Busselton Takes Centre Stage in the New Feature Film GO!

Busselton has a long-standing connection to the film industry. Having hosted CinefestOZ Film Festival for over ten years and seen the likes of David Wenham, Sigrid Thornton, and Alex Dimitriades grace the red carpet, the regional town doesn’t shy from the limelight. And last week’s cinema release of Go has once again solidified Busselton’s cultural identity and commitment to the arts.

Go! is a teen-focused story set in the world of go-kart racing. The movie follows Jack, a teenage boy who moves with his mother to a small town in WA. Launched this month across cinemas in Australia and New Zealand, the coming-of-age movie was directed by Top Gear’s Owen Trevor and written by Steve Worland of Paper Planes fame.

Location Manager, Brett Dowson, spoke of working on-set in Busselton. “Beyond its stunning landscapes, historical waterfront and urban living, from a location point of view, the real stars of the City of Busselton were the residents and business owners that embraced and supported our production. It was a pleasure working there and showcasing the town and area to the rest of the world.”

Watch the trailer

Go! Explore the Filming Locations

With Go! now in cinemas, it might be timely to plan your visit to Busselton to include a cinema screening, and a look behind the scenes at some of the major locations. We’ve hand picked some of the major filming spots for you to check out.

• Busselton Jetty

You won’t be able to race a go-kart along the Busselton Jetty like they did in the movie, but you can enjoy a unique train ride that will take you 1.7km out to sea. That’s almost the entire length of the jetty! At 1.8km in length, this landmark is the longest wooden-piled jetty in the southern hemisphere.

• Underwater Observatory

Discover what lies beneath Geographe Bay – without getting wet! Descend eight metres below the water’s surface into the underwater observatory at the end of the Busselton Jetty. About 300 individual marine species live here. See how many you can spot through the 11 viewing windows.

• Foreshore Playground

Ahoy, there! Enjoy a shipwreck adventure on the Busselton Foreshore. A clipper ship is the centrepiece of the award-winning Sea Play by the Bay. You’ll find this nature playground situated on the redeveloped Busselton Foreshore, next to the beach and near the Busselton Jetty.

• Queen Street 

From the Busselton Foreshore, take a stroll through Busselton’s central business district via Queen Street. While on Queen Street, see if you can spot the building used as Christie’s shop in GO!

• Orana Cinemas

Experience the magic of the movies in the same cinema which held the first public screening of GO! This is also one of the main venues for the annual CinefestOZ destination film festival, which is open to the general public.