Where 'Lion' Shot All Those Incredible Tasmanian Scenes

By Cailey Rizzo
January 06, 2017
Credit: Ted Mead/Getty Images
“Lion” is a story about home and family that may tempt viewers into immediately buying a ticket to Tasmania.

The movie is based on a real-life story about Saroo Brierly, who used his childhood memories and Google Maps to track down his birth parents. And although the acting and story are intriguing, anybody would be forgiven for being most impressed by the landscapes featured in the film.

Cast and crew spent eight days traveling around Tasmania to shoot the film’s outdoor scenes, and the result was nothing short of stunning. According to local news outlets, many of the film’s leading actors couldn’t stop admiring the Tasmanian scenery.

The film, starring Nicole Kidman, Dev Patel, and Rooney Mara, is nominated for four Golden Globes, including Best Picture.

Here are some of the most filming locations featured in “Lion” that are worthy of an award all their own.
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Kolkata, India

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Five-year-old Brierly gets lost and takes the wrong train, ending up miles away from home in Kolkata. He manages to survive and is eventually taken into an orphanage where he is adopted by an Australian couple. The train station featured in the film is Kolkata’s main Howrah Station—the oldest station and largest railway complex in India.

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Hobart, Australia

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Tasmania’s main city becomes Saroo’s adopted home. It’s Australia’s second-oldest capital city (after Sydney) but also its least populated. Hobart’s harbor is the second-deepest natural port in the world, useful for when it plays as an Arctic gateway to visitors passing through.

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Mount Wellington

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Mount Wellington is the peak featured when Saroo and Lucy (Patel and Mara) look over the city of Hobart. It’s a favorite spot for locals and an excellent place to watch the sun rise or set over the city and River Derwent below. The peak also features plenty of places to hike or climb.

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Cape Huay

Credit: Ted Mead/Getty Images

Cape Huay is an unforgettable location in the film, identifiable by its large spires.The cape is in Tasman National Park and offers visitors plenty of space to sail, climb steep cliffs or hike through miles of coastline.

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Bruny Island

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A very specific part of Bruny Island is featured in the film via drone footage. The island’s isthmus, which joins North Bruny and South Bruny, has become a tourist attraction for its lookout, boardwalk and habitat which supports a lot of the island’s wildlife.

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Marion Bay

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Marion Bay is a relatively quiet spot, featured in Lion when the family plays cricket on the beach.

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Recherche Bay

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Southwest Tasmania is known for its wild and ragged beauty. As Lion works the story down Tasmania’s southern rocky coast, it eventually ends up in Recherche Bay and Cocckle Creek, the fathest south it’s possible to go.

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By Cailey Rizzo