Perth Drive-In cinema

Phil74Camper Head in the Clouds

2,703 posts · joined Aug 2002 · 9 Sep 2008, 8:54 am

#668528

Is there anyone here from Perth?

Sydney once had 14 drive-in cinemas in the 1970s, but between 1984 and 1987, all but two of them closed down and were redeveloped into housing or industrial estates. Only Blacktown and Bass Hill survived, and both were converted to twin screens. Sadly, Bass Hill closed late last year, and is currently rotting while a new housing development awaits approval. The GU Blacktown Twin is now Sydney's only drive-in.

Mellbourne is doing a bit better; they have a triple-screen drive-in at Coburg, and another in Dandenong. There is also a twin-screen drive-in at Dromana. Melbourne got Australia's first drive-in in 1954 and once had as many as 20 at one time.

As far as I know, Brisbane only has one existing drive-in, at Yatala. Canberra once had two, but both are gone now. I think all of Adelaide's drive-ins are closed, too.

I wasn't sure about Perth (it's a bit far away), but I was browsing Google Earth the other day and found a drive-in at Kingsley. Has anyone been there lately? What is its history?

Tell us about your old local drive-in !

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LukeV85 P Master

154 posts · joined Sep 2007 · 9 Sep 2008, 9:58 am

#668536

on the subject of old drive ins there is a petition going around to save Bass Hill Drive In from demolition by Bankstown council. Please click on the link and sign up.

http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/save-bass-hill-drive-in/sign.html

1962.5 VW Beetle 1200
2002 VW Oettinger Bora - Statutory Write Off

squizy Thinking about another dub...maybe

4,082 posts · joined Dec 2002 · 9 Sep 2008, 11:27 am

#668543

I used to go to Dundas and Chullora Drive-In's when I was little. I'd have my shower, get my PJ's on, and nine times out of ten fall asleep in the back whilst things like Logan's Run were on. I think there was a North Ryde one too wasn't there? Erina used to have one before Erina Fair went in. Heddon Gretta up Newcastle way is still operational.

It's such a pity all of these places have closed up. I think we all pine for that nostalgia in a way, Drive-In's, Diners, and cruising.

HotRodMatt If it\'s old or rare - cut it!

3,616 posts · joined Sep 2002 · 9 Sep 2008, 1:09 pm

#668553

All that remains of the old Starline (then Skyline, then Greater Union) at Kingswood, NSW.

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Phil74Camper Head in the Clouds

2,703 posts · joined Aug 2002 · 9 Sep 2008, 1:46 pm

#668556

I love drive-ins (hence my post), there was just something so special about mixing cars, movies and a night out. Yes I must get up to Heddon Greta during the school holidays. Did you know it was originally open from 1966 to 1984, then it closed and lay rotting for 12 years? It was purchased and re-opened in 1996. What a wonderful achievement. Pay it a visit! The website is http://www.drive-in.com.au/

The Sydney drive-ins, and their years of operation, are as follows (in order of opening):

Frenchs Forest (the first one to open) - 23 October 1956 to 1984 (Hoyts Skyline)
Chullora Metro Twin - 24 October 1956 to 1978 (MGM - the first Sydney drive-in to close)
Dundas - 24 October 1956 to 1988 (Hoyts Skyline)
Bass Hill - 1956 to 2007 (Hoyts Skyline - converted from single to twin-screen in 1988)
North Ryde - 1956 to 1986 (Hoyts Skyline)
Caringbah - 1956 to 1988 (Hoyts Skyline)
Matraville - 1956 to 1984 (Originally the independent 'Matraville Star Drive-In' - joined the Hoyts Skyline chain in 1970)
Fairfield - 1964 to 1984 (Originally the independent 'Fairfield El Rancho' - joined the Hoyts Skyline chain in 1969)
Blacktown - 1964 to present (Hoyts Skyline - now Greater Union - converted to twin screen in 1984)
Liverpool (Casula) - 1967 to 1985 (Hoyts Skyline)
Penrith - 1967 to 1986 (Hoyts Skyline)
Campbelltown (Narellan) - 1969 to 1984 - remained an independent operation called the 'Gayline Drive-in'
Warriewood - 1971 to 1985 (Hoyts Skyline)
Parklea - 1977 to 1985 (Hoyts Skyline)

1984-85 was a killer for drive-ins, thanks to home VCRs and RBTs. All of the closed drive-ins have been built over and redeveloped, EXCEPT for Penrith. Amazingly, the site still exists mostly as it was, even though its been closed for more than 20 years. It could be converted back into a drive-in without too much work:

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HotRodMatt If it\'s old or rare - cut it!

3,616 posts · joined Sep 2002 · 9 Sep 2008, 2:26 pm

#668561

Phil74Camper wrote:EXCEPT for Penrith. Amazingly, the site still exists mostly as it was, even though its been closed for more than 20 years. It could be converted back into a drive-in without too much work:

Must have been a while since you've seen it. I drive thru it at least once a week.

The building were torn down a few years ago. The mounds have been considerably flattened. As you can see in the pics above and below.

The one above looks across where the concession/projection building used to be, the one below looks down toward where the screen used to be.

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roundtoit Commited Dubber

64 posts · joined Jul 2008 · 9 Sep 2008, 4:04 pm

#668574

Yes there is still one drivein left in Perth. It is run by a family, i think they proberly own the land?? Would be worth a fortune, building blocks in that suburb, if you could find one would be $350 - $400. Good value though to go, sometimes they charge $10 a car, good in a kombi!!! Used to love the 'drives' when i was a lad.

Hurry up and wait

Phil74Camper Head in the Clouds

2,703 posts · joined Aug 2002 · 9 Sep 2008, 5:17 pm

#668594

Yes Matt, I drove out to Penrith to have a look last Xmas holidays, so it's been eight months now. This is what it looked like then (that's my Kombi on the ramp).

The foundations of the ticket booths were still there. The two rows of concrete plinths for the screen frame were still there (in the long grass). The rows, at least towards the front, still had their shape and some tarmac on them. Shame the kiosk/projector booth was a hole in the ground!

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Phil74Camper Head in the Clouds

2,703 posts · joined Aug 2002 · 9 Sep 2008, 5:28 pm

#668598

This is what the mighty Chullora Metro Twin looked like in the good old days. Looking east. That's the Hume Hwy on the left, with Waterloo Rd and the Drive-in, and Roberts Rd and the Enfield rail yards beyond. It closed in 1978 and today the Big W Chullora Marketplace is on the site.

Chullora was the largest drive-in the southern hemisphere for a few years (until an even bigger MGM twin was built in Clayton, Melbourne), and it took more money than any other drive-in in the whole world. By staggering the start times, they could get six film sessions, and 3,900 cars, through in one night. They often had police controlling traffic into and out of the drive-in. On a good night they could sell 1,600 kg of hot chips (!)

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darren-h Commited Dubber

73 posts · joined Apr 2008 · 9 Sep 2008, 8:47 pm

#668653

Yes it was an eye opener, i remember us queuing up to get in, as a kid it seemed larger than life!!

67' deluxe

vwkg Schnell

314 posts · joined Jan 2007 · 9 Sep 2008, 9:02 pm

#668658

Only been to a drive in once in my life. Was great fun.

Wasn't in a dub at the time. Would love to go to another.

Bring Back The Drive In!

squizy Thinking about another dub...maybe

4,082 posts · joined Dec 2002 · 9 Sep 2008, 9:06 pm

#668659

Yeah Chullora was great. If you didn't like the movie you were watching, you could look through your rear window and watch (without sound) the movie behind you.

Phil74Camper Head in the Clouds

2,703 posts · joined Aug 2002 · 9 Sep 2008, 9:24 pm

#668663

Absolutely right. Especially when your folks took you to a G-Rated Disney film, and a 'grown-ups' film was playing on the other screen. Which you could see (but not hear) by looking out the back window.

Such as:

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LukeV85 P Master

154 posts · joined Sep 2007 · 10 Sep 2008, 12:47 pm

#668752

Are there any drive ins that have closed, but are still pretty much intact? Rex Bartel, Westview P/L lay in ruins for a while but not to sure weather its gone now.

1962.5 VW Beetle 1200
2002 VW Oettinger Bora - Statutory Write Off

Phil74Camper Head in the Clouds

2,703 posts · joined Aug 2002 · 10 Sep 2008, 1:14 pm

#668760

Hi Luke, most of the old drive-ins closed in the 1980s, and most of them i've tried to find have been bulldozed for new housing, or a shopping centre, or industrial units. That's been the case in Sydney - you wouldn't know most of them were ever there. Penrith, as seen above, is the only long dead Sydney drive-in that looks anything like what it did, but all the gear is long gone. Bass Hill closed last year, and nothing has happened there yet - everything is still in place - but it is slated for demolition and more houses.

I'm going to start threads for each capital city and look for them. I started the Brisbane thread last night - check that one out. I found two dead drive-ins in the Brisbane-Tweed area that closed many years ago but are still there. There are also dead drive-ins in Mackay, and Cairns, that have not been bulldozed yet.

I'll get to the other capital cities in turn - Adelaide is next. Stay tuned...

debiasi4 Officially Full-On Dubber

283 posts · joined Dec 2004 · 10 Sep 2008, 4:50 pm

#668796

still one in adelaide at gepps cross
adam

Phil74Camper Head in the Clouds

2,703 posts · joined Aug 2002 · 11 Sep 2008, 11:46 am

#668928

Hi Adam, yes I've started another post for Adelaide Drive-ins.

Amazingly, Perth was second only to Melbourne in the number of drive-ins it once had. From my 1982 travel map, Perth had no less than 17 drive-ins, three more than Sydney, with only a quarter of the population.

Like the other cities, sadly most of them are gone. The sole surviving Perth Drive-in (pictured at the top) is the Kingsley Galaxy. Its website is http://www.galaxydrivein.com.au/

The dead Perth drive-ins, with no trace remaining today, were:

* Armadale - now houses. With subdivision, impossible to tell now where the drive-in was.
* Balga (Westminster) - bulldozed for the Reid Hwy crossover at Waneroo Rd.
* Belmont - now houses, on riverside land completely rebuilt since the drive-in days.
* Bentley - either houses or commercial land on the triangular block between Manning Rd, Leach Hwy & Albany Hwy.
* Forrestfield - now high-density houses on a block bisected by Albizia Close.
* Gwelup - now houses beside the Mitchell Freeway.
* Hilton Park - now houses, slightly newer than those around them.
* Melville - now houses. No sign of where the drive-in once was.
* Maddington - A newly subdivided block, with only a few houses on it at the moment.
* Midland - now the site of the Swan District Hospital.
* Morley - part of the Westfield Galleria shopping centre.
* Riverton - houses close to the Riverton Forum shopping centre. Even the golf course is gone.
* Woodlands - now the site of the Sizzler / GU Cinema complex.

There are three more dead Perth drive-ins, but this time there is still something to see.

* Beechboro - now the site of the Bolters House church. A portion of the old drive-in ramps still exist at the back of the property.
* Floreat Park - the shape of the drive-in still exists, but all the equipment and fittings are gone.
* Claremont - the shape of the drive-in still exists, but again everything else is gone.

OK first, here is Beechboro:

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Phil74Camper Head in the Clouds

2,703 posts · joined Aug 2002 · 11 Sep 2008, 11:52 am

#668929

This is Floreat Park. I wonder how many Perth people know about this one? It would be a great place to hold summertime 'movies under the stars', with a blanket to sit on, an esky with nibblies and wine/beer, and a lovely girl to keep you company. All they would need is a temporary screen, and a mobile projection/sound unit.

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Phil74Camper Head in the Clouds

2,703 posts · joined Aug 2002 · 11 Sep 2008, 11:57 am

#668930

And this is Claremont. This one looks like it has been forgotten altogther. I wonder if mosquitos might have been a problem in summer, seeing as backs onto a lake?

OK Perth people, have you been to any of these drive-ins?

Are you going to have a VW run to the Galaxy at Kingsley?

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AnnaBee Casual Dubber

44 posts · joined Sep 2008 · 11 Sep 2008, 12:09 pm

#668934

I've never been to a drive in cinema, but have always thought they look very cool.

This might sound like a silly question, but how does the sound work? Does it come from big speakers (which would surely have to be pretty loud in a space big enough for lots of cars to park up) or are you given something to put in your car?

Now that I read my question it seems silly, because they didn't have little wireless speakers in the era where drive ins were really popular... but hey, I've asked silly questions before, what's one more!

Embarking on a Beetle flavoured adventure!

greasykitchen Officially Full-On Dubber

375 posts · joined Dec 2007 · 11 Sep 2008, 1:31 pm

#668949

AnnaBee wrote:I've never been to a drive in cinema, but have always thought they look very cool.

This might sound like a silly question, but how does the sound work? Does it come from big speakers (which would surely have to be pretty loud in a space big enough for lots of cars to park up) or are you given something to put in your car?

Now that I read my question it seems silly, because they didn't have little wireless speakers in the era where drive ins were really popular... but hey, I've asked silly questions before, what's one more!

Each parking spot had a short pole with a small speaker attached which you could remove and clip on to the car window. It may have become more technologically advanced in later years.

Slightly off topic, but I remember seeing a documentary on America in the 1950s where driven by the growing car and drive in culture they had drive in churches. You could pull up and listen to a service/sermon from the comfort of your Chev! Only in America...

'76 Golf

Phil74Camper Head in the Clouds

2,703 posts · joined Aug 2002 · 11 Sep 2008, 1:36 pm

#668950

Hi Anna, no it's not a silly question at all. It's just a sad reflection on the fact that nearly all the old drive-ins have closed, and a new generation of car and movie enthusiasts have missed out on the experience. Going to your local shoe-box multi-plex doesn't have the same atmosphere!

The drive-in ramps, as you can see from the photos, are spaced out from the screen in larger and larger semi-circles. This is so that the nose (or the tail, if you park backwards) always point at the screen. In addition, each row has an up-slope, so that when you park, the nose of your car points into the air, straight at the screen. Like a row of terraces. These sloped, curved rows are called the 'ramps', and are visible from the air. You can see my Kombi parked on one of the old ramps in the shot of Penrith, above. You get to see over the cars in front of you, and the cars behind can see over you.

In the old days, there was a white metal post concreted into the ramp, every two car-spaces along each row. In other words, two cars could park between the two posts. Each post would have two speakers hanging off it (one for each car either side of the post), attached to the post (and wired back to the projection building) by an electric cord. The speaker was a tinny, mono speaker mounted in a curvy, retro-looking metal (weatherproof) box. The only control was a volume knob. The speaker box had a hook on the back. When you pulled up and parked beside the speaker post, you wound your window down, reached out and unhooked the speaker from the post, and hooked it over the top of your door window glass. Music and cinema ads would be playing before the show started, as you arrived at sunset and the movies didn't start until it was properly dark. Pretty lousy sound, but it had character! The difficulty for drive-ins was that people would often drive off after the show without putting the speaker back, ripping it off. It was the projectionist's job to repair the speakers and cords when they started work early the next day - a continual job in the busy years.

In the late 1970s many drive-ins upgraded to an AM radio 'Cine-Fi' sound system. Usually this was done on every second row, or in different setions of the drive-in, with the old speakers remaining in the rest. 'Cine-Fi' still involved a cord you had to unhook from the post, but instead of a heavy, tinny speaker box, it had a metal clip on the end. You attached it to your radio aerial, and tuned your car radio to a certain AM frequency. Still mono, but at least the sound was as good as your car's radio allowed.

Nowadays there is nothing to attach. Instead, drive-ins have their own low-power FM radio broadcast system. You pull up on the ramp, and tune your FM radio to the local frequency. Twin screen drive-ins would have a different frequency for each screen. The broadcast is in FM stereo, so if you have a mega car stereo then you'll have proper theatre-style sound.

If you live in Sydney, you should make a point of going to Blacktown Drive-In one evening once you have your Beetle. You'll love it.

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Canni. Wolfsburg Wizard

471 posts · joined Sep 2003 · 11 Sep 2008, 2:13 pm

#668952

Here's some pics I found from the viewing of herbie a few years back 🙂 (this is from the Dromana drive in VIC) poles are still there for the speakers but they only use FM transmission.. .I think the Dandenong one still uses the clip on to the window speakers!

Heidi - 1960 White Beetle
'65 Kiwi Ghia

AnnaBee Casual Dubber

44 posts · joined Sep 2008 · 11 Sep 2008, 3:36 pm

#668961

Oh those pics are brilliant, I'd love to have been there!

Thanks for the sound explanations, it all makes sense now 🙂
Definitely have to go to the Blacktown one, it's nice to add achievable things to the wish list!

Drive in church?! That's hilarious, like you say, only in America...

Embarking on a Beetle flavoured adventure!

greasykitchen Officially Full-On Dubber

375 posts · joined Dec 2007 · 11 Sep 2008, 4:37 pm

#668967

Just did a quick Ewe T'youb search and found this. Only in America.

'76 Golf

Phil74Camper Head in the Clouds

2,703 posts · joined Aug 2002 · 12 Sep 2008, 7:32 am

#669061

Yes we had a similar run in Sydney when the Lindsay Lohan Herbie movie came out. It was a combined Flat 4 / Club Veedub run, so we had over 100 VWs turn up. We cruised from Liverpool to the Bass Hill Drive-in, which, sadly, closed last year.

Are there any Perth people out there who can tell us more about the drive-ins there?

I'll start another thread for Melbourne drive-ins, as soon I get my info sorted out...

Warrenm Wolfsburg Wizard

466 posts · joined Aug 2004 · 12 Sep 2008, 3:03 pm

#669119

The first drive-in in Perth was the Highway in Albany H'way Bentley.
Went straight from work in Perth CBD for first night. You saw one movie and then you left and next lot came in.
This changed when they had some competition.
There were 22 in Perth at one stage

Skyline Floreat.
Lakeway Claremont
Galaxy Greenwood -still going I think
Eastway Belmont
Daleline Armadale
Metro Innaloo
Panorama Roleystone -on side of hill-about 50 cars max
Riverline Riverton
Twilight Maddington
Waverley Beckenham
Glenway Balga
Marmion Sorrento
Odin Gwelup
Aceway Morley
Beechline Beechboro
Darlington Darlington
Swanway Midland
Wirrina Morley

Avonway Northam close country- many country towns had drive ins

Kombi Konnection
Beetle Bugs and Dubs