Robyn Malcolm swaps NZ for WA to co-star alongside Mark Coles Smith in season two of Mystery Road: Origin

Acclaimed Kiwi actress Robyn Malcolm has spent the past few years travelling far and wide for work. There have been roles in her native New Zealand — most notably her multi-award-winning series After The Party, which she co-created and co-produced — a brief stint working in the United States alongside Taron Edgerton on the Apple TV series Blackbird, plus guest roles in Heartbreak High and The Survivors shot here in Australia.

Her latest job has brought her all the way to WA, to the tiny town of Pemberton, where the second season of the Mystery Road prequel series Mystery Road: Origin is filming.

The Southern Forests region isn’t somewhere Malcolm ever had pause to think about, let alone visit, but she felt a connection almost immediately.

“I’ve found this whole area just magical — the ancient karri trees!” she says during an interview on the set.

“I’m staying at a tiny home on a vineyard near Deanmill (outside of Manjimup), so I’ve been walking to work every day, which was just divine.

“I walk past paddocks of kangaroos and walk down this beautiful tree-lined country road to get to the mill — it’s magic.”

In season two of Mystery Road: Origin Malcolm plays disillusioned police officer Paula “Simmo” Simmons, who is working alongside Detective Jay Swan (Mark Coles Smith). They’re holed up together in a tiny police station in the fictional town of Loch Iris, and when two interconnected crimes occur, they’re forced to put aside their differences to solve the case.

Jay Swan was first introduced to audiences in the 2013 film Mystery Road, which starred Aaron Pedersen, and its 2016 sequel Goldstone, before a television adaptation premiered in 2018. Mystery Road: Origin arrived in 2022 with Coles Smith stepping into Swan’s shoes.

Coles Smith says working alongside Malcolm was “amazing.”

“She’s a powerhouse — she flew in, landed, hit the ground running with a night shoot, and nailed it,” he explains.

“Her (character’s) journey this season is really powerful. She finds closure in some areas, but it also opens up new wounds. Nothing’s simple.”

Malcolm says Pemberton proved the perfect setting for this season’s dark, brooding mystery.

“It’s the trees — you get this sense that they’re standing sentry; bearing witness,” she explains.

“Mark’s character is this wonderful, central antihero, and he’s this big, tall guy in a white hat — but he’s utterly dwarfed by the trees . . .

“That sense of overwhelm he feels through the story is mirrored by those trees.

“When he’s out in a desert you can spot him a mile away, but down here, he can get lost. And (the location) is really beautiful for that, I think; this season has a slightly Fargo-esque feel.”

“The trees themselves feel like a character,” Coles Smith goes on to explain.

“They’re ancient — hundreds of years old — predating colonialism and the very idea of Australia.

“They’ve watched over generations of Noongar families. They’re living witnesses to everything that’s happened here.

“In that way, they become a powerful metaphor for history, for family, and for the deep roots of identity.”

Malcolm says she’d love an opportunity to visit Pemberton’s forests again one day.

“Why wouldn’t you want to live (there),” she laughs.

Mystery Road: Origin premieres on September 21 at 8.15pm on ABC.

WA on screen

Western Australia has experienced something of a production boom of late, with scores of film and television programs choosing to shoot here in 2025, and more on the way.

Whaleshark Jack

Abbie Cornish, Alyla Browne, Michael Dornan and Rachel Ward star in this Stan original film, which is set in and around Ningaloo Reef.

Ghosts Australia

The Aussie iteration of this beloved format was filmed in and around Perth, and is set to hit screens soon on Paramount Plus and Ten.

Reckless

Tasma Walton and Hunter Page-Lochard star as two feuding siblings involved in a hit-and-run accident in this SBS/NITV production filmed in Fremantle.

Untitled ‘Postcard Bandit’ project

This series reimagines the story of notorious WA criminal Brenden Abbott, who was infamously nicknamed The Postcard Bandit. It stars George Mason in the lead role, with Robyn Malcolm popping up, too.

Hard As Puck

This doco is “set to follow an oddball team of Western Australian para-ice hockey players vying for a place on the national team” — consider us intrigued!

Big Backyard Quiz

This hilarious under-the-radar quiz show hosted by Narelda Jacobs and Steven Oliver went to air this year, and was filmed in front of a studio audience in Perth.

WA Reflections

The State Library of Western Australia has partnered with Screenwest and Lotterywest for a third season of WA Reflections, a doco that aims to shine a spotlight on WA’s lesser-known history.

End Game

This three-part series will see ABC favourite Tony Armstrong embark on a “global mission to find solutions to combat the rising tide of racism in Australian sport”.

Our Medicine

Another season of this has been filming, shedding light on the work done by First Nations frontline workers. You can watch season one on SBS On Demand.

Rookie Truckers

This upcoming factual television series is about the next generation of gritty Aussie truck drivers “as they attempt to master one of the toughest and most dangerous jobs in the world”.