Doing the extra $50 million to recreate the Golden Mile
The original Porky strip club on Darlinghurst Road turned off its famous neon lights five years ago after 30 years. The attention to detail on the Kings Cross set includes everything down to the graffiti. Credit: Media Mode Before lockdown laws restricted late-night trading, John “King of the Cross” Ibrahim was often seen standing outside strip clubs with guards in tow. The actual club is also featured in Nine’s Lower belly: The Golden Mile and one graphic scene shows Ibrahim – played by Firass Dirani – was taken away by guards after being stabbed. It’s over: Firass Dirani comes to grief in Underbelly: The Golden Mile. But even when the series was remade in 2009, producers had to look beyond Kings Cross to shoot scenes. Most of the show is shot at Longueville Road Lane Cove, which is converted into the famous Golden Mile on the leafy north coast. Longueville stores became The Love Machine, Porky’s and Pink Pussycat. Longueville Road is a no-go zone and e...