Penrith stars on big and small screen

Penrith’s beautiful scenery and unique attractions are making it an increasingly popular filming destination for the creative industries.

Major production companies have sought out Penrith for television programs, advertising campaigns, and film. Despite the interruptions to the industry due to COVID-19 restrictions, filming requests on public land within the Penrith Local Government Area increased in the 20/21 financial year compared to the year prior.

The Nepean River’s stunning landscape makes it one of the city’s more popular filming locations. Vogue Australia and Asics are just some of the well-known brands to have selected river locations as the backdrop for their campaigns.

With several unique attractions, Penrith is proving to be a drawcard for a range of reality programs too. Warner Brothers is becoming a Penrith regular, with its highly popular reality programs The Bachelor and The Bachelorette frequently filming episodes in Penrith. The program has visited both action-packed locations such as Cables Wake Park and Penrith Whitewater as well as enjoying romantic moments aboard the Nepean Belle.

Blockbuster films are no stranger to Penrith either, with Mad Max: Fury Road shooting car chase scenes at Penrith Lakes sand quarry. Penrith Museum of Printing’s one-of-a-kind collection made it the perfect location for a fictional newspaper compositing room in the 2018 Australian film Ladies in Black.

Whilst the creative industries form a relatively small component of the Penrith economy, the flow on effect from exposure such as this benefits the local economy more broadly. According to a report by Screen NSW, over 6,000 jobs and $107 million were generated in Western Sydney and regional NSW through the Made in NSW funding program alone.

For more information on how to apply for a filming permit in Penrith, visit the Penrith City Council filming page.