Uninhabited was shot on location at Masthead Island in the Great Barrier Reef. Coral Island is a fictional name that stands in for a real island in the Coral Sea in order to protect its location from tourists and also to render it a symbolic space that represents the homeland of Indigenous peoples who were dispossessed by colonial settlement.

“The film was shot in July and August of 2009 on Masthead Island, on the southern end of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, 60 km off the mainland. The location was chosen because of its similarity to the original island which is further out and would have provided greater logistical difficulties.

Masthead Island is a Marine National Park, and the film crew had to adhere to strict environmental guidelines. The island is totally deserted, without power, water or communications, which made it very difficult to mount the production. Not only that, but under the environmental guidelines, no generated power was to be used on the island – providing the film’s camera and lighting departments with some big challenges.

The crew camped for the duration of the shoot, using battery power and water shipping in from a support vessel anchored outside the reef. Meals were often augmented by what the crew caught during their down time.

The producers worked with local Park Rangers to ensure that when filming wrapped, the location was left in its original pristine condition.”(http://www.uninhabitedmovie.com/)