Channel Seven’s long-running drama Home and Away usually calls Sydney’s Palm Beach ‘home’ for filming.
But each year the show travels interstate for ‘away’ shoots to showcase other parts of Australia to local and international viewers.
While the show planned to film scenes in the Northern Territory this year, production were forced to get ‘creative’ amid COVID-19 travel restrictions.
‘Thinking outside the square! Home and Away was filmed in Blue Mountains after border restrictions prevented the show being filmed in the Northern Territory. Pictured: Ray Meagher
Channel Seven has been forced to film a Home and Away storyline involving Bella (left) and Nikau (right) in the Blue Mountains.
She went on to say that it’s a privilege to be able to provide entertainment to fans so they can relax – especially during a time when there is so much fear as a result of the virus.
Nikau’s uncles Ari (right, played by Rob Kipa-Williams) and Tane (left, played by Ethan Browne), are caught up in a love triangle with Mackenzie (centre, played by Emily Weir).
The storylines that will play out in the Blue Mountains this week centre on lovebirds Bella (Courtney Miller) and Nikau (Kawakawa Fox-Reo) who are on the run from the law.
Hot on the couple’s tail are Nikau’s uncles Ari (Rob Kipa-Williams) and Tane (Ethan Browne), who are both caught up in a love triangle with Mackenzie (Emily Weir).
While the Blue Mountains is vastly different to the Top End, producers were seemingly pleased with the end results, which Lucy said provided a nice contrast to the usual beach locale.
The Home and Away cast and crew travelled to the Blue Mountains to shoot a storyline, involving Tane, Mackenzie and Ari (pictured left to right).
“We were disappointed at first but then it is about this beautiful story so as long as our young star-crossed lovers were in a love bubble somewhere, it didn’t really matter where it played out,” she said.
While it can be a very costly exercise to film on location, the series producer admitted that it was worth the price tag to make this special storyline come to fruition.
“As long as it felt ‘away’ from Summer Bay, we were OK and I guess the Blue Mountains was a lovely contrast because it was so cold compared to the hot sands of Summer Bay,” she said.
Mackenzie (right) recently spent a flirty day fishing with Ari (left).
Finding an alternate location for their ‘away’ shoot, the cast and crew have been filming in the Blue Mountains, an hour away from Sydney.
‘Creatively it made us think outside the square,’ she continued.
The series shot a few episodes in Alice Springs in 2016, with Addario telling the publication: ‘The story dictates whether or not we leave the Bay.’
The episodes filmed in the Blue Mountains will be played out on Seven this week, with the show’s love-birds Bella (Courtney Miller) and Nikau (Kawakawa Fox-Reo) on the run from the law.
Home And Away usually films its indoor scenes at Seven’s Eveleigh Studios and Palm Beach for its exterior beach scenes.
‘Corona isn’t going to get in the way of us telling beautiful stories to the audience,’ Lucy Addario, a series producer told The Sunday Telegraph this week. Pictured: Kawakawa Fox-Reo
Home and Away continues to be impacted by COVID-19, after the show was temporarily suspended in March due to safety fears
The soap stars were practicing social distancing when they returned to the set on May 27 after a nine-week break.
‘Back at it,’ wrote Georgie Parker (who plays Roo Stewart) while sharing photos of her co-stars practising social distancing between takes.
Social distancing! It comes as the stars of the soap were practising social distancing when they returned to the set on May 27 after a nine week break.
‘Warming up for socially distant acting,’ she cheekily added underneath the photo, which showed Summer Bay newcomer Cameron Daddo.
Strict hygiene measures are being implemented to ensure the safety of the cast and crew, including regular temperature checks.
Scripts have also been rewritten to allow for social distancing between the actors.
Safety on set: The soap resumed filming on May 25 at the Seven Network studios in Eveleigh, Sydney after adopting coronavirus safety measures. The long-running soap set in place strict measures to ensure the safety of their cast and crew