Season one: celebrity edition (2020)
Kicking things off, we’re going to talk about the first season of the Australian version of the show. In this season, there were 17 Australian celebrities who took on the grueling challenges of intense SAS-style training.
When they arrived at base camp, they faced freezing temperatures and limited supplies as their training began. You probably saw them struggling in these frigid temperatures and thought to yourself: “Where is ‘SAS Australia’ filmed?”
For this first season, the show’s contestants lived in the town of Berridale in the New South Wales region of Australia, at the base of the Snowy Mountains.
According to an article on My Travel Leader about the show, it’s close to the popular tourist town of Jindabyne. “The climate in Jindabyne, where temperatures rarely reach double digits in winter when filming took place, was the perfect location to add another element to the challenge. With no access to hot water or flushing toilets, and minimal bedding during -5°C overnight temperatures, contestant Ali Oetjen said the wind chill that typically fans snowfall for ski-lovers caused ‘physical pain’ for the recruits.”
In the vein of genuine military training, contestants sleep on cots and use the same kind of supplies and gear the SAS does. This vacation spot was certainly not a leisurely time for the contestants, who had to deal with below-freezing temperatures for the entire trip.
Season two: celebrity edition (2021)
The second season of the acclaimed show brought another group of celebrities to another frigid location to test their mettle. Some of you were probably watching this second season and wondering for another time: “Where is ‘SAS Australia’ filmed?” This time around, production was in a new location in New South Wales, at the base of the Blue Mountains about 50 km away from Sydney.
According to an article in the Daily Mail, this terrain was not quite as rough and frigid as the Snowy Mountains. “In the Blue Mountains, the average temperature is about 16 degrees in winter, with the lowest chance of snow occurring in early to mid-May – right when filming is set to begin.”
Looking for the specific spot for this “undisclosed location” where they filmed second celebrity season? Then this article from Australian Cycle Tours has the answers. “Capertee Valley sits by the Blue Mountains in NSW. You can escape the big city lights of Sydney and reach the Capertee Valley in about 2 hours drive. Unlike the thrilling TV show, it’s actually an incredibly relaxing region that most tourists don’t know about. Capertee Valley is also home to the world’s widest and longest enclosed valley – 1km wider than the Grand Canyon!”
So there you have it. The second season gave the contestants a bit of a break in terms of the chilly temperatures when they took them to the Capertee Valley and Blue Mountains. However, that didn’t stop them from dealing with the intense SAS training.
Season three: celebrity edition (2022)
Next up is the answer to the question for season three: “Where is ‘SAS Australia’ filmed?” This time around, we’re talking about the celebrity edition that premiered in 2022.
They stuck to shooting in New South Wales and were in another beautiful yet harsh environment. This time they were staying in an abandoned coal mine in the suburb of Wollongong, Dapto.
Like in previous seasons, the contestants sleep in cots and sleeping bags in the still-cold temperatures of the region. Weather is clearly not the only aspect of the terrain the celebs need to deal with.
In fact, according to an article on Who.com the contestants also have had issues with local fauna. “And while they may not be facing the mouse plague this year, there were 22 leeches extracted from cast and crew during filming and four pythons were spotted at base camp.”
Don’t let the harsh conditions the contestants faced deter you from experiencing Dapto though. According to Visit New South Wales, the area has a lot to offer. “Dapto is a developing residential area in southern Wollongong. It is famous for The Dapto Greyhound Racing Club, known locally as the ‘Dapto Dogs,’ which attracts competitions and spectators from all over the Illawarra region and beyond. Timber cutters and farmers first settled the region and today it is a large town with many shops, schools and beautiful parks, the biggest being Mount Brown Reserve. Dapto is located beside Lake Illawarra, a paradise for aquatic enthusiasts which has sailing, water skiing, canoeing, bird watching and fishing”.
The contestants on the show go through quite a lot of obstacles. Sometimes they get tear-gassed and they most frequently cross various types of difficult terrain. However, if you find yourself in Dapto, you’ll discover that it’s quite a nice place to visit!
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