York is a historic town located on Ballardong Noongar country in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia.
Only 97 km (60 miles) east of Perth, the town has recently hosted three major Western Australian productions: comedy-drama family film Runt, season two of drama series The Twelve and Bruce Beresford’s upcoming feature Overture.
Situated on the banks of the Avon River, York is surrounded by rolling landscapes, wildflower fields and vast farmlands.
As the first inland town in WA to be established, York’s main street still retains much of its Victorian and Federation style heritage-listed architecture. The town’s timeless look and feel proved to be the perfect backdrop for Runt, with York standing in for the film’s fictional agricultural town, Upson Downs.
York welcomed a cast and crew which included actors Celeste Barber (Wellmania, The Letdown), Jai Courtney (Jack Reacher, Divergent, Suicide Squad) and Jack Thompson (Breaker Morant, The Man from Snowy River). The crew filmed at several locations including the historic Balladong Farm, York Town Hall and the old York school.
“York is effortlessly cinematic. The main street feels like a movie lot – it’s extraordinary. The architecture is unspoiled. And the community itself befits the tone of the people of Upson Downs. So there’s a lot of intersections that just felt right. Its beautiful landscapes; it’s distinctly Western Australian, it’s historic, a lot like the town of Upson Downs in our story. I always knew that York could be the perfect place to set this story.”
– Craig Silvey, Runt author/screenwriter.
York was also transformed into the fictional township of Tunkwell for season two of The Twelve, with Sam Neill (Jurassic Park, Peaky Blinders) and Frances O’Connor (The End, The Missing) leading the ensemble cast.
“York is a very pretty town, we’ve enjoyed being here a lot. It’s a very picturesque place… extremely well preserved. Everyone’s pleased to see us, they’ve been very friendly and hospitable and I’m sorry to go.”
– The Twelve star Sam Neill.
York will make another appearance on the big screen later this year, with Oscar-nominated filmmaker Bruce Beresford’s upcoming feature Overture. Starring Luke Bracey (Elvis, Hacksaw Ridge, Interceptor), Bryan Brown (Anyone But You, Breaker Morant, Cocktail) and Susie Porter (Mercy Road, Transfusion, Gold), the comedy-drama filmed scenes in the town in 2024.
Runt is available to rent and buy online. The Twelve Season 2 is available to stream on Binge. Overture is slated for an Australian theatrical and worldwide release in 2025.
To find out more about filming in Western Australia contact Screenwest Head of Production, Chris Veerhuis at [email protected] or visit the Screenwest Location Gallery https://www.screenwest.com.au/filming-in-wa/locations/