Mad Max (1979)

Beach Street & Dow Street (Port Melbourne)

Port Melbourne, Australia

At the intersection of Beach Street and Dow Street stand the buildings of the former gasworks of South Melbourne, which closed after natural gas deposits were discovered in Australia in the 1960s. Extensively renovated, they retain some original outer walls; the rest of the site has been transformed into Gasworks Arts Park, an eight-acre park whose heritage buildings house theaters, galleries, and studios.

The scene : The dilapidated buildings of the old gas factory become the Halls of Justice, the decrepit headquarters of the Main Force Patrol: they open the film, return later in the story during the day, and some interiors of the MFP were also filmed there.

Spotswood Pumping Station

Spotswood, Australia

Former sewer pumping station of Spotswood, southwest of downtown Melbourne, now integrated into Scienceworks, the science museum of Museums Victoria (entrance at 2 Booker Street). The complex also served as Blackmoor prison in the series Prisoner: Cell Block H.

The scene : The courtyard and buildings of the old pumping station serve as the headquarters of the MFP: Max waits there for Goose, Fifi and Labatouche eavesdrop on his conversation, Johnny the Boy is released there due to lack of a complainant, which leads to a brawl, and Max comes there in the early morning to submit his resignation before passing by later to go seek revenge.

Melbourne, Australia

The scene : On the deck of the bridge, the MFP intervenes on an accident; it is here that Fifi warns Max that the Toecutter's gang wants to avenge the Nightrider.

South Lawn Car Park (University of Melbourne)

Parkville, Australia

Underground parking fitted under the south lawn of the University of Melbourne in 1971-1972, based on plans by Jan van der Molen; its parabolic shell structure supported by short columns gives it the appearance of a crypt.

The scene : The underground parking lot with its strange vaults becomes the MFP garage: Barry reveals the Pursuit Special, the black V8 "Black on Black" that he has assembled piece by piece, to Max and Goose. Max returns there, crazed with pain, to retrieve his uniform and the car before hunting down the gang.

Kew, Australia

The scene : After Goose's attack, Max rushes to the hospital to be by his seriously burned friend's side; it's upon leaving this visit that he decides to leave the police.

14 Claremont Street (South Yarra)

South Yarra, Australia

The Warehouse Nightclub that occupied this address has been demolished, and the entire street has since been redeveloped to the point of being unrecognizable.

The scene : In front of the Sugartown Cabaret, Johnny the Boy sabotages Goose's Kawasaki while he is enchanted by the singer; in the morning, Goose mounts the rigged motorcycle and speeds south along Claremont Street, under Johnny's watchful gaze.

Seaford, Australia

The scene : On the beach, at the foot of the wooden pier, the Toecutter gang is passing the time — Johnny the Boy, recently released, understood — by shooting a rifle at a storefront mannequin.

Fraser Street (Clunes)

Clunes, Australia

Clunes is the site of the first officially recorded gold discovery in Victoria, by William Campbell in 1850. Its main street, classified as heritage, was built during the gold rush of 1851-1854 and features churches, banks, and hotels from that era. Revived as the 'book town', the small town hosts the Clunes Booktown Festival every Australian spring since 2007 and also served as a backdrop for the 2003 Ned Kelly.

The scene : The main street of Clunes becomes Wee Jerusalem, the small town where the Toecutter gang descends to retrieve the Nightrider's coffin at the train station; two of the bikers stand in front of the current pharmacy.

Clunes, Australia

The scene : The bikers park their machines in front of this row of shops and do a burnout in the street; a local is thrown through the doors of the current Timeless Harmony store, then dragged behind a motorcycle from one end of Fraser Street to the other.

Clunes, Australia

The scene : In front of the village garage, the old Central Garage, Bubba asks the mechanic for directions to the train station; later, the young couple in a Chevy, parked along the garage facing the war memorial, zooms off and nearly crushes the Toecutter.

Clunes, Australia

The Clunes railway station opened in 1874, closed in 1993, and reopened in 2011; the building has been renovated since filming and now hosts associations, markets, and festivals.

The scene : Guided by a local, the Toecutter, Bubba, and the rest of the gang arrive at the station to take delivery of the Nightrider's coffin; outside, they then attack the car of a young couple.

Clunes, Australia

The scene : At the wheel of the Chevy, the young driver desperately tries to shake off the bikers; madmaxlocations places this shot on Learmonth Road, south of Clunes, but does not consider it certain.

New Gisborne, Australia

Bendigo railway station, listed in the Victorian Heritage Register.

The scene : IMDb assigns the Gisborne station a train station scene from the film; other sources place the arrival of the Nightrider's coffin at Clunes station.

Pretty Sally Roadhouse (Wallan)

Wallan, Australia

The roadside tavern stood on Pretty Sally Hill, an ancient volcanic cone between Wallan and Kilmore, along the Northern Highway. The place is named after Sally Smith, known as "Pretty Sally," who ran an unlicensed drinking establishment there in the 1840s and is said to have died after falling under the wheels of her cart. The building, now privately owned and very dilapidated, retains remnants such as its sign "Charcoal Grill."

The scene : In this roadside restaurant now called Fat Nancy's, Goose is having a quiet lunch when the Nightrider's pursuit rushes by; he rushes to his motorcycle to join in.

310 Great Ocean Road (Fairhaven)

Fairhaven, Australia

A simple cabin on the Great Ocean Road at the time of filming, the house was sold in 2000 and then deeply renovated in a contemporary style; it remains a private property, visible only from the road.

The scene : Max and Jessie’s beach house: we find the couple at peace, in front of the television, before Jessie grows concerned about his early departure; later, Max, devastated, sits in the back, facing the promontory, before spiraling into revenge.

Craigieburn, Australia

The Craigieburn Motor Wreckers wrecking yard has vanished and the area, now fully developed, is unrecognizable.

The scene : A car wrecking yard by the Hume Highway, where Max and Jessie get a flat tire repaired; Max returns later to get a lead from the mechanic on the gang.

Hume Anglican Grammar School (Mickleham)

Mickleham, Australia

The buildings of the former farm are now located within the grounds of Hume Anglican Grammar School, on Mount Ridley Road.

The scene : May Swaisey's farm, a refuge for Max, Jessie, and Sprog: the gang holds the baby in an outbuilding, the Toecutter demands Cundalini's hand, May bursts in with her rifle and locks them up, then Jessie flees in a car with the child, forcing the gate.

Avalon Foreshore Road (Avalon)

Avalon, Australia

The old store, at the eastern end of this narrow strip of land connected by a causeway between Werribee and Geelong, has become a private residence, but the site has remarkably changed little.

The scene : While Max is getting a tire repaired, Jessie stops with Sprog at a small shop at the end of Avalon Beach to buy an ice cream; disturbed by the Toecutter's gang, she manages to escape, unknowingly taking Cundalini's hand attached to the car with her.

Black Rock, Australia

The scene : Jessie goes down to bathe with the dog in this rocky cove, where the bikers spot her; she realizes that the dog has disappeared and turns back through the forest.

Olinda, Australia

The scene : Jessie ventures into the forest with the dog to head down to the beach; madmaxlocations places these shots in the woods of Mount Dandenong, about 200 meters from the arboretum.

16 Flinders Street (Little River)

Little River, Australia

The scene : The motorcycle gang leaves a village pub on Flinders Street before hitting the road.

Exford, Australia

The scene : On Exford Road, the bikers cling to a moving tanker to siphon its fuel, and Max, who has spotted them, stands ready; the truck then comes back down the hill in the opposite direction.

Weir Views, Australia

The scene : The tanker truck crosses the bridge over the Werribee River, on Greigs Road; hidden in the pull-out area, Max calmly pulls out behind him once he has passed.

Wildwood, Australia

The scene : The denouement: Max finds Johnny the Boy by the roadside stealing the boots from a corpse, handcuffs him to a wreck that is leaking gasoline, and leaves him a hacksaw, ten minutes for the chain or five for the ankle. The Pursuit Special crosses the bridge and the car explodes in the distance.

Mernda, Australia

The road once bypassed a quarry; it has since been filled in and the roadway straightened, so the film's bend no longer exists.

The scene : Goose is singing at the wheel of his pick-up when Johnny the Boy throws a piece of metal onto the road: the Ute leaves the pavement and flips over, Goose remains trapped in his seatbelt, and Bubba and the Toecutter urge Johnny to set it on fire. Later, Max does a handbrake turn there to confront the bikers.

Little River, Australia

The scene : At the intersection of Turners Road, Max tinkers with his Interceptor while listening to the radio coverage of the Nightrider chase; when Goose tells him that everything is going haywire, he takes off, turning onto Kirks Bridge Road.

Little River, Australia

The scene : Max slams into the bikers on the bridge: two remain on the ground, the other two topple over the railing into the water.

Little River, Australia

The scene : Max charges into the group of bikers, and Johnny the Boy is thrown off balance, with the lake in the background.

Little River, Australia

The scene : At the intersection, the paths of the police cars and the Nightrider converge: Roop attempts to shoot at the fugitive and the Big Bopper ends up off the road against a sign.

Lara, Australia

The scene : On this hill of Old Melbourne Road, the Nightrider ends his run in a heap of vehicles despite the warnings of a worker, where Max braked just in time; later, the chase between Toecutter's Kawasaki and the Pursuit Special concludes here when the gang leader crashes into a semi-trailer.

Little River, Australia

The scene : Near the bridge, Max and Goose are talking to passersby when the call reporting the couple's assault comes in; in a deleted scene, Max spends the night there tending to his wounds.

Little River, Australia

The scene : The young couple's Chevy is caught on this country road, pushed off the shoulder and wrecked; Max and Goose then discover the wreckage, with Johnny the Boy dazed on the bench in the middle of the road. Further down, Johnny, Bubba, and the Toecutter set their trap for Max.

Balliang, Australia

The scene : The clear road of the opening chase: the Nightrider and his companion rush down it, Max waits for them at the top of the hill, and the game of 'chicken' turns in his favor, with the You Yangs on the horizon. The road returns later in the montage of Max and Jessie's ride.

Maddingley, Australia

The scene : The opening shot, a road where a painted skull on the ground signals danger, and the entry of the Pursuit Special into the "Prohibited Area" during the final chase.

Lara, Australia

The scene : Max and Jessie, driving their van, take the road to May's farm, passing through this crossroads.

Little River, Australia

The scene : Granite Road appears in the montage of Max and Jessie's drive, and possibly in the chase between the Toecutter and the Pursuit Special, which the source places there with uncertainty.

Laverton North, Australia

The scene : A whole sequence of the Nightrider chase: a van exiting a warehouse is hit by the Big Bopper, the police car crashes through a caravan in front of a couple who are arguing, and Goose ultimately crashes into it.

Laverton North, Australia

The scene : Goose, launched on his motorcycle, catches up to the chase and enters the city via Kororoit Creek Road.

Altona, Australia

The scene : A shot of the montage of Max and Jessie's trip, with the Altona refinery clearly visible in the background; the source places it, without certainty, on Grieve Parade.

Laverton, Australia

The bridge has since been fitted with tall screens on either side, which have changed the appearance of its railings and parapet.

The scene : Johnny the Boy stops on this bridge of the Princes Freeway to make a phone call.

Werribee, Australia

The bridge that spanned the Maltby Bypass has disappeared.

The scene : From an upper walkway, Max, having picked up the trail of the gang, watches Bubba and the Toecutter.

Maddingley, Australia

The scene : Max chases Bubba and the Toecutter, getting stuck behind a truck they just passed, then eventually overtakes it.

Cocoroc, Australia

The scene : Max rides alongside the motorcyclists along this tree-lined path.

Eynesbury, Australia

The scene : Jessie's van breaks down, Jessie runs away on foot with Sprog, and the bikers run them over in front of May.

Point Wilson, Australia

The scene : Charlie and Roop emerge from Austin Road to join the main road and begin the chase.

Point Wilson, Australia

The scene : On this road lined with old ammunition bunkers, Roop spies on a couple from the roof of a bunker at the beginning of the film; Goose sprints there to join the chase, later racing at full speed on his sabotaged motorcycle until the fall, then brings back the Ute.

Lovely Banks, Australia

The scene : According to IMDb, it is on Anakie Road that Charlie and Roop's car chases Max and the Nightrider; the entry does not specify at which point on this long road.

Point Wilson, Australia

The scene : The Big Bopper joins the pursuit of the Nightrider on Poustie Road.

Little River, Australia

The scene : A segment of the high-speed chase between the Toecutter's Kawasaki and the Pursuit Special.

Fairfield, Australia

The scene : During their escapade, Jessie watches Max play Tarzan at the end of a rope above the river; madmaxlocations places the scene here, though with uncertainty.

Moolap, Australia

The scene : IMDb lists the "Cheetham Salt Mines" in Geelong among the filming locations, without specifying the scene.

Williamstown, Australia

The scene : IMDb lists Williamstown among the filming locations of the film, without specifying the scene.

Breamlea, Australia

The scene : IMDb lists Breamlea among the filming locations of the movie, without specifying the scene.