Mad Max is one of the most influential action movies in film history, and director George Miller and his team seized the state of Victoria, Australia, to make Mad Max truly memorable. Back in 1979, George Miller made his feature-length directorial debut with Mad Max, a dystopian action film that introduced the audience to Max Rockatansky (Mel Gibson), an officer of the Main Force Patrol (MFP). Mad Max’s success made way for a movie saga, with two sequels, a reboot, and a spin-off focused on the character Imperator Furiosa, simply titled Furiosa.
Mad Max took the audience to a dystopian Australia facing a breakdown of civil order due to widespread oil shortages and ecocide. When a motorbike gang led by Toecutter (Hugh Keays-Byrne) arrives to create chaos by vandalizing property, stealing fuel, and terrorizing the residents, Max and company do what they can to stop them. However, when it gets personal, Max goes after them driven by rage, earning the title of “Mad Max”. Mad Max had a small budget, but Miller and his team made the best out of it and shot the movie in different parts of Australia, of which many can still be visited by fans of the movie – and here are all the filming locations of the original Mad Max.
Toecutter’s Arrival Was Shot In Clunes, Australia
Conflict in Mad Max is unleashed after the death of one of Toecutter’s gang . Crawford “Nightrider” Montazano killed a rookie officer of the MFP and escaped with his girlfriend in the dead officer’s Pursuit Special. Nightrider eluded the MFP until Max broke his focus and steered him into a roadblock, resulting in a fiery crash that killed Nightrider and his companion. Sometime later, the rest of the gang arrived in town, ready to create chaos and panic among residents.
The scene of the arrival of Toecutter and company was shot in Clunes, a town in Victoria, Australia. Clunes is home to Victoria’s first ed gold discovery by William Campbell in 1850, which triggered a gold rush. Although Clunes is described as a quiet town, the annual Clunes Booktown Festival, which began in 2007, has been drawing significant tourism. Clunes has made an appearance in other movies, such as Ned Kelly, but it’s best known for being the town Mad Max is set in.
Toecutter Destroys A Car Near The Clunes Railway Station
Toecutter and his gang wasted no time terrorizing the town. Right after parking their bikes, Toecutter and company began stealing stuff, vandalizing different places, and intimidating the town’s residents, but one of their worst crimes took place after visiting a railway station. The gang was taken to the station to collect the remains of Nightrider’s body, and when a young couple tried to escape, the gang went after them, destroyed the car, and sexually assaulted the young pair.
This sequence took place at the Clunes railway station, located on the Mildura line. The Clunes railway station opened in 1874 and closed in 1993, but was reopened in 2011. The Clunes Railway Station has undergone refurbishment since its appearance in Mad Max in the late 1970s, but it’s still functioning and can be visited by fans of the movie.
Max’s House Is Located In Great Ocean Road, Australia
Max was not just an officer of the MFP, but he was also a family man. Max lived with his wife, Jessie (Joanne Samuel), and their son, “Sprog”, in a shack that was far from the tough image Max gave while working. Max’s house was a lot more lively than the apocalyptic, dystopian world outside, giving an interesting contrast between the different and most important parts of Max’s life: his family and his career. Max’s house also had an excellent view of the ocean, giving the character and his family some peace amidst the chaos Toecutter and more caused in town.
Max’s family home is located in Fairhaven, a coastal locality in the Surf Coast Shire in Victoria, Australia. Fairhaven is a popular holiday and surfing destination, and it ads Fairhaven Beach, the longest beach on the Great Ocean Road. The once simple shack that served as the home of Max’s family went through extensive renovations in 2000 when it was sold, and unsurprisingly, it’s known as Max’s Beach House. However, fans of Mad Max can’t take a look around the house, so they can only get a glimpse of the exterior. In order to get to Max’s Beach House, fans can go on a road trip along Port Phillip or fly into Melbourne Airport, which is approx. 83 miles away from Fairhaven.
Jessie Buys Ice Cream In Avalon Beach, Australia
After Max’s colleague, Jim “Goose” Rains, was burned alive by Toecutter and his crew, Max was convinced by Captain Fred “Fifi” Macaffee to take some time off before making his final decision about reg from the MFP. Max, Jessie, and Sprog went on a trip in their van, and when they stopped to fix the spare tire, Jessie took Sprog to get ice cream. Unfortunately, they were found by Toecutter and his gang, but luckily, Jessie defended herself and was able to escape from the gang with a crying Sprog.
The scene where Jessie and Sprog buy ice cream was shot at the eastern end of Avalon Beach in Victoria, Australia, but the ice cream shop is no longer around. The store is now a private residence, though the area is said to still be quite similar to how it was in the late 1970s. Those interested in visiting this area can get to it by traveling to Werribee from Melbourne and taking a coastal route toward Avalon Beach.
Max Takes His Gear & Car in The University Of Melbourne’s South Lawn Car Park
Unfortunately, while trying to escape from Toecutter and the gang, Jessie and Sprog were run over, with Sprog dying instantly, while a comatose Jessie was taken to the hospital. This is the event that made Max channel all his fury into his revenge against Toecutter and the gang, throwing him back into action – and for that, he needed his gear and car. The scene where Max takes his Pursuit Special (without permission) was shot at the South Lawn car park, the parking garage at the University of Melbourne, built in 1971-1972 and designed by Jan van der Molen. The car park is open to visitors.
Mad Max’s Ending Was Shot At Emu Creek Bridge in Australia
Mad Max ends with Max finding Toecutter’s protégé, Johnny the Boy, stealing boots from a dead motorist. Max handcuffed Johnny’s ankle to the overturned vehicle of the motorist and created a crude time-delay fuse with leaking petroleum and Johnny’s lighter. Max gave Johnny a hacksaw to either cut through the handcuffs or his ankle, but as he drove away, the vehicle exploded, leaving Johnny with no way out. The final scene of Max driving away was shot at Emu Creek Bridge in Victoria, Australia. This was the perfect setting for Mad Max’s apocalyptic world, being key in giving the final scene that sense of a desolate future that made it so memorable.
