Where was NCIS: Sydney filmed? All filming locations revealed

NCIS: Sydney was filmed in Sydney, Australia, utilizing various locations across the city. The show's main headquarters is situated at the Walsh Bay Arts Precinct. The Garden Island Navy Base, Pyrmont, Bondi Beach, and Maroubra are other important places where filming took place. These places in Australia look great and make the show feel more real in the international spin-off of the popular NCIS franchise.

The show takes place in Australia and is about the Australian Federal Police (AFP) having to work with the US Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS). The third season of the show is now being filmed at the Walsh Bay Arts Precinct. In the fall of the 2023–2024 season, the first season came out on CBS in the US as the top new drama.

Looking into the Filming locations of NCIS: Sydney

NCIS: Sydney is filmed on location in Sydney, Australia, using various areas across the city. The production designer, Tim Ferrier, aimed to give the show its own unique signature look. The show's premise is that the NCIS: Sydney team is lent a space for their operations by the Royal Australian Navy. This informed the design of their headquarters.

Walsh Bay Arts Precinct headquarters

NCIS: Sydney's main headquarters is in the Walsh Bay Arts Precinct. Screen NSW helped choose the location, which was thought to be perfect for the production's needs. It's a great space with natural features that the designers made more beautiful.

The set was meant to be a rich, textured space that looked like a storeroom, an old mess hall, or a muster room. A bullpen, an interrogation room, a forensic lab, and Blue's lab are all in the set. The design included some old murals and a ship's gun, suggesting a history that the show never makes clear.

The location is right on the harbor and under the bridge, which gives the NCIS franchise a level of production value that has never been seen before. Actors can walk right from the set onto the foreshore, which can be used to make interesting looks. The design used timber and sandstone in a way that was similar to how they were used in old buildings by the water in Sydney.

Using the Sydney Harbour and Bridge as a backdrop

The Sydney Harbour and Bridge are seen as the city's most famous sights and are often featured in scenes. Because the amazing headquarters was right on the harbor under the bridge, they were able to use them often. Because they look so great, it's hard not to use them in almost every scene.

One thing that makes NCIS: Sydney different from other NCIS shows is that they are able to film at the harbor. In this beautiful place, amazing things can happen, like when a character walks out of the headquarters set and onto a speedboat. The team has had some trouble filming the big period boats on Sydney Harbour.

Other key filming sites around Sydney

Besides the main precinct, NCIS: Sydney was also filmed in other places around the city. These places were chosen because they will make the drama look like it was really filmed in Australia. The Garden Island Navy Base, Pyrmont, Bondi Beach, and Maroubra are some of the important places where scenes were filmed. These different places helped set up the show's setting.

To get a feel for the tone and structure of the show, the production designer started by watching episodes from all the earlier versions of NCIS. But it was very important to make sure that NCIS: Sydney had its own unique look. The show's setting in one of the most beautiful harbors in the world made it easier to create a new world.

The set was furnished and dressed with a mix of old and new things. The idea was to give the NCIS: Sydney team the most high-tech tools possible in a setting with old desks and furniture. Since Walsh Bay is a heritage site, building there is not always easy for the construction team.

The creative team planned every detail, from how to hang the lights and decorate the walls to how to set up the desks. Building the bridge for the USS Perez in Season 2's first episode was a big challenge. It was too hard to get a real US Navy ship in Sydney. While they were working on the site, the team also had to deal with the normal problem of traffic.

Todd Lasance played AFP officer Jim "JD" Dempsey, who walked out of the HQ set and onto a speedboat. He could then chase the villains on a tall ship. This could happen because the Walsh Bay Arts Precinct puts the set in the middle of Sydney.

NCIS: Sydney episodes are available to stream on CBS.