Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome — Bartertown Filmed at Coober Pedy (1985)
George Miller and George Ogilvie chose Coober Pedy and the surrounding opal fields of South Australia for the exteriors of Bartertown in Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome (1985), starring Mel Gibson and Tina Turner. The scarred, post-apocalyptic landscape of the opal mining terrain — riddled with excavation holes and pale dirt mounds built up over a century of digging — required no additional set dressing to suggest a devastated future Earth. The production also used the wider outback around Coober Pedy for desert chase sequences. The film was released in July 1985 and grossed over $36 million worldwide. Coober Pedy subsequently appeared in Pitch Black (2000) and Red Planet (2000), cementing its reputation as the go-to location for post-apocalyptic cinematography.
Filming location: quick answers
Where was Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome filmed?
George Miller and George Ogilvie chose Coober Pedy and the surrounding opal fields of South Australia for the exteriors of Bartertown, with desert chase sequences shot in the wider outback.
Where is Bartertown in Mad Max?
Bartertown exteriors were filmed in the opal mining terrain around Coober Pedy, South Australia — scarred land riddled with excavation holes and pale dirt mounds built up over a century of digging.
More film & TV locations: Set-Jetting: Famous Film & TV Locations You Can Actually Visit
📷 Become a Cultural Heritage Online photographer
Share your photos of events: they stay published under your name as the author. The more they're seen, the more you get noticed — and soon a contest will reward the most appreciated photos.
Log in or sign up free to add a photo