Netflix Series ‘Dive Club’ to Shoot in Australia

“Dive Club,” a 12-episode teen mystery drama will start filming in Queensland, Australia, from next month. The show will play on global streaming platform Netflix, and on a local Australian commercial broadcaster from 2021.

“Dive Club” follows a group of skilled teenage divers as they strive to uncover a mysterious disappearance that will change their small town and each other, forever. Northern Queensland seaside town Port Douglas will stand in for the fictional Cape Mercy. Hayley McFarlane, Rhiannon Bannenberg and Christine Luby are set as the show’s directors.

The show is produced by The Steve Jaggi Company. Post-production is also to be handled in-state by Brisbane company Serve Chilled. The production received finance from the Queensland government through Screen Queensland.

“Supporting this production is one component in our delivery of The Far North Queensland Screen Production Strategic Plan, which is successfully generating positive economic impact in the region,” said state premier Anna Palaszczuk. “The series ‘Dive Club,’ is currently estimated to create in excess of 110 jobs for Queenslanders and inject nearly A$8 million ($5 million) into the economy.”

“The production of ‘Dive Club’ will operate in compliance with the Queensland Screen Sector COVID Safe Work Plan developed by the Queensland government and Screen Queensland,” a company spokesman said.

Several other film and TV productions are now cranking up in Australia, where states and federal agencies months ago developed protocols for safe working in post-coronavirus conditions. A greater stumbling block for some has been the difficulty of obtaining insurance policies that cover a COVID related incident. That problem may now have been addressed by the creation of a federal government finance pool which provides disease-related cover.

The Steve Jaggi Company has managed to start several. It recently wrapped “Kidnapped” also in Port Douglas. “This Little Love of Mine” shot in Far North Queensland in July, and was the first feature film to go into production in the state since the pandemic outbreak. “The Dog Days of Christmas” filmed on the Queensland’s Gold Coast, where it used the Warner Bros. Movie World theme park and hinterland to stand in for Vermont in winter.