FROM the jungle of a Dora the Explorer movie to a small-town sheriff’s office in a streaming drama, Canungra has quietly become one of Queensland’s most versatile on-screen stars.
The picturesque town has doubled as American suburbs, wild jungles, and even war-torn Vietnam, proving it’s more than just a weekend escape.
It has become a film location powerhouse.
Around a year ago, the Canungra School of Arts Hall and the town itself were transformed into the Eden Vale Police Station for the CW drama Good Cop/Bad Cop.
Other locations, such as the front of the Canungra Times office, were turned into a mobile repair shop.
Even rubbish bins around D J Smith Memorial Park were relabelled to read ‘Eden Vale’.
Canungra Schools of Arts Hall President Jane Anderson said the transformation was incredible to witness.
“It was really cool to see how it kind of worked and there was a lot of involvement,” she said.
“People were watching it on TV and saying, ‘That’s still Canungra, but it’s Eden Vale now’. You’d recognise the fences on the streets around town.”
Jane helped coordinate the hall’s involvement, including contract negotiations and logistics.
“I got a phone call out of the blue,” she said.
“There was a lot of back and forth, a lot of contracts, making sure that we were covered, and the hall was going to be put back together.”
“We didn’t just give them a free-for-all. Everything had to be approved by our committee first. They were actually very good with keeping us up to date.”
She said the community embraced the experience and even benefitted from it.
“The whole hall ended up being repainted, which would’ve taken us years to afford. We’re very grateful,” she said.
Other productions filmed in the area over the years include Beastmaster (1999), a series about a wandering adventurer who can communicate with animals, and Drive Hard (2014), a John Cusack film featuring a shoot-out inside the Canungra Hotel.
So why is Canungra, and the Scenic Rim in particular, such a hotspot for filming?
According to Screen Queensland CEO Jacqui Feeney, Canungra’s success as a filming destination is a mix of visual appeal and strategic support.
“The Scenic Rim is famed for its stunning natural beauty and is also conveniently located near the thriving screen production hub that is the Gold Coast, which makes it practical as well as picturesque to film there,” Ms Feeney said.
“For a production like Good Cop/Bad Cop, that specifically required forests that could double for America’s Pacific North-West, Canungra’s charming town centre ultimately made it the perfect place to base the series.”
Ms Feeney said film production brings major benefits to regions like the Scenic Rim.
“Film and series production offers many benefits to regional communities, including employment and expenditure, providing opportunities for local small businesses,” she said.
“The screen industry requires a wide variety of services such as accommodation, transport, catering, construction, venue hire and so much more.”
She also praised the region’s involvement in Screen Queensland’s Film-Friendly Councils network.
“We work with councils to help them understand the needs of the screen sector and how their services can help make it easier for local production to take place,” she said.
“By adopting a ‘film-friendly’ approach, regions like the Scenic Rim earn a positive reputation with production companies, which only encourages more projects in the future.”
As for what’s next for the Scenic Rim?
“We can’t give any details away,” Ms Feeney said.
“But it’s a big year for screen production here in Queensland and you never know when the next local or international project will arrive in town.”
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