Making the movie

Drift was filmed on location in the spectacular South West corner of Western Australia during the winter of 2011.

You’ve seen the movie. Now follow in the footsteps of the Kelly brothers and friends.

Use this map to find beaches, buildings and other settings used in the popular surf-themed feature film.

The region is yours to explore, so why not try your luck surfing at a local break or have your photo taken at one of the places used in the film.

‘‘The town of Nannup was chosen as a film

location for the feature movie Drift because it

has maintained the authentic West Australian

country town feel of the 1960s and 1970s.

The whole town centre was also transformed

by film set designers for major street scenes

in the movie.– Tim Duffy, Drift producer

The story of DRIFTAfter relocating from Sydney to Seacliffe with their mother in the 1960s, brothers Andy and Jimmy Kelly spend their youth searching for the perfect wave.

It’s now the ‘70s and the family is struggling. The brothers have one great passion though: surfing. And out of necessity, and encouraged by new friends, they launch a backyard surf business.

They rethink traditional design, craft homemade wetsuits and sell their wares out of the back of their van. But after they get mixed up with a local drug dealer, it looks like everything they built up will be ruined...

Inspired by the true story of Australia’s legendary surf communities and the rise of the global surf brands, Drift is a story of passion, courage, friendship and fractured loyalties.

The two Kelly brothers are brought to life by Myles Pollard (Andy) and Xavier Samuel (Jimmy), alongside Sam Worthington (JB) as a travelling surf photographer and filmmaker. Lesley-Ann Brandt (Lani) plays JB’s Hawaiian surfer companion. Aaron Glenane (Gus) plays a close friend of the Kelly brothers.

‘‘ You can’t buy what we’ve got.

During the six-week shoot, cast and crew travelled from Cape Naturaliste to Cape Leeuwin to bring to life the rags-to-riches story of two brothers who launch a backyard surfing business.

Footage was shot in a number of towns including Margaret River, Augusta and Gracetown, with many of the surfing scenes taking place off the ruggedly beautiful Margaret River coastline including Surfers Point.

And though the movie is set in the fictional coastal town of Seacliffe, filming also took place in the inland town of Nannup.

To secure the footage required for the action-drama in the six-week timeframe, two photography units ran at the same time – a dramatic unit helmed by Morgan O’Neill and a surf unit directed by Ben Nott.

In order to achieve the eye-catching surfing sequences, many of the main cast members took surf lessons and performed their own stunts in the water. Local surfers were cast as ‘surf doubles’ and used for the bigger stunts in the movie.

‘‘

Self-guided tour coveringthe Margaret River region and Nannup

across

WESTERN AUSTRALIA SOUTH WEST

Inspired by the movie DRIFT

Did you know...

While the front of the

Drift shop was filmed in

Nannup, a goods shed

that was part of the old

Margaret River train

station was used as the

back of the store.

Now that’s movie magic!

This brochure was produced by

special thanks to

While in the South West, you may wish to explore the region more.

For ideas on where to go and what to see, go to

www.australiassouthwest.com

The Cape Leeuwin

Lighthouse stands near

the point where the

Indian and Southern

oceans meet.

When visiting the

lighthouse, bring

along your camera

to snap a shot

of yourself

standing next

to the sign that

pinpoints the

spot where

the two

oceans

collide.

FAST FACT

Working in Western

Australia was great,

especially in the specific

region south of Margaret

River. This is where

there’s amazing waves,

amazing wineries and just

the most beautiful raw,

natural environments that

you could imagine.

– Ben Nott, Drift co-director

‘‘

Perth - Margaret River 262km

Margaret River - Nannup 67km

Nannup - Augusta 90km

Augusta - Yallingup 85km

0 5 10 15 20 25

DISTANCE CHART

Long shots were used to

establish Gracetown as fictional

Seacliffe, though many of the

town scenes were filmed in

Nannup and the Kelly family

house in Augusta.

Augusta The house used as the Kelly family home is located in Flinders Bay, Augusta.

Do you remember when JB used the outside of a lighthouse to screen his surf film? It was the gleaming white exterior of the Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse that provided the canvas for his flick.

Gracetown

Drive along Cowaramup Bay Road towards Gracetown and you’ll come across the same scene that greets the Kelly family when they decide to stay in Seacliffe instead of heading to Albany.

This is where JB parks his bus, and the nighttime party scene plays out.

The jetty in the bay was used to launch the boat when the Kelly brothers and JB went searching for a big wave for Jimmy to surf. The jetty served as the Seacliffe Jetty in the film.

A great vantage point for taking in the bay. Here you’ll be able to see the location of the caravan park where the Kelly family live when they first settle in Seacliffe, where little Jimmy jumps in to the water to save young Andy, and where Gus makes his exit.

Karridale

Do you remember the schoolyard bust-up at the start of the movie? That scene was filmed here, with this building doubling as the school in the film.

Nannup

The main street of Nannup was used as the main street in Seacliffe, the fictional town where the Kelly family lived.

The Drift surf shop, bank and pub were all filmed here, with the corner of Warren Road and Forrest Street a focal point for much of the activity.

Bunker Bay Gus camps out here. On the way to the camping spot, Gus, Jimmy and JB travel through the scenic Boranup Forest.

Yallingup

When Jimmy and Lani had their talk in the car, they parked along Yallingup Beach Road.

When JB tours his surf movie, they can be seen driving over the bridge on the way into Yallingup.

Surfing scenes were also shot off Yallingup. Overlooking the beach in Yallingup is a sculpture that celebrates the origin of surfing in Western Australia.

Visit the grounds where the star-studded, red carpet Australian premiere of Drift was held on March 21 2013.

Margaret River

Here you can see the building that doubled as the back of the Drift

store.

Around the corner from Surfers Point, you’ll see where scenes for the 1972 Seacliffe Amateur Surf Titles were shot.

In reel life, exciting surfing action for the contest at the end of the movie was filmed here. In real life, Surfers Point is the location for the annual Margaret River Pro surfing tournament.

From here, you can see where action took place. Gnarabup Beach is a popular swimming spot with café.

From this location you can see where Jimmy transforms from a boy to a man while surfing.