LOYALTOXENA - XENA FILM LOCATIONS

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Wainamu 2007
Wainamu 2009

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Wainamu Video

Climbing/Running
on the Dunes

The Xena Film Locations - WAINAMU LAKE AND DUNES

The Wainamu lake is a devine place to be. It is very special as no where in the world you find black dunes that make a connection between the lake and the Tasmanian sea. You can see a picture of that on the Xenatour site. Although from a distance or height you get the impression that is a flat, reality is really different. You have huge dunes and you can walk a long way. But you never can get lost here! If you are lodged with Trude and John at Bethells Beach Cottages they can take you through the private family tracks to the lake, or you can make a walk along the same tracks. Another walking access can be started at the parking which is at the last bridge you cross when hidding for the beach (see Bethells Cottages side for more info how to get there).
The Wainamu lake is a fresh water lake and you will certainly see a lot of places that you recognize out of the Xena episodes. Take a swim in the lake and feel yourself a bit of a warrior on the fun side of life. Or try to run up a huge dune and become an Amazone ready for the attack. The dunes give you a natural access to the Wainamu river. Going down the dunes is fun and easy. At the Wainamu river it might be that it is full of water or just an almost dry one, depending on the weather and season. February/March will give an almost dry river which makes it very interesting to walk in the footsteps of Xena.
Get thrilled to walk through the river and feel the mystery and the power that goes out of it, when you know that your heroes filmed here. You get drifted away.
Personally Wainamu with its lake, dunes and river is my special place on earth. It is like a magnet and I could stay there for hours.

Below you will find a huge heap of pictures versus the screengrabs. A lot has been filmed there. And therefore it will be a fully loaded site below. For that purpose I had to reduce the dimensions of the pictures. But what it makes so interesting is that sometimes these locations have been used in a continues scene that started at Bethells Beach. If you have the love for nature and admire the Xena show and Lucy, this place will reveal the secrets of it all. Treasure it for eternity.

UPDATE PICTURES : As you will notice some pictures are taken in the opposite way of the camera. Meaning that we are walking or driving the same way as Xena and Gabrielle did. So you get the view of the actresses. Some pictures are exactly the same as the screengrabs as we are standing on the side of the filming crew. But that makes it all so interesting and is an invitation to dig up and to take more pictures during our next visits. So this site will be updated regulary with additional pictures. Stay tunes and bookmark it.

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Season 1	Season 2	Season 3	Season 4	Season 5	Season 6
Chariots of War	Return of Callisto	The Deliverer	Adventures in the Sin Trade I	Purity	To Helicon and Back
Callisto		Bitter Suite		Eternal Bonds
Mortal Beloved		Fins, Femmes and Gems
		Sacrifice I

CHARIOTS OF WAR

Very interesting and amusing to know that with this chariot race at the Wainamu river they filmed it up and down stream. So one time you have the dunes on your right side and the other time they are on your left side. Funny to see! If you haven't been at this locations you would not see this or know it. So in fact they just drove up and down the stream in order to show you a long chariot race. The chariot race is all filmed in the Wainamu stream which is just below the Wainamu dunes.


The pursuite of the two chariots after Gabrielle. This time I had good weather and the filming crew some darker. All depends on the moment of the day.			Change of direction and the pursuite continues.

Now this is one of the very good pictures that shows the same film location. You have so much to see and you have to be very focussed. There was much more water at that time so I assume that it was filmed during another season.			A bit closer taken but still the same place with a lesser filled stream. We like dry feet!

Another perfect comparison. Watch where Gabrielle is going to and see the real picture. The bushes changed a bit but it is still the same spot.			Xena and Gabrielle are already at the corner of the dune which you see in the back of my picture.

Both chariots following the turnings of the stream as you can see on the picture.			Gabrielle and Xena do fall out of the chariot a bit further on my picture. Just right behind the bend.

Another picture of the chariots chasing behind Gabrielle.			After falling out of the chariot Xena is ready to fight. After the turning as mentioned above and on this picture.

CALLISTO

The episode Callisto has some nice shots of the Dune plateau of Wainamu with a super view that shows you the connection this plateau makes between Wainamu lake and the Tasmanian sea. The horse race between Xena and Callisto has been filmed on the sand dunes aswell. Allthough you get the impression that is flat, it isn't. It is formed by a lot of Dunes, low and high ones.


Left Xena and Gabrielle walking on the mountain that is on the left in the background of my picture.			On the left picture you see both woman riding horses. My picture is taken from the other side and gives you the full overview of the same film location.

On the left the horse race versus the reality picture. On the right side you see the place where Xena returns with the prisoned Callisto on horse.

MORTAL BELOVED

With Mortal Beloved we come to my favourit spot of Wainamu, Lake Wainamu. A unique place on earth. A fresh water lake that invites you to swim in it. Do it and experience a Xena feeling. It is devine!


The spot where Xena and Gabrielle are standing is the same spot as in Fins, Femmes and Gems.		The sitting place is the same as in Fins, Femmes and Gems. We come to that later on. This spot is also used in Sacrifice I.

Dream away. Gabrielle must be lucky to sit there enjoying the view.		And what do you think about this view? Wainamu lake is unbelievable beautiful. I didn't have that nice weather as during the filming.

Coming from Tartarus looking for Gabrielle. Yep, same spot as in other well known episodes.		The only spot where you can walk easily out of the lake. The other goes from your knees directly into the deep. Or you can jump of the dunes directly into the deep.

	End view over thid beautiful lake.

RETURN OF CALLISTO

Return of Callisto has been filmed partly on Bethells Beach and on Wainamu Dunes and Stream. For Bethells Beach see the related site. It is so cool to see how they put different scenes in connection with eachother. As a spectator you do have a clue but after being at the film locations it is so interesting to figger out how they did it. It gives more appreciation for everybody in that team.


My lovely wife Karin is standing where Gabrielle and Xena walked in the beginning of the episode.			The place where Xena and Callisto tumbled down.

			Down after rolling down of the dune.
Same spot. Joxer is coming down from the dunes informing about the escape of Callisto. I'm coming down from that spot.

Picture is taken in the driving direction of Xena.			The place of the "quick sand". Believe me that doesn't exist there in reality. So no panic.

Xena riding towards Callisto			Oh yes, the well known Joxer hump.

THE DELIVERER

You will now start noticing that the same locations are returning in different episodes. Now experience the great talents of the complete film crew. Watch how they use the same locations and still come out with a total other result.


Bodicea and Xena coming out of the turning to attck the Romans.			Allright, we are going the same direction now.

Yihaaaa! Go go go!			And the fighting place. Around the turning we are back on the flat of the stream which is wider.

BITTER SUITE

For the Bitter Suite, the beginning scene where Xena takes Gabrielle on the rope behind the horse, we are back at the Wainamu stream. The Gablaunch is further north to Muriwai beach (see the Xena Tour site). But the end then again, where Gaby and Xena are lying in the water is back at Bethells Beach. Speaking of turning into rounds!!!!


The way where Xena took Gabrielle along. As you can see there was much more water then when we were there. Change of season or weather can make a huge difference. That makes this location so unique.

A view in the same direction as Xena is horse riding.

FINS, FEMMES AND GEMS

Lake Wainamu is mostly known because of this episode. It has been filmed on a very small location but the result shows you a huge panorama. Really a very good job done. As mentioned before a lot of the same spots have been used in other episodes and I'm sure you know by now which ones. So I will not repeat them all here again. As FFG is a very humoristique episode you get that naughty and laughing feeling yourself when you are at that spot. I surely did! He he he! LOL! We even went that crazy that we started filming our own Xena scene. Watch the music-video of 2010.


Fishing Xena next to the lake view. You have to go swimming I did and it is such a splendid feeling. Get total Xena crazy and jump into the lake.			Discussing friends at the waterfront. Remember the spot from ....... This spot is at the very right sight when you arrive to the lake. You cannot miss it.

Rescue place! No, no, no we both stayed calm but ...... yes yes yes we did copy some performances. Watch our music-video of 2010 at the videosite of Lotolux.com. And yes you may get naughty thoughts about us. LOL!			A very sunny day during the filming. A fresh day for us in March 2007.

Same spot, other place.			A nice view over the lake. You can sit here for hours and enjoying every moment of it.

The little corner!			Playing with skites with view over the lake!

			Same spot for another scene.
A shot taken from the side. It is quite bluffy. Same spot as the filming shoot.			Same spot for another scene.

Gabrielle standing on the pond. The pond wasn't there anymore but you do not need it.			Ready to shoot the diamont into the sky.

SACRIFICE I

Another episode where the Lake, the Dunes and the river of Wainamu are a unique scenery for filming. The green flats near by, have been used for other film shots, but haven't been able to go there.


Ares standing into the almost dry river talking to the messenger of Dahak.		The mesenger returning to his master. The sand on the sand dunes do change. We saw a sand lawine as on the left picture during our stay in February 2009. The picture on the right side was taken in Marck 2007. Therefore you can notice the change of seasons and weather.

	The water was not that high but I'm sitting on the spot as in episode. Coooooooool!

ADVENTURES IN THE SINTRADE I

Oh yes, some super scenes have been filmed here. You also have to watch the videos. They will show you more about this location.


Xena going down the hill on her horse. I'm walking it down.

Horse riding in this river must be great! Watch also the video as we are driving in the 4x4 the same direction as Xena is going.

Above the screen shots of the episodes and below our pictures taken. You get a nice view of how big and wide it is there.



Xena coming out of the woods and ready to cross over the dunes. On the video of the Xenatour or on the Wainamu video you will see how we end up on that place to go into the forest. We just drove the opposite way. On the video you will also see how I tried to run up the dunes. I managed quite well but I have respect for the actresses doing it fully dressed up. Thinking they maybe had to done several film takes.

Above and below Xena and the Amazones running across the dunes. I tried it myself (see the video on this page) and you have to be very fit and in good condition. Lucky I'm doing sports. The black sand is easy to run on (not that hard as white sand) but you get very fast tired. So get fit before you try it. Those girls were fit, that is for sure.



Above and below Xena fighting against the Besurker. Knowing how though it is on black sand Lucy must be in a very good condition during all these years of filming. Woaw!!!!



And the horse fight on the black dunes!

PURITY

For Purity only a few shots have been filmed here. You can't have it all.


Above and below some pictures where Xena and Pao Su walked. On the second screengrabs (right) Xena is only a few steps away from the track been used in Eternal Bonds, where Xena and Gabrielle go into the forest. The same way we took by 4x4 to go to the amazone village.



And here the place where Xena is tracking down the enemy. By the time we were there they surely were gone! LOL!

ETERNAL BONDS

Eternal Bonds does have some great scenes on the Dunes and in the River. Great timing!


Xena and Gabrielle by horse and I walking down the dune.			Crossing over the dunes where Karin is standing.

Oh yes I love this shot. On our picture you see the turning. On the left side of the picture is the way to go into the forest towards the Amazone village.			The dunes riding by.

The river takenin different shots where Xena and Gabrielle are helping Joxer with his wounded arm.

Above and below the pictures where the end scenes of Eternal Bonds has been filmed.

TO HELICON AND BACK

What makes this episode so interesting is that the first scenes have been taken at Bethells Beach. Remember my note on that site? Here you find the next scene shots in this episode. If you didn't see the film location you get tricked thinking you are still at the beach. No my friends, they take you to the Wainamu dunes and river. Very nice done by the filming crew. Nicely done as Priestress Leah said.


Running from the river upto the dunes. No they are not coming from the beach! You got tricked!			This is something you must do! Try running up the dune. You end up using your hands aswell. Watch this scene on your dvd and you will see that the girls ended up using there hands aswell.

It are huge dunes!			They are lucky they got on top of it!

The dunes are like a wall. A sand wall! Beautiful sight!

Xena at the foot of the dune. How many times have they walked up and down those dunes????			Gabrielle running on the black sand dunes.

Same spot of Gabrielle's running track.

They deserved a rest with a beautiful view down to the river.			The fight in the forest at the end of the episode. Crossing over the dunes with the 4x4 we ended up here.

Some different shots versus the real pictures. This place in the forest has been used many many times. Lucy's private driver and our guide knows all about it.