Drift fans to ride tourism wave in Margaret River Sam Worthington stars in Drift. Picture: Supplied Source: PerthNow IT worked wonders for New Zealand tourism when film buffs flocked to the country in their thousands to retrace set locations featured in 'The Lord Of The Rings' trilogy. Now, Margaret River tourism chiefs are hoping for the same economic boost - albeit on a far smaller scale - with the launch of a sightseeing "movie trail" for the film Drift, which started showing in cinemas today. The Sam Worthington surf-based feature film was shot on location across the South-West, with scenes in Nannup, Augusta, Margaret River, Gracetown, Yallingup and Bunker Bay. South West Development Commission chief executive Don Punch said he hoped Drift could do for Margaret River on a small scale what The Lord Of The Rings did for New Zealand. There is a lot of interest in film-based tourism. You do find that films with a following have an impact in terms of people wanting to visit the area," he said. Devotees do travel around. You'll have film buffs as well as surfers seeing Margaret River as part of a must-do scene. The best tourism industry is a diverse industry and film tourism is part of that. He said $1.5 million in State Government funding for the movie as well as grants from the SWDC and local councils were "always intended to get the region promoted." "Drift will put the South-West on the big screen at cinemas around the world, providing exposure of the region on a global scale," Mr Punch said, adding international visitors were the big target of the campaign with the movie expected to be seen by millions of viewers. During the six-week shoot, cast and crew travelled throughout the region to tell the rags-to-riches story of two brothers who launch a backyard surfing business against the backdrop of the rugged Margaret River coastline. Nannup was used to create the fictional coastal town of Seacliffe while for the gripping surfing scenes, some of the cast took surf lessons and performed their own stunts in the water. The movie trail brochures will be distributed at cinemas and tourism bureaus. Nannup: Main street used as the main street in Seacliffe, the fictional town where the Kelly family lived. Karridale: Old building used as the school in the movie and the scene of a schoolyard bust-up early in the film. Gracetown: Cowaramup Bay Rd is the scene that greets the Kelly family when they decide to stay in Seacliffe. North Point: Where JB parks his bus and the nighttime party scene plays out. Cowaramup Bay boat ramp: Used to launch the boat when the Kelly brothers and JB went searching for a big wave to surf. Surfers Point: Exciting surfing action for the contest at the end of the movie was filmed here. Augusta: Kelly family home is located in Flinders Bay, Augusta. Grunters surf break: From this location you can see where Jimmy transforms from a boy to a man while surfing. Bunker Bay: Where Gus camps out. Yallingup Beach Rd: When Jimmy and Lani had their talk in the car, they parked along this stretch. When JB tours his surf movie, they can be seen driving over the bridge on the way into Yallingup.