Broken Hill and Silverton: The barren lands where Mad Max 2 was born
Broken Hill, located in Australia’s remote interior, is one of the famous filming locations for Mad Max 2. Founded in 1883 as a mining town, Broken Hill resembles a post-apocalyptic world with its barren landscape and the red horizon stretching across the sky. About twenty-five kilometers northwest is the town of Silverton, which was once a major center of global silver production and is now nearly a ghost town. The famous chase scenes from Mad Max 2 were filmed on the open plains nearby, and the road used for the movie’s iconic opening chase sequence still fascinates visitors today.
Broken Hill and its surroundings lie at the heart of the Mad Max legend, with the town’s mining history resonating in the film’s aesthetic. In the 1800s, the area was heavily deforested and severely impacted by mining, turning what may have once been lush land into barren, empty terrain. In George Miller’s post-apocalyptic world, where water and fuel are scarce, the stark landscapes accurately represent the terrain around Broken Hill. The scorching sun, endless dusty plains, and abandoned roads of Broken Hill evoke the harsh and desolate atmosphere of Mad Max 2, leaving a lasting impression on fans of the series.
Silverton, meanwhile, is today considered a notable spot for Mad Max enthusiasts. The Mad Max 2 Museum, founded by a British fan, displays many items from the film, including costumes and vehicles, offering visitors a nostalgic experience. Some unusual pieces, like a mannequin head resembling Mel Gibson, give visitors the sensation of stepping into this wild world in real life. The local community also keeps the film’s legacy alive despite the passing decades. The walls and signs of the Silverton Hotel bear traces not only of Mad Max 2 but also of other movies shot there, such as Priscilla Queen of the Desert and Razorback. This remote corner of Australia, the birthplace of the post-Western desert imagery that became iconic in cinema history, now draws travelers eager to experience both the desert atmosphere and the legacy of a cult film. If you’re one of them, you can take the first step by booking a flight to Australia.
Coober Pedy, the underground city and the land of Thunderdome
Coober Pedy is an extraordinary and captivating mining town in northern South Australia, about 840 kilometers from Adelaide. Known as the opal capital of the world, Coober Pedy has a landscape that resembles the moon’s surface because of opal mining. The ground is covered with thousands of abandoned mine shafts and mounds of white stone, and the town is also famous for its unusual lifestyle, which developed in response to the intense heat. More than half of the population lives underground in homes carved into the hills to stay cool. This unique geography provided an ideal backdrop for “Beyond Thunderdome,” the third film in the Mad Max series released in 1985. Most of the exterior scenes were filmed in and around Coober Pedy. The endless desert and the feeling of being in the middle of nowhere that surround Bartertown came to life on Coober Pedy’s desolate terrain. Max’s desperate steps when he is left for dead on horseback, or the scenes of children wandering across cracked earth, gained impact from the authentic atmosphere of this real location.
The rugged, orange hills and unusual terrain of Coober Pedy gave Thunderdome’s barren world its own distinctive color palette and texture. Kanku Breakaways Conservation Park, near the town, also left a lasting impression on the film. These unusual rocky hills, glowing in shades of red and orange at sunset, appeared in the background of the desert sequences of Beyond Thunderdome, creating a surreal atmosphere.
Namib Desert: The boundless world of Fury Road
After a long break, Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) dazzled audiences once again with its stunning desert visuals, staying true to the series’ tradition. This time, however, the camera shifted from Australia to the African continent. The original plan was to shoot Fury Road around Broken Hill as before, but unexpected rains in 2011 transformed the normally dry terrain into a landscape of flowers and grass. Since the post-apocalyptic atmosphere was no longer feasible, the production team shifted its focus to Namibia’s deserts. The vast Namib Desert along the Atlantic coast offered a landscape that matched Australia’s desolation. The production base was established in Swakopmund, a small coastal town with German colonial roots. This town is situated at the southern tip of the region known as the Skeleton Coast, a name that once referred to the whale and seal bones washing ashore and, later, to the rusting remains of shipwrecks. Throughout history, Namibia’s coastline has symbolized both nature’s harshness and humanity’s vulnerability. The local Namib people even called it “the Land Created by God in Anger.”
The unique geography of the Namib Desert became one of the most defining elements of Fury Road’s powerful visual tone. East of Swakopmund, the rugged terrain known as the Moon Landscape served as the backdrop for the film’s dried riverbeds and steep valleys. The vast plains near Henties Bay hosted scenes where Immortan Joe’s war convoy rages through sandstorms. In these sequences, as dozens of modified vehicles sped across the desert, the spectacle became unforgettable thanks to the breathtaking grandeur of the natural landscape. The Namib dunes, including some of the tallest in the world, were used for daytime and nighttime shoots. Bright orange and red in the sun, then glowing ghostly under moonlight, these massive dunes created a dramatic backdrop for scenes like when Furiosa and Max meet the Vuvalini, the women warriors. Miller and his team minimized computer effects, aiming to make the real desert itself a central part of the film’s visual impact. Ultimately, the extreme dryness and harshness of the Namib gave Fury Road both a stunning backdrop and an organic sense of authenticity. Throughout production, Namibian authorities prioritized protecting natural areas. The crew obtained special permits to access lands designated as national parks and worked with a respectful approach to the environment. This modern desert epic, driven by the power of real locations, achieved huge success on the big screen and became a modern cult classic.
The success of Fury Road also made Namibia a popular destination for movies. Although the film is mainly set in Australia, the Namibia Tourism Board began organizing special tours and promotional events after the movie’s release to attract curious travelers. Today, local guides around Swakopmund take visitors into the valleys, salt flats, and dunes where the film was shot, offering an authentic Mad Max experience. Unlike The Hobbit, there are no film sets or huts left behind; the Namib Desert itself serves as an open-air film museum. Like its Australian predecessors, the Namib Desert has become a key part of the Mad Max legacy.
These locations, stretching today from Coober Pedy to Silverton and from the Namib Desert to Broken Hill, may once have been almost completely unknown, yet they have now become familiar to millions as the settings of the Mad Max universe. The deserts in Mad Max create a world where the raw beauty of nature and the limits of humanity are tested within one of cinema’s most striking post-apocalyptic worlds. This unique atmosphere reminds us not only of cinema’s storytelling power but also of the vast landscapes waiting to be explored. Shaped by red dust clouds, scorching sun, and endless horizons, this visual universe transports movie fans to other worlds. If you enjoy following the paths of cinematic landscapes, check out our article on the mesmerizing lands of Game of Thrones, from Northern Ireland to Croatia, or our guide to the filming locations that brought The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power to life.
