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Mad Max: Fury Road movie cover Movie Locations Guide

Where was Mad Max: Fury Road filmed?

2015

City Locations

Namibia, New South Wales (Australia)

Location Types

Unusual, Film Studio, Riverside

Location Styles

Desert, Dilapidated, Recreation, Rustic, Construction, Quarrie

About Mad Max: Fury Road

After more than ten years of development, George Miller's vision finally came to fruition, and the result was well worth the wait. Mad Max: Fury Road, the fourth installment in the series, is a 2015 action film directed by Miller and featuring an impressive cast, including Tom Hardy, Nicholas Hoult, Charlize Theron, Hugh Keays-Byrne, Zoe Kravitz, and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley.

Max Rockatansky (Tom Hardy), a survivor in a post-apocalyptic world, unites with Furiosa (Charlize Theron) to escape the oppressive rule of Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne) and his War Boys army. They drive a formidable vehicle known as the War Rig in an effort to evade the relentless warlord. Throughout their journey, they receive assistance from a band of survivors called the Vuvalini.

Mad Max: Fury Road received widespread critical praise for its cinematography, action sequences, and performances of its cast, particularly Theron as Furiosa. Among its extensive accolades, the film earned 6 Oscars, out of 10 nominations during the 88th Academy Awards.

The National Board of Review listed Mad Max: Fury Road as one of the top ten movies in 2015. Retrospectively, the film is considered one of the greatest action films of all time and one of the best movies of the 2010s.

Mad Max: Fury Road Locations

Mad Max: Fury Road is an action film set in a post-apocalyptic desert landscape. Production took place predominantly in Namibia, South Africa, and Australia. Most scenes were shot at various locations across Namibia, including Swakopmund, Skeleton Coast, Rossing Mountains, Blanky Flats, and Hentiesbaai on the C34, Skeleton Coast Road.

Swakopmund is located at the southern end of the Skeleton Coast and it features dramatic coastal vistas surrounded by dunes. Rossing Mountains provided a visually stunning backdrop to the movie’s opening scene when Max gets captured after snacking on a two-headed lizard. Blanky Flats, north of Hentiesbaai, lie desolate under an expansive sky with ever-changing colors, while the views from Skeleton Coast are simply breathtaking.

A trip to the filming locations for Mad Max: Fury Road would certainly be a thrilling adventure for fans of the Oscar-winning flick who want to get close to some of the spectacular landscapes. The desolation of Namibia’s interior provides all sorts of possibilities for exploration with 4x4 vehicles or quad bikes as well as plenty of camping spots with stunning views that no amount of CGI can duplicate.

Fun Fact:

Given the unique filming locations in Australia and Namibia, snake wranglers were a key part of the production process. They were hired to rid the filming path of deadly reptiles and venomous snakes.

War Boys capture Max scene in Mad Max: Fury Road

Rössingberge, Namibia

The opening scene in Mad Max: Fury Road sets the tone for the entire movie. Max Rockatansky (Tom Hardy) is chased down by a group of scavengers known as the War Boys. They have radiation sickness, which makes their skin appear pale and covered in blisters.

Max attempts to outrun them but eventually crashes his car, and the War Boys take him as a captive. Filmed at Rossing Mountains in Namibia, the scene adds to the despair and desolation that pervades throughout the movie.

Rössingberge, located inside a national park, falls under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Environment & Tourism. The area welcomes visitors to get a glimpse of post-apocalyptic Australia as depicted in Fury Road. The isolated spot also looks like something straight out of a desert wasteland with its rocky cliffs and sparse vegetation.

Visitors can take a tour through Rössingberge from Swakopmund to experience this stunning landscape for themselves. Tour guides will provide details about where different scenes were filmed and explain why this location was chosen as part of the post-apocalyptic setting for Fury Road.

The chase at the Citadel scene in Mad Max: Fury Road

Blue Mountains, New South Wales, Australia

Max is surrounded by images of death as he makes his way through the winding tunnels and rickety ladders of this massive Mesa fortress. Immortan Joe's (Hugh Keays-Byrne) War Boys are pursuing him from all directions. The set design for this scene is masterfully done, showing off the dilapidated remains of a once-great city with its crumbling stone walls and empty fields.

The Citadel, the remote stronghold of the movie's primary villain, Immortan Joe, was brought to life using a blend of physical sets constructed in Namibia, Cape Town, Sydney, and visual effects. The rock walls of the Citadel were inspired by Australia's Blue Mountains, located west of Sydney.

To get to Australia’s Blue Mountains from Sydney, take a train or drive directly to Katoomba or Glenbrook, which are located at the core of Blue Mountain National Park.

The car chase scene in the dunes in Mad Max: Fury Road

Penrith Lakes, Castlereagh NSW 2749, Australia

The scene of the War Boys chasing Furiosa's war rig through the sand is one of the most dramatic in the movie. The chaotic imagery of cars and trucks spinning through the air amid cascades of fire and dust as they flee from a substantial oncoming sandstorm is eerily beautiful.

The Penrith Lakes sand mines in New South Wales, Australia provided the setting for the scene. Established in the 1980s, this area forms part of the Great Divide between Sydney's western suburbs and the Blue Mountains. It also features various recreational amenities, such as a rowing course, indoor sports center, observation tower, walking and cycling trails, and opportunities for visitors to appreciate nature.

Getting to Penrith Lakes is convenient by car or public transport. A one-hour drive from Sydney will get you there. Alternatively, take a bus or train to Kingswood from Central Station in Sydney, followed by a cab ride.

Furiosa meets with biker bandits near the canyon scene in Mad Max: Fury Road

Swakop River Valley, Namibia

Furiosa and her group of motorcycle outlaws agree to block the pass with a rockslide, hindering their pursuers. They are after the 3,000 gallons of fuel stored in the trailer pod. It is also when Furiosa and Max finally join forces against Immortan Joe’s oppressive regime.

Swakop River, where the Mad Max: Fury Road production team recorded the sequence, is renowned for its abundant birdlife and unique plant species. The majestic landscapes have been untouched by human hands for centuries.

Getting to this location is relatively easy. You can fly directly into Swakopmund and then take a private transfer or hire a car for the 20-minute journey south to Swakop River. Alternatively, rent a 4x4 vehicle for a self-drive adventure.

The chase at the canyon scene in Mad Max: Fury Road

Swakopmund, Namibia

As Furiosa dodges the bikers' shots, she desperately climbs back on the War Rig driven by Max while trying to detach the fuel trailer. The scene reaches a climax when the bikers manage to blow up the overpass, temporarily halting Joe's pursuit and enabling Furiosa and Max to continue their daring escape.

Swakopmund, Namibia provided the backdrop for the scene and some of the other sequences involving vehicles and stunt bikers jumping over trucks. The area has an otherworldly and desolate beauty, with its dunes, canyons, and desert plains set against an endless horizon of the sky. It explains why Miller chose the location as a base for 120 production days.

If you ever wanted to visit this filming site, fly to Hosea Kutako International Airport in Namibia's capital city of Windhoek. From there, go on a four-hour drive northwards along the B2 highway until you reach Swakopmund.

Keeper of the Seeds tells disappointing news about the Green Place scene in Mad Max: Fury Road

Walvis Bay, Namibia

Max and Furiosa encounter the Vuvalini, warrior women who have been traveling for years. The Valkyrie (Megan Gale) is first seen atop a tall tower, screaming for help. Furiosa calls out her mother's name and establishes her affiliation with the clan before the woman climbs down and wears a robe.

Although they have finally reached their destination, Keeper of the Seeds (Melissa Jaffer) reveals to Furiosa that what they've come across is not the Green Place as they had anticipated, but rather an uninhabitable muddy swamp.

The location where this scene was filmed is in Namibia, between Walvis Bay and Swakopmund. Both of these towns are situated on the Atlantic coast and offer beautiful views of the surrounding desert landscape.

Production took advantage of Namibia's unique terrain to create an unforgettable cinematic experience for viewers. The region is home to dunes and rocky mountains, all with incredible visual appeal that can be seen vividly throughout Fury Road.

Direct flights are available from many countries throughout Europe, Africa, and various Middle Eastern destinations to Walvis Bay or Swakopmund. Visitors can take a bus or train from nearby South African cities, including Cape Town or Johannesburg if they wish to visit the movie location up close.

Conclusion

The Mad Max: Fury Road filming locations would inspire any big fan of the franchise or thrill seeker to traverse the diverse desert landscapes. It’s easy to see why the incredibly well-crafted action movie earned its place among the pantheon of top-tier post-apocalyptic films.

Swakopmund rests in the southern end of the Skeleton Coast, an area that local bushmen referred to as “The Land God Made in Anger.” If that isn’t intriguing enough, Portuguese sailors who came upon the area labeled it “The Gates of Hell.”

It soon became known as the Skeleton Coast, due to the bleached bones of seals and whales found around the area. Now a graveyard of ships that didn’t make the journey through the treacherous Atlantic waters, the beached vessels lend the area a new perspective to the name.

There’s plenty to do at the Skeleton Coast, from surfing the swelling waves of the Atlantic to exploring the abandoned mining settlement known as Kolmanskop. A vertical descent down massive sand dunes aboard a 4×4 truck is another thrilling prospect.

All in all, Mad Max: Fury Road is definitely worth watching for any wanderlust planning a trip to Namibia or Australia, for references on other places to visit. It offers an exciting adventure filled with spectacular stunts choreographed in such detail that they feel like scenes from a heist movie rather than just another car chase sequence or fistfight scene.