From black comedies, horror films, overseas police series, to historical dramas, the central tablelands have proven a popular destination for filming television series and movies over the decades.

Probably the first use of the region was with the legendary early Australian cinema classic, “Forty Thousand Horsemen”, in which much of the countryside scenes were shot near Orange in 1940.

Other Colour City films and television series include “Oranges and Sunshine” (2010); a British-Australian drama film starring Emily Watson and Hugo Weaving filmed portions of its Australian setting in the region. “The Man in an Orange Shirt” (2017), while set primarily in Britain, also included outdoor scenes shot in the district.

Due to its largely intact Victorian Australian main street, Millthorpe has also been used extensively over the years to depict 19th and 20th century village life.

One odd historical use of Millthorpe’s famous Lodge was for Cameron Daddo playing the lead role of Detective David John "Bony" Bonaparte in the 1992 13-episode series.

Acclaimed 2003 Australian drama feature film, “Japanese Story”, starring Toni Collette alongside Japanese actor Gotaro Tsunashima, also filmed during a very cold winter in Millthorpe.

Hollywood star Nicole Kidman also has a small local link, serving as an executive producer on the TV series, “The Last Anniversary”, adapted from Liane Moriarty's book, which was filmed in both Millthorpe and Orange.

Arguably even better preserved than Millthorpe, Carcoar, has also served as the authentic backdrop for numerous film and television productions. One of the first was Ivan Southall’s 1976 film, “Let the Balloon Go” about a handicapped child seeking independence from his domineering mother during World War I. The movie was also notable for its acclaimed cinematographer, Dean Semler, who went on to win an Academy Award for his work on "Dances with Wolves".

The 1984 movie, “Silver City” also used the village’s historic hotel with acclaimed mini-series “Brides of Christ” (1991) utilising the town's historic streets for its setting.

Many scenes from the popular Inspector Morse series’ Australian episode, “Promised Land”, (1991) were also shot in the district. As well as Jessica, the Peter Allen docu-drama mini-series, “Not the Boy Next Door” (2015) filmed parts of its production in the village.

More recently, “Ten Pound Poms” (2023–2024), a BBC and Stan drama series, transformed Carcoar into a 1950s village for its post-war immigration storyline across multiple seasons. Backtrack (2015): The psychological thriller starring Hollywood star Adrien Brody and Neill featured scenes shot in the area.

Most recently, "The Deb" (2024/2026): Rebel Wilson’s directorial debut, a musical-comedy feature film, was primarily shot on location in Carcoar, using it as the fictional rural town of Dunburn.