On a visit to Dromana Drive-in last night a fellow patron gave me some news that nearly bowled me over.

As you all well know Melbourne has just one drive-in theatre, a 3 screen theatre at Coburg in Melbourne's northern suburbs. Aside from Coburg the nearest Drive-in is at Dromana on the Mornington Peninsula (2 screens - soon to be three). For people living in the far eastern suburbs of Melbourne both these drive-ins are at least one hour's drive.

The great news is that Melbourne is to soon have a new 4 SCREEN drive-in theatre at Dandenong in the south eastern suburbs of Melbourne. Built on the former Panoramic drive-in site (used for weekend markets the last 18 years), the drive-in will initially feature 2 screens and should eventually expand to 4 screens.

For me personally this will cut half an hour's travel off going to my nearest drive-in.

Useful links
http://www.drive-insdownunder.com.au/australian/vic_dandenong.htm
http://pub73.ezboard.com/ffilmnetfrm8.showMessage?topicID=6.topic

cheers Peter

Hi all

Further to my post above I went down to Dandenong to do some investigative work and check out the new drive-in site.

I arrived about 1 P.M. which is just about when the Trash and Treasure weekend market is winding up. Fortuitously I was able to get into the site for free.

First let me describe the site. Dandenong is an industrial area to the south east of Melbourne and the drive-in site is just off the highway going from Dandenong to Cranbourne. The highway runs across the top of a hill and the drive-in is at the foot of the hill. The main drive-in entrance is flanked by trees and a large Trash and Treasure sign is the first thing one encounters at the main entrance. A long driveway leads from the main entrance, down the hill for 100 metres or so until one meets a typical drive-in ticket box with the ability to drive either side to pay your entrance fee (quite similar to the one used at Coburg - one wonders whether the new owners will find a pink chevvy to put on top of the ticket box!).

Having paid one's fee a few metres on, one is at the bottom of the hill and nestled behind a number of local factories is a large, generally flat, squarish site. There is plenty of room and arguably capacity for more than 4 screens eventually.

In one corner of the site, towards the highway but away from the entrance box, on a slight rise is presumably where the old Panoramic screen stood. I did not walk up the hill to examine the soil but one would expect that the concrete supports for the old screen lie buried under the soil. In the centre of the site there is an old , low roofed, snack bar pointing towards where the old screen once stood. Curiously there is no sign of a projection room - one presumes that it must have been demolished. The ramps are still in existence and the ramped area of the site now has wire fencing around it and this fenced area is used for the weekly trash and trasure market. In total though only maybe 1/4 of the site is fenced off for this purpose.

At this stage the site still looks pretty ordinary. Remember its a large flattish site in an industrial area and the ramps and snack bar are quite old. On a cold wintery Melbourne day it isn't the most inspring place to be - but it does have potential.

On the opposite corner from where the old screen used to stand is a non-ramped area of green grass. I drove onto the grass and noticed some construction equipment and some diggings were evident. There was some reinforcement steel for concrete stacked nearby as well. Evidently, construction work on the footings for the second screen has commenced It appears that work has not yet commenced on the new projection room however.

Arguably visiting this site on a winters day is seeing the site at its worst but often this is a good way to judge how a drive-in will perform. Really the test of a drive-in theatre is whether people are prepared to go see a movie when the weather is inclement. I ask myself the question - if there was a movie on here tonight would I go? The answer I think is yes - but subject to a few qualifications.

The first thing matter that would need attention is the ramps. The bottom line is that people would not be keen to trudge through mud or water to go to the snack bar. At this stage the surface needs further restorative work to improve the general appearance of the drive-in and make it look more professional. Having regard to the site's location some careful drainage planning would be beneficial to avoid pools of water accruing at points. The site has a slight rise overall so good drainage planning should not be too hard.

The second concerns the toilets. I did not get a chance to see the toilets but my wife who visited them thought they were ok but not flash. Obviously they were built when the original drive-in was built. I believe it is worth spending a little extra money and really providing very clean (possibly heated in winter) toilets with modern hand drying equipment. I noted that the entrance to the toilets is from the outside even though the toilet block is built onto the back of the snack bar. It makes sense to locate the toilets indoors with doors coming from a redesigned snack bar. I think it likely that this would lead to less vandalism and also would keep the toilets warm in winter. The traffic passing nearby to the snack bar would also encourage people to buy more eg patron goes to toilet and then, noticing food in snack bar, is motivated to buy something.

Next on the list is the snack bar. The snack bar was closed on my arrival so it was not possible to judge what food is offered. from the outside the decor looked very 70s (orange tables and all that) Eek! I really like what both Coburg and Dromana drive-ins have done with their snack bars which is to add lots of film posters which adds a certain film atmosphere to the snack bar. Hopefully the new owners will do likewise.

Food however, at drive-in snack bars here in Victoria, still lags behind the times. Coburg has regular American fare (hot dogs, chips, donuts, soft drinks etc) and a range of chocolate and confectionary treats. Dromana is similar. I think that times have changed however and that a more tasty, modern food line up is called for in addition to the old standards. I'd like to see the following:

- Salami & Tasty Cheese Croissants
- Souvlaki
- Greek salad
- Vol-au vents (chicken, salmon)
- Fettucine Marinara
- Churros - YES I INSIST - THE LUNA MUST HAVE REAL CHURROS JUST LIKE IN CALIFORNIA!!!

I think this kind of food (ie tasty) would prove popular, particularly with the many ethnic communities that live in the region. In addition to the above there is a need for good quality cappucinos and cafe latte's with outdoor seating although I accept that the time taken to prepare these coffees can be a problem in a drive-in snack bar situation. A clever solution is called for. There would be nothing better than sipping a nice cafe latte under the stars on a coolish autumn night whilst watching a good flick (that's Australian for movie). Maybe the lattes could only be offered in winter when crowds are smaller and the weather cooler.

As mentioned earlier ther are a lot of different ethinic communities in the Dandenong region eg Springvale has a large Cambodian community. The new owners would be wise to try and offer special film nights to cater to these ethnic minorities as well as advertise in the local ethnic press. Personally I'm keen to see some famous French films grace a drive-in screen in Melbourne. I'd love to see Asterix & Obelix, or Taxi II up on the big screen along with english subtitles. It would be awesome.

Anyway whatever happens I think the new owners are on to a winner with this drive-in. First the drive-in is close to a number of existing and proposed freeways so access to it is very good from the whole of south eastern melbourne. Secondly it is located next to a growth corridor where there is a very large growing population (Dandenong to Pakenham and down to Cranbourne). Finally it is located in or near to the drive-in black hole that we have in Melbourne - namely that residents in our South eastern suburbs live too far from either Coburg or Dromana drive-ins. It simply needs to provide good facilities and a good experience and it should be quite successful. I really think that Churros could be marketed as a special American treat not offered by any other drive-in in Melbourne. At present nowhere in Melbourne is it possibel to get real yummy Californian churros. One can buy Spanish Donuts at Victoria Market but these are not as sweet and yummy.

cheers Peter

Unfortunately these photos were sent to me anonymously so I can't vouch for their accuracy.

First the main gate of the new Luna Drive-in
http://members.optushome.com.au/pberrett/spooky/dandenongpic1.jpg

And secondly a photo of the snack bar with the two screens in the background.
http://members.optushome.com.au/pberrett/spooky/dandenongpic2.jpg

Enjoy

cheers Peter

ps (don't take the above too seriously - afterwards check out http://www.drive-insdownunder.com.au/australian/vic_dandenong.htm )

 

cheers Peter

I have some legit photos of the new Lunar Drive-in for all to see

1. Widescreen shot
http://members.optushome.com.au/pberrett/spooky/lunawidescreen.jpg

This is a 600k file so it takes a while to load. I took a series of shots from just outside the fenced off area used for weekend markets, and then spliced them together. It gives a 360 degree view of the drive-in. Notice the vacant area at the beginning of the photo which looks as though it will need some grading to prevent mud and water pools forming in inclement weather.

2. New screen

I have blown up one of the pictures. In the background you can see the diggings as foundations for screen 2 have begun to be installed.
http://members.optushome.com.au/pberrett/spooky/new%20screen.jpg

3. Playground
http://members.optushome.com.au/pberrett/spooky/playground.jpg

4. Original snack bar (looking tired and churro-starved).
http://members.optushome.com.au/pberrett/spooky/snackbar.jpg

cheers Peter

------------------
Barry Floyd
Floyd Entertainment Group
Lebanon, Tennessee

Stardust Drive-In Theatre
Watertown, Tennessee
 

quote:

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It makes sense to locate the toilets indoors with doors coming from a redesigned snack bar.

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The Blue Fox Drive-in of Oak Harbor, Washington has its restrooms (American for toilets) accessible only from the snack bar area. If you don't rush back there as soon as the end credits for the second movie start you're going to be shut out because they want to close up shop as soon as possible. Most drive-ins want to close their snack bars by the middle of the second feature to reduce costs.
 

From memory the Coburg Drive-in here in Victoria keeps its snack bar open till quite late. The only problem is that the restrooms are located outside.

cheers Peter

 

I thought that Buddy had the initals "DK" and had on occasions put posts on this group and also might have been employed in a senior technical position with a certain major film exhibition group here in Australia.

However the news I have seen suggested that Buddy's brother (?) "MK" might have been the person behind the drive-in venture. I could not see how MK could have retained his employment with the major film exhibition organisation and also run a drive-in in competition with that group.

Who is Buddy? Who is really behind the Lunar Drive-in? And what is the connection between the faked moon landings, NASA, the CIA and this new Drive-in Theatre? The truth is out there. Let the conspiracy stories begin!

cheers Peter

In my opinion, Barry is on the money, drive-ins offer low cost predominantly working class entertainment, that is certainly what we see at the Coburg Drive-in.

Peter, the original projection room is still in existance built onto the side of the snackbar, you can see it in the photos!.....but a brand new one I understand is being built nearby.

Village Jam Factory 15 sells genuine Churros and has done for some time.

David Kilderry
 

I drove past South Yarra on my way home tonight - I wish I'd known earlier. I can see a churro munching visit to South Yarra coming soon.

I wish your brother luck with his new venture.

cheers Peter
 

I ventured down to Dandenong Market (the site of the future Luner Drive-in) today to see what progress had been made in the past few weeks.

Quite a bit has been done since my last visit.

The bases of the two screens have been escavated and steel had been placed ready for concrete to be poured. The bases will go 7 foot into the ground so that is a lot of concrete! I was surprised to see that the new operators have decided to relay the base of the original screen - I would have expected that the original concrete base would have been used. Maybe the concrete had deteriorated over the past 18 years?

In addition to the above the site for the new projection room has also been escavated with plastic laid down and steel in place on top of that. I expect that the Drive-in will see a continuous procession of concrete mixers of the next few weeks!

Curiously I noticed there is a disused building on the site near the fence on the South Gippy Highway side. It appears to have been a snack bar of some kind based on an old sign hanging on one side of it. The rear of the building looks like it was a toilet?

Anyone know anything of the history of this building?

cheers Peter

quote:

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We did that for Cinema Borealis outdoor showing in Chicago back in the 80's. We used 10 Intersonics subwoofers(the same type that NASA uses to levitate things) outdoors and almost blew the windows out of the high rises that the subs were pointed at. Several of the Buildings tennants showed up to voice their opinions about having any more outdoor screenings there.

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Well, I know everyone's thinking it but may not want to say it, but I'm at the age now where I'll just come out & tell the truth. So:

Hee hee hee hee hee!