Where Was Netflix’s ‘My Brilliant Career’ Filmed? Exploring Its Stunning South Australian Locations
Australian literature has found a new home on Netflix this month, with the streamer bringing Miles Franklin’s beloved 1901 novel to life as a full series for the first time. Best known for the BAFTA-winning 1979 film adaptation starring Judy Davis and Sam Neill, the story of a headstrong farm girl chasing her literary dreams has been reimagined for a new generation, this time with ‘The Newsreader’ star Philippa Northeast stepping into the role of Sybylla Melvyn alongside a cast that includes Christopher Chung, Anna Chancellor, and Genevieve O’Reilly.
That reimagining comes with a distinctly modern edge, even as the series stays rooted in its turn-of-the-century setting. Northeast has spoken about why the character still resonates now, noting during a Netflix interview that despite decades of progress, women’s rights are still facing setbacks around the world today, which gives Sybylla’s fight for independence renewed relevance.
To bring that period setting to life, production moved entirely to South Australia rather than New South Wales, where the original 1979 film was largely shot. The small town of Penola, home to just over 1,300 people and tucked into the Coonawarra wine region, served as the production’s main base, with additional filming taking place at Adelaide Studios and across the surrounding countryside.
Penola’s contribution centered heavily around Yallum Park, a Victorian-era homestead built between 1878 and 1880 for pastoralist and politician John Riddoch. Considered one of Australia’s best-preserved historic homes, the property’s grand architecture and sprawling grounds gave the series an authentic period backdrop for many of its key scenes.
Outside of Penola, the production also made extensive use of the Southern Barossa region, known for its vineyards, farmland, and long-established rural communities. That landscape provided the sweeping countryside visuals central to the story’s early 1900s Australian setting, while another rural property, Pine Hill, added further depth to the show’s agricultural backdrop.
One of the standout locations came from Para Para Mansion in the town of Gawler, a heritage property built between 1851 and 1862 that now operates as a popular tourist attraction known for its lavender gardens. The mansion served as the visual backdrop for several of Sybylla’s more elaborate society encounters, giving those scenes a lush, almost Bridgerton-like quality with tea parties and cocktail gatherings staged across its manicured lawns and open to the public on select days throughout the year.
Beyond its role as a filming backdrop, the production became a significant economic event for South Australia in its own right. According to the South Australian Film Corporation, ‘My Brilliant Career‘ became the single biggest season of television ever made in the state, injecting an estimated $19 million into the local economy while employing 600 South Australians and engaging 410 local businesses across hospitality, transport, and other supporting services.
South Australian Arts Minister Andrea Michaels has expressed hope that the series will help boost tourism in the state going forward, given how prominently its heritage locations feature throughout the show. Filming took place last year during the Australian winter, with the production ultimately becoming the most expensive television show ever filmed in South Australia. With production wrapped and all six episodes now streaming, fans curious about the real places behind Sybylla’s world have plenty of historic South Australian landmarks to explore for themselves.
Which My Brilliant Career filming location would you most like to visit?
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