Drive-In

beetleboy88 Officially Full-On Dubber

255 posts · joined Jun 2008 · 29 Aug 2010, 12:26 pm

#799152

Hey guys. Last night was the final ever screening of the Cairns Drive-In cinema. The drive-in closed late 1999 but a facebook group was created and a push to open it one last time to say goodbye was a success. It was part of the 2010 Cairns Festival (http://www.festivalcairns.com.au/) The first movie was Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl and the second movie was Dirty Dancing.

I took a few pics and I thought I'd share them with you....

Our dinner table.....

The frog that liked the view of the movie from my windscreen....

1973 Super Beetle

Barnabie Officially Full-On Dubber

257 posts · joined Jun 2010 · 29 Aug 2010, 6:10 pm

#799184

Nice work 👍

I can remembr going to the drive in as a child with my parent circa 1980 in Victoria - its such a shame that they've died out for the most part.

A night at the drive-in would be an awesome way to finish a summer's afternoon of cruising with a heap of other like minded dubbers.

Guess we'll have to find a replacement for the almost extinct drive in 😢

Kris.

beetleboy88 Officially Full-On Dubber

255 posts · joined Jun 2008 · 29 Aug 2010, 6:15 pm

#799186

So true Kris!
Their is another drive-in about one hours drive west of Cairns (http://www.mareebadrivein.com/) that is still in full operation so once my car is running sweet I intend on making the journey up there. 🙂

1973 Super Beetle

Phil74Camper Head in the Clouds

2,703 posts · joined Aug 2002 · 30 Aug 2010, 12:52 pm

#799326

Very sad. Was Cairns drive-in owned by one of the big chains - Greater Union/Birch Carrol Coyle or Hoyts, or was it privately owned? What is going to happen to the land? Has it just gone out of business or is the land going to be redeveloped into housing etc?

Sydney once had 14 drive-ins (not as many as Melbourne - they had 22!) in the late 1970s but today there's only one left, at Blacktown. All of Brisbane's drive-ins have gone - only the one at Yatala is still going. Adelaide only has one left at Gepps Cross. Perth has one left. Melbourne has two left in the city and a third at Dromana. Most of them closed in the mid-1980s when VCRs started becoming popular, and daylight saving meant that sessions had to start an hour later - not good for families with young kids. But ultimately the land was too valuable to sit idle during the day.

If you like drive-ins, you'll like this enthusiast tribute site:

http://www.drive-insdownunder.com.au/

STIDUB Over it.

1,497 posts · joined Jun 2008 · 30 Aug 2010, 1:44 pm

#799335

phil, theres one thats closer than yatala to brissy, it runs occasionally (owned by a church) at tivoli, it kinda counts as active & in bris

http://tivolidrivein.com.au

Volkswagen Drivers Club of Queensland - member 🙂

STIDUB - yep its still a work in progress

Vwdcq club car racing/ and crashing while my bug isn't finished.

The above are personal views, no more, no less

Smiley Veteran Volks Folk

2,125 posts · joined Oct 2008 · 30 Aug 2010, 1:48 pm

#799337

Phil74Camper wrote:Very sad. Was Cairns drive-in owned by one of the big chains - Greater Union/Birch Carrol Coyle or Hoyts, or was it privately owned? What is going to happen to the land? Has it just gone out of business or is the land going to be redeveloped into housing etc?

Sydney once had 14 drive-ins (not as many as Melbourne - they had 22!) in the late 1970s but today there's only one left, at Blacktown. All of Brisbane's drive-ins have gone - only the one at Yatala is still going. Adelaide only has one left at Gepps Cross. Perth has one left. Melbourne has two left in the city and a third at Dromana. Most of them closed in the mid-1980s when VCRs started becoming popular, and daylight saving meant that sessions had to start an hour later - not good for families with young kids. But ultimately the land was too valuable to sit idle during the day.

If you like drive-ins, you'll like this enthusiast tribute site:

http://www.drive-insdownunder.com.au/

I just had a look at that website. Thanks for posting Phil, it's great to see some history!

And the one at Yatala is not very far from where I stay in Brisbane!! I'm definitely going when I'm down in October!!

Smiley 😎

If you said I was a Volkswagen man, you'd be right.

beetleboy88 Officially Full-On Dubber

255 posts · joined Jun 2008 · 30 Aug 2010, 5:32 pm

#799363

Phil74Camper wrote:Very sad. Was Cairns drive-in owned by one of the big chains - Greater Union/Birch Carrol Coyle or Hoyts, or was it privately owned? What is going to happen to the land? Has it just gone out of business or is the land going to be redeveloped into housing etc?

I believe the drive in was owned by BCC. It's official name was 'Coral Twin Drive-In' . The land has been bought by Glen Corp (property development business) and will eventually make way for a block of ugly units 😬 It's a pitty it's closing down. I saw so many happy kid's there on Saturday night who have probably never been to a drive-in before.

1973 Super Beetle

Phil74Camper Head in the Clouds

2,703 posts · joined Aug 2002 · 31 Aug 2010, 8:00 am

#799475

Ah yes, I remember spotting the drive-in at North Tivoli on Google Earth, when i was trying to find what happened to them all. I have a 1978 Brisbane street directory that lists them all. I thought North Tivoli (Ipswich) had closed so I'm glad it's still more-or-less going.

Last time I was in Brisbane (in mid '09) I went to the site of the former drive-in at Richlands, on Archerfield Rd. The screen has gone but the ramps, and the foundations of the snack bar, are still there.

Yes the same thing has happened to all the Sydney drive-ins; the land has been redeveloped. Most of them are now houses, units or villas - Warriewood, Bass Hill, Matraville, Dundas, Narellan. Chullora is a shopping centre. Liverpool is a retirement home. Fairfield is the Mary McKillop college. Caringbah is a Bunnings. North Ryde and Frenchs Forest are industrial units- Frenchs Forest industrial park has a 'Skyline Rd', named after the old drive-in. Parklea is now Parklea Markets. Penrith is a car park for the UWS campus and still retains its old shape and layout. Only Blacktown is still going, but it looks rather run down and unloved and Greater Union doesn't promote it at all. I wonder how much longer it will last. If it closes, the one at Heddon Greta near Kurri Kurri will be the last one left in NSW - and I know they have already been approached by developers too.

Yet the eastern suburbs trendies have set up a new temporary drive-in inside randwick racecourse and charge a packet for people to go there ($49 per car!) and won't allow Kombis.

One interestring thing - Go to Google Earth and look at Mt Panorama race track at Bathurst. Just at the start of the Caltex Chase, at the end of Conrod straight, you can see the remains of the Bathurst drive-in (which closed in the '80s). They use it for parking during the race weekend, and I guess it sits and rots the rest of the time. And there's another old drive in on a former race circuit at Orange, Gnoo Blas street circuit. It's on the corner of Forest Rd and Kemp Rd, easily spotted on Google Earth. The race circuit used to be Forest Rd, Huntley Rd and Bloomfield Rd.

HappyDaze Superannuated

2,887 posts · joined Jun 2009 · 31 Aug 2010, 8:17 am

#799479

There was a drive-in still operating in the '80s near Narellan Rd. It was privately owned, and I think it was called 'Gayline' (not kidding!). It was demolished to make way for the Mt.Annan / Narellan Vale housing development.

There is a Gayline Drive in the area.

I'd rather wear a Beetle out by racing it than by polishing it!

beetleboyjeff Custom Title Time!

1,790 posts · joined Feb 2009 · 31 Aug 2010, 11:39 pm

#799665

The Port Macquarie drive in closed in the late 80s or early 90s, and part of it is a shopping centre (mainly Harvy Norman) and part of it is a car yard - John Oxley Motors - who are also the VW dealer in Port Macquarie.

From your ole' mate Jeff

jacky_moo Seriously Crusin Dubber

115 posts · joined Feb 2010 · 1 Sep 2010, 5:14 pm

#799785

Im just glad we still have a few in melbourne
Lunar Drive in out at dandenong, coburg drive in and the Dromana 3 drive in 😀😀

Do go out to lunar every now and then ... seeing this makes me want to go back!!

schnell!! schnell!! schnell!! schnell!!

Phil74Camper Head in the Clouds

2,703 posts · joined Aug 2002 · 2 Sep 2010, 7:47 pm

#800009

HappyDaze wrote:There was a drive-in still operating in the '80s near Narellan Rd. It was privately owned, and I think it was called 'Gayline' (not kidding!). It was demolished to make way for the Mt.Annan / Narellan Vale housing development. There is a Gayline Drive in the area.

I never went to that one Greg - Chullora and Bass Hill were my locals. I did find this period ad for the Gayline, which just happened to feature a famous movie. It was during the school holidays, of course.

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Joel Now containing 100\% E-Wang

9,368 posts · joined Feb 2006 · 2 Sep 2010, 8:53 pm

#800028

The old drive in theater here at Alstonville which has been shut down since the 80s is currently suffering the same fate as most and being turned into a housing developement

It was right out in the sticks before Wollongbar developed out around it

We used to have Dub nights a few times a year at the Yatala drive in, but its died off in recent years.
Might have to organise one now its warming up

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Phil74Camper Head in the Clouds

2,703 posts · joined Aug 2002 · 2 Sep 2010, 8:56 pm

#800029

The site of the Gayline drive-in was the square marked out by Morshead Rd and Gayline Drive, with Scobie Place running across the middle. Apart from a small Gayline Reserve at the end of the cul-de-sac (UBD 325 C13), the only evidence left is Gayline Drive (once the entrance lane into the Drive-in).

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Joel Now containing 100\% E-Wang

9,368 posts · joined Feb 2006 · 2 Sep 2010, 9:07 pm

#800035

Here ya go Phil,
Goes to show how out of date Google earth is
My farms about 5km away and I can tell from it the pic is taken in 2005

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Phil74Camper Head in the Clouds

2,703 posts · joined Aug 2002 · 2 Sep 2010, 10:06 pm

#800064

Brilliant Joel, I didn't know about that one. You must be fairly near where the old Booyong to Ballina train line once was.

We have tried to organise a run or two to Blacktown, but they seem disinterested in putting anything on except the usual mainsteam releases. I don't know why they can't put more interesting 'cult' films on - Grease, Gone in 60 Sec, Bullitt, Italian Job, Love Bug etc. Those 'park' open airs that run every summer seem to be able to do it.

This is the sort of fun stuff that drive-ins used to do, once upon a time.

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

3,616 posts · joined Sep 2002 · 3 Sep 2010, 8:53 am

#800135

Phil74Camper wrote:We have tried to organise a run or two to Blacktown, but they seem disinterested in putting anything on except the usual mainsteam releases. I don't know why they can't put more interesting 'cult' films on - Grease, Gone in 60 Sec, Bullitt, Italian Job, Love Bug etc. Those 'park' open airs that run every summer seem to be able to do it.

Do you have any idea how film distribution works?
Owners of a cinema (or drive in) have no say on what goes on their screens. It is dictated by the distributors.

Even independants don't have full control of their screens.

Just be thankful that Blacktown is still open. There is no way in hell it makes money... All the other Greater Union cinemas are subsidising their 2 screens.

Maybe they'll do what you want, when you can guarrantee them the many thousands of dollars it costs them to screen a "cult" or "classic" as well as the bonuses they miss out on by not having current releases on the required number of screens for the required number of plays.