Illawarra sights, stars of the show

Anna Samson might be billed as the star of the BBC series Return To Paradise. She plays the brilliant and quirky Detective Inspector Mackenzie Clarke cracking tricky cases in a pretty Australian seaside hamlet.

And that town surely is the other star.

The series, streaming on ABC iview, had me reaching for my phone to find that it was filmed in Illawarra, New South Wales.

The town and coast and locations feature prominently in this spin-off of Death In Paradise.

Top spots are:

+ Coledale Beach, picturesquely set between the surf of the Pacific Ocean and the deep green tree canopy of the Illawarra escarpment.

+ Sea Cliff Bridge — a 665m-long, coastal elevated roadway which is a highlight of the Grand Pacific Drive, which takes in 140km of coastal scenery.

+ Thirroul Village, a seaside town with palm tree-lined streets, beautiful beaches, big views and bushwalks.

+ Wombarra Bowlo — a community club that “aims to serve the people with good things”, from bowls and music to food and drinks. bowlo.com.au

Screen Illawarra is being credited with creating impetus for the region’s film and TV industry. In this case, it helped the Return To Paradise producers enlist local resources, identify filming locations, find behind-the-scenes crew members and recruit “Dolphin Cove” extras for the six episodes.

Return To Paradise was produced by BBC Studios Productions Australia with Red Planet Pictures for the ABC, in association with BBC.

Anna Samson’s DI Clarke has temporarily left London’s Metropolitan Police under a cloud of suspicion for tampering with evidence. While waiting for the result of an inquiry, she returns to her hometown of Dolphin Cove — the last place she ever wanted to be. She left her fiance Glenn Strong (Tai Hara) there, at the altar, six years before. Glenn is not only still there, but she has to work with him, and his mother, Senior Sergeant Philomena Strong (Catherine McClements).

The West’s TV reviewer, Claire Rigden, says: “This Aussie Death In Paradise spin-off might not feel as “exotic” as others in the canon (after all — what’s so special about Aussie beaches? We see them every day!), but there’s still plenty to like about this latest addition to the Para-verse, which sees Anna Samson step in to play the first female lead in the show’s history.”