The Overlanders is a 1946 British-Australian Western film about drovers driving a large herd of cattle 1,600 miles (2,575 km) overland from Wyndham, Western Australia through the Northern Territory outback of Australia to pastures north of Brisbane, Queensland, during World War II.

Bill Parsons becomes concerned, and leaves his homestead in northern Australia along with his wife and two daughters, Mary and Helen.

Others on the drive include the shonky Corky; British former sailor, Sinbad; Aboriginal stockmen, Nipper and Jackie.

It contacted the British Ministry of Information, who in turn spoke with Michael Balcon at Ealing Studios, who was enthusiastic about the idea of making a film in Australia.

When visiting a government office in Canberra to advise on making documentaries, he heard about an incident in 1942, when 100,000 cattle were driven 2,000 miles (3,218.7 km) in the Northern Territory to escape a feared Japanese invasion.

[6] Watt was allowed to import only four technicians from Britain to assist – editor Inman Hunter, cinematographer Osmond Borradaile, production supervisor Jack Rix[7] and camera operator Carl Kayser.

Shooting began in April 1945 at Sydney's North Head Quarantine Station, which stood in for the meat export centre at Wyndham, in Western Australia.

Ireland wrote to a friend "the subject of the film is one I can perhaps tackle... and the music director will be very helpful, tending my inexperience".

[22] He stayed in London with easy access to Ealing during the composition; he commented that "it needs a lot of heavy, symphonic music, and what I have done is extremely good and will make an excellent concert suite".

[22] After Ireland's death an orchestral suite was extracted from the score by the conductor Sir Charles Mackerras[23] in 1965 consisting of a march 'Scorched Earth', a romance 'Mary and the Sailor', an intermezzo 'Open Country', a scherzo 'Brumbies', and as a finale 'Night Stampede'.

According to Leslie Norman, Harry Watt was not satisfied with the editing job done by Inman Hunter, "so, they asked me to take it over.

[26] The Monthly Film Bulletin stated that, without the "tawdry "fictionalisation"", it was a worthy film, "with many fine directorial details, accurate if broad characterisation, and full exploitation of periodic climactic incident", and that "it succeeds magnificently in capturing the authentic drama of its setting and its main action".

Particularly it fumbles with the personal dramas inevitable in a tiny community living in close proximity in circumstances like these...".

[27] Years later Filmink magazine said "This is one of the best of the meat pie Westerns – it takes a very American concept, the cattle drive, and grounds it in the local culture.

[30] According to one report it was the 11th most popular film at the British box office in 1946 after The Wicked Lady, The Bells of St. Mary's, Piccadilly Incident, The Captive Heart, Road to Utopia, Caravan, Anchors Away, The Corn is Green, Gilda, and The House on 92nd Street'.

[31] According to Kinematograph Weekly the 'biggest winner' at the box office in 1946 Britain was The Wicked Lady, with "runners up" being: The Bells of St Marys, Piccadilly Incident, The Road to Utopia, Tomorrow is Forever, Brief Encounter, Wonder Man, Anchors Away, Kitty, The Captive Heart, The Corn is Green, Spanish Main, Leave Her to Heaven, Gilda, Caravan, Mildred Pierce, Blue Dahlia, Years Between, O.S.S., Spellbound, Courage of Lassie, My Reputation, London Town, Caesar and Cleopatra, Meet the Navy, Men of Two Worlds, Theirs is the Glory, The Overlanders, and Bedelia.