Mansion in My Brilliant Career reboot brings buzz to rural town

Hidden behind a sea of pine trees down a quiet road four hours south-east of Adelaide is a truly grand residence.The 17-room, double-storey mansion was built for John Riddoch, a pastoralist-turned-politician who died 125 years ago.Today, Andy and Annie Clifford are the owners of the 19th-century homestead."We like to call ourselves the current custodians," said Mr Clifford, whose grandfather bought Yallum Park from the Riddoch estate in 1914.Last February, Mr Clifford received an email from a location scout She is also a member of the a member of the Riddoch Business and Community Association.Ms Williams remained excited about the production but was sceptical of any long-term tourism benefits to the town following the streaming release, noting the story was not specifically set in the area."There's nothing actually in the film that says, 'It's filmed here in Penola, come and see,'" Ms Williams said."We've just got to advertise and advertise and hopefully get the floods here."Last week, Andy and Annie Clifford journeyed to Adelaide for a screening of the first two episodes."It was absolutely magic, and they've done a marvellous job of transforming it and cutting it in with other properties that were used."Mr Clifford is optimistic about the impact the show will have on the region, beyond the couple's estate."It comes up in previews that it was filmed at Yallum Park near Panola … we'll have the impact," he said.When asked what the value of the estate was, Mr Clifford said he had "no idea"."Irreplaceable," he said.