Spanning orchards and farmland, dense rainforest and historical streetscapes, the Derwent Valley has become a popular Tasmanian region for film and television.
Located a short drive from Tasmania’s capital city of Hobart, the Derwent Valley stretches from Granton to Mount Field, Lake St. Clair to Lake Pedder. Known as one of Tasmania’s most breathtakingly diverse and fertile regions, the Derwent Valley is also well known for being a centre for premium wine and food produce, custodian of some of Tasmania’s earliest history and home to some of Tasmania’s best accommodation, experiential and lifestyle experiences.
PRODUCTIONS THAT HAVE FILMED IN DERWENT VALLEY
The Derwent Valley is full of hidden gems and offers a diversity of locations which are ideal for a film crew to minimise movement throughout the film shoot. There are waterside properties and a variety of landscapes, non-descript suburban pockets (ideal for shows like Rosehaven, which depicts a fictional town), plenty of farmland, and unique, luxury properties filled with period character.
Our region is a haven for the TV and film industry with international films like The Hunter and The Nightingale having been filmed in the valley, while local productions such as the acclaimed series Rosehaven, The Kettering Incident and The Gloaming have been filmed in and feature New Norfolk and parts of the Derwent Valley.
LITTLE KNOWN FACTS
New Norfolk is home to Willow Court, which was the oldest surviving and longest functioning mental health facility in Australia up until its closure in 2000. It was also one of the largest mental health asylums in the Southern Hemisphere.
Originally known as the Lunatic Asylum when it opened in 1827, the institution started as the Invalid Barracks for convicts. Over time it catered for all kinds of people, rather than just convicts. The Lunatic Asylum became the Hospital for the Insane in 1859.
“The Derwent Valley is home to some of the most beautiful and unusual landscapes in the Southern Hemisphere.” Says Derwent Valley Mayor, Michelle Dracoulis.
“Towering snow-capped mountains, fields of waving grassland unencumbered by structures or development, a magnificent crystal-beached lake and the mighty Derwent River are just some of the riches we have on offer.”
Michelle Dracoulis, Derwent Valley Mayor.
Dracoulis adds “Our national parks host towering tree ferns and a wealth of grottos and waterfalls, taking the observer back in time to an untouched planet.”
“Along the river mighty hop fields, deciduous orchards, towering poplars and berries and grapes grow with abundance in colours that paint the Valley in an annual cycle that is as reliable as it is wondrous to behold.”
“In the township of New Norfolk is the Willow Court Asylum precinct – the home of Australia’s longest-running mental health asylum that has a collection of buildings that range in construction date from 1827 to the 1960s. The Derwent Valley region is also speckled with heritage estates, oast houses, barns and ruins all of which were convict-built and can date back to Tasmania’s colonial era.”
“All of these features are accessible year-round via sealed roads, with the furthest site only 2 hours and 40 minutes from Hobart airport. Food and accommodation are readily available, as is an enthusiastic population of potential extras, guides, drivers and labourers.”
“Derwent Valley Council welcomes film and TV crews to visit and film in our beautiful region, sharing our beautiful valley with the world.”
Michelle Dracoulis
WHAT PRODUCERS SAY . . .
Television series, Rosehaven filmed a portion of all five seasons in the valley. The series’ Location Manager, Kate Fox stated “one of the reasons we enjoy coming back is the community, which embraces the creative pursuits that showcase the quintessential Tasmanian town and countryside. The community is accepting of the film crew’s presence and mostly everyone is friendly and up for a chat.
“The large appeal is that each pocket of the Valley offers something different, which makes it such a great location to film, giving audiences the feeling they could literally be anywhere.”
Kate Fox, Location Manager
TRADITIONAL OWNERS
The Derwent Valley acknowledges the traditional and original owners of this land the Leenowwenne people of the Big River Nation. We pay respect to those who have passed before us and acknowledge today’s Tasmanian Aboriginal community in the Derwent Valley.
Download the Derwent Valley Investment Prospectus.
GETTING THERE
You can reach the Derwent Valley by car. New Norfolk is approximately a 40-minute drive from Hobart and 45 minutes from Hobart International Airport.
FILMING IN TASMANIA
For further information on locations, technical and creative talent, studio space, post-production and any other aspect of filming, please contact:
