July 5th, 2025Our history by Natalie Poole
Kattemingga film set, Newbury. “There was movement at the station, for the word had passed around…” is a famous line from the Banjo Paterson poem.
Kattemingga, meaning ‘hill of trees haunted by spirits’, is notable for being the filming location of The Man from Snowy River television series, changed to Snowy River: The McGregor Saga for overseas audiences, along with productions such as The Ponderosa, Gundown, The Mole and Gunslinger. Small budget films, commercials and documentaries were also produced on the site.
Built in the 1990s, Kattemingga was a modern-day ranch constructed on a 60-hectare property in Newbury which blended accommodation with rustic charm and a small touch of Hollywood magic. This setting attracted visitors and cinematographers from all over Australia and even the Americas.
The location and grounds were totally isolated, and film crews could shoot footage in a 360-degree rotation without any interference from power lines, houses, cars or roads and with an open plain of land before them.
The film set area had the ability to transform from a western-style environment to representing the landscape of Australian bush life. The buildings had different finishes: logs for a Western influence and hardwood palings for the bush. Such metamorphoses enabled the production of multiple film genres including dramas, action, spaghetti westerns and adventure as well as reality television.
The Man from Snowy River (1994-1996) ran for 65 episodes and showed the adventures of Matt McGregor (Andrew Clarke), a successful squatter who was widowed and raising three children, Colin (Brett Climo), Rob (Guy Pearce) and Danni (Sheryl Munks). Other actors included Josh Lucas and Olivia Newton-John.
Matt is the hero immortalised in Banjo Paterson’s poem – The Man from Snowy River, and the series is set about 25 years after that famous ride was undertaken.
Locals worked on series and also have happy memories of other activities undertaken at the lodge such as horse-riding, holiday gymkhanas, bushwalking and children’s camps for Trentham Primary School and Kyneton’s Sacred Heart College.
There were carnivals at the film set (the children would dress up in olden day clothes and get their photo taken), Christmas in July celebrations, conferences or workshops and movie nights with favourites being Phar Lap and, of course, The Man from Snowy River.
Over time, the film set became rundown and encountered public safety issues and the filming of low budget movies or visitors to the site were no longer permitted. However, it was used occasionally by students and independent filmmakers who needed the buildings as backdrops.
In 2015, custodians Nola Whitehouse and Gary Matheson passed the baton to the Newbury Buddhist Monastery. The rolling countryside, surrounded by the Wombat State Forest, provided the peace and seclusion needed for meditative learning.
The cherished memories and the fun and laughter of the many film crews, locals and visitors saw the final curtain call. The horses would go on to greener pastures – Spook, Choco, Chuca, Cinnamon, Rajah, Barney, Yankee, Dolly and Thumper, to name just a few, had completed their final ride at the lodge.
While movie making in the area has declined, a procession of TV programs (Postcards, Getaway and others) regularly showcases the beautiful offerings of the area.
Sadly, the Kattemingga film set was found engulfed in flames by the Trentham Fire Brigade on May 8, 2016. Another piece of local history lost to the ravages of fire.
