to use it to incorporate isolation in the story. The crew seemingly used the resources of a production studio in Hobart to tape indoor shots requiring sets. Known for its culture and nightlife, Hobart boasts Salamanca Place, Elizabeth Street, the Museum of Old and New Art, the Theatre Royal, the Lady Franklin Gallery, the Hobart City Centre, and Cascade Brewery.
Margate, a seaside town that is a part of Kingborough in Greater Hobart, was used to film a few sequences as well. The crew accessed the Dru Point Bicentennial Park at Dru Point Road on the edge of North-West Bay to tape some scenes to enhance the visual canvas of the drama series. It is a pet-friendly park and offers many facilities, like BBQ amenities, and space for recreational activities, including a playground and a dog exercise area. Kingborough itself served as a backdrop for ‘Deadloch.’
Eaglehawk Neck, Australia
The production team utilized the east coast of Tasmania extensively for the outdoor shots. Eaglehawk Neck, a scenic coastal village south-east of Tasmania, which serves as a gateway to the Tasman Peninsula, became the backdrop for lensing sequences featuring the sea and cliffs. With production support from Screen Tasmania, the crew taped several scenes featuring the peninsula, the Tasman Sea, and the Norfolk Bay. All these have been used to showcase the almost gothic landscape that aids in highlighting the mystery within the narrative.
“It became very clear once we found Eagle Hawk Neck and the spectacular landscapes that the locations were going to be crucial to not just the tone of the show, but the themes of the show,” Ayres told Variety. “It is quite Gothic and big, and you feel the scale of nature and its ferocity. And that felt like, well, the big event that caused all of this trauma was a storm. So it seemed like the place Eagle Hawk Neck was kind of in itself a metaphor for the storm, the disrupting event,” he added. Eaglehawk Neck is a popular visiting spot known for the Devil’s Kitchen, Clydes Island, Eaglehawk Bay, Hippolyte Rocks, and Tasman National Park. Tourists can also enjoy whale watching, kayaking, scuba diving, snorkelling, and rock climbing, among other adventures.
Freycinet Peninsula, Australia
In addition to the Tasman Peninsula, some scenes were reportedly recorded on the Freycinet Peninsula, which is a part of the Freycinet National Park, east of the Tasman Peninsula. Additional shots were reportedly taped in the Great Oyster Bay, which offers stunning views of the Hazards mountain range and the Schouten Island in Freycinet Peninsula. The Freycinet National Park is the oldest park in Tasmania and is reputed for its ecology. This has made it a target of conservation and public awareness. As for the clear waters and rocky beaches, both help highlight the show’s aesthetic and aid in world-building. “We peppered the series all the way through with images from this sort of sense of foreboding that you have when you’re standing on those cliff tops and seeing the caves and the ocean, the ferocity of the ocean, all of those things felt absolutely that they became emblematic of the storm, but also they felt metaphoric for the themes of the series,” Ayres explained.
Melbourne, Australia
While the locations mentioned above became the backdrops for outdoor scenes, the crew went to Melbourne in Victoria to recreate sequences at sea. The Docklands Studios, located at 476 Docklands Drive in Docklands, a western suburb in Melbourne’s central business district, became the base. The studio boasts six stages, sized at over 108,000 square feet, two of which have waterproof pits to capture shots in water, which may have been used for ‘The Survivors.’ It houses some of the world’s largest state-of-the-art LED volume screens, which the crew may have made use of to capture segments requiring background extensions. Its top-tier post-production facilities were also utilized to give the show proper finishing touches. Other projects filmed in the studio include ‘Betterman,’ ‘La Brea,’ ‘Clickbait,’ and ‘Preacher.’
Read More: The Survivors: Is Evelyn Bay a Real Town in Tasmania, Australia?
