From Screen to Getaway: Netflix’s My Brilliant Career Puts South Australia in the Spotlight
Netflix’s My Brilliant Career may be winning audiences over with romance, period drama and a fiercely independent heroine, but there’s another star of the series that is hard to miss: South Australia.
From rolling vineyards and grand historic homesteads to some of the state’s most picturesque regional landscapes, the new adaptation of Miles Franklin’s Australian classic is giving viewers around the world a rather tempting tour of South Australia.
South Australia gets its close-up
Filmed entirely in South Australia, My Brilliant Career takes viewers from Adelaide and the Southern Barossa to the state’s South East, with production also based at Adelaide Studios.
Among the locations making an appearance are the Barossa’s sweeping landscapes, Para Para Mansion near Gawler and Yallum Park near Penola, whose historic homes and gardens provide the backdrop for Sybylla’s adventures through turn-of-the-century Australian society.
It is the kind of scenery that could have viewers reaching for their travel apps before the credits have finished rolling. But the benefits of bringing the production to South Australia began long before the series reached screens.
A boost beyond the screen
According to the South Australian Film Corporation, My Brilliant Career delivered an anticipated $19 million in direct production spend, making it the biggest single season of television ever made in South Australia.
The production employed 600 South Australians across creative roles, crew, cast and extras, while 410 South Australian businesses were engaged to provide services including accommodation, hospitality and transport.
It also created training opportunities for local screen workers through a Netflix and SAFC initiative, including roles across production design, costume and safety.
Regional communities felt the impact too. In Penola, local businesses reported increased accommodation bookings and trade while cast and crew were in town, providing a welcome boost during the quieter winter period.
And now that filming has wrapped, another opportunity is emerging.
From streaming to set-jetting
Screen tourism, sometimes called “set-jetting”, has increasingly seen travellers seek out destinations they first discovered through films and television.
For places such as Penola, the hope is that the visitors who arrived during production could be followed by another wave: viewers inspired to see the locations for themselves.
With all six episodes now available to Netflix audiences globally, South Australia’s landscapes have a much bigger shop window.
From the Barossa’s vineyards to Penola’s historic homesteads, the series is showcasing parts of the state that international viewers may be discovering for the first time.
For audiences around the world, My Brilliant Career offers romance, humour and drama. For South Australia, its impact stretches further, supporting local jobs and businesses while showcasing the state’s landscapes, communities and production talent to a global audience.
Source: Timeout & South Australian Film Corporation
