The Queensland government has announced on Sept. 28 that a 12-part teen mystery drama will be produced in the seaside town of Port Douglas, in far north Queensland.
The Netflix teen drama called Dive Club will follow the story of four skilled teenage divers, who go hunting for items lost by tourists and uncover a mysterious disappearance.
🇦🇺 PRODUCTION ANNOUNCEMENT 🇦🇺
Excited to share that 📺 #DiveClub, a new teen mystery drama by The @SteveJaggi Company will start filming in Port Douglas in October with support from @Screen_QLD. We’re proud to bring this to global audiences, outside of Australia, in 2021!
— Netflix ANZ (@NetflixANZ) September 28, 2020
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said that the series would generate up to $8 million ($US5.7 million) for the economy in the region.
“I am delighted to announce that filming is forthcoming on the series Dive Club, which is currently estimated to create in excess of 110 jobs for Queenslanders and inject nearly $8 million into the economy,” Palaszczuk said.
The outcomes from the production won’t merely benefit the film industry but also ripple onto other industries in the region.
“With additional outcomes for Far North Queensland tourism, hospitality, logistics and transport, just to name a few, it’s not only local filmmakers who will benefit from this exciting new production.
“Dive Club will showcase the tropical paradise location of Port Douglas and its lush surrounds to audiences across Australia, and the world,” Palaszczuk said.
Producer Steve Jaggi said the Queensland town was a dream location.
“Port Douglas was my first choice for Dive Club from the get-go as it’s exactly the tropical wonderland I pictured Cape Mercy to be in my imagination,” Jaggi said.
Brisbane-based production house The Steve Jaggi Company will be filming the wholly Queensland-made series, and will be releasing it in 2021 to a global audience of over 190 countries on Netflix.
Currently, the Australian government is heavily promoting Australia as a COVID-safe location for the entertainment industry.
In July, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced the government would provide a $400 million incentive to attract film and television productions to Australia.
At the announcement, Morrison noted that the incentive would create thousands of jobs around the country and enable the film industry to help with the economy’s recovery from the impacts of COVID-19.
“This investment is key to our JobMaker plan to create jobs, boost local business activity, and provide training and skills,” the Prime Minister said.
“Behind these projects are thousands of workers that build and light the stages, that feed, house and cater for the huge cast and crew and that bring the productions to life. This is backing thousands of Australians who make their living working in front of the camera and behind the scenes in the creative economy,” he noted.
