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Photo - Leinster Sport and Recreation Association.

Drive-in theatre reopens in WA’s Leinster as popularity jumps amid COVID-19 restrictions – By Madison Snow ABC Goldfields

The Leinster Drive-In has officially reopened after six years. (Supplied: Leinster Sport and Recreation Association )

During summer the car boot was popped and stuffed with pillows for extra comfort, but in the winter the front seat was the prime position, close to the heater (if you had one that worked) and the speaker that hung on the window.

For more than three decades, drive-in movies were an iconic part of Australia’s culture. At its peak there were around 330 across the country, but now there are less than 20.

The 1970s was the high point for the industry, there were around 100 drive-ins in Western Australia alone.

Now only three are still in operation — one in the Perth suburb of Kingsley and the two others in the regional towns of Dongara and Koorda.

But 1,000 kilometres north-east of Perth in Western Australia’s Goldfields region, the mining town of Leinster is bucking the trend and reopening the town’s drive-in.

A woman smiles as she sells tickets to people in the car entering a drive in movie theatre. Anjie Tenthy serving patrons at the ticket booth at the Leinster Drive-In. (Supplied: Leinster Sport and Recreation Association)

A lot of people were quite excited' Leinster Sport and Recreation Association (LSRA) president Marc Trenfield said the drive-in had been officially closed for six-years.

Mr Trenfield worked on the opening and said a third of the town’s population turned out for the first screening.

“The novelty behind it was not lost on people, a lot of people were quite excited,” he said.

“A lot of people I spoke to had never been to a drive-in before. It was probably only the older people that actually had memories of drive-ins.”

For those who remember the drive-ins, the Leinster theatre has all the trappings to trigger nostalgia of balmy nights spent watching the silver screen from the back of the Holden Sandman.

A kiosk selling fresh popcorn, lollies and hotdogs, a playground to distract the kids when they start to get restless, and of course the big white screen.

Mr Trenfield said the LSRA had planned to open the drive-in sooner, but they were delayed due to COVID-19.

The decision to reopen the drive-in is not a temporary one, as the LSRA are fundraising for a $90,000 projector. Mr Trenfield said the current projector “does the job”, but it was getting a bit tired.

“We have been pledged $60,000 already, but we just need another $30,000,” Mr Trenfield said.

“I’m very optimistic that we’ll have one next year. We were hoping for this year, but again with 2020, we’re probably not going to reach that target, but that’s ok.”

The LSRA’s plans to reopen the drive-in was unrelated to it being a COVID-19-friendly activity, a contributing factor to the revitalisation of drive-ins around the country.

A drive-in cinema operator in regional New South Wales has predicted a post-coronavirus boom for the industry, while a brand new theatre is opening in regional Victoria.

WA Screen Academy associate professor Andrew Lewis said he wouldn’t be surprised if the popularity of drive-ins continued in regional Australia because they had space.

“It’s interesting that Biden had his rallies in drive-in cinemas and car parks because of the safety,” Dr Lewis said.

“But I actually think once we’ve got through COVID, it could work very well in regional areas because there is that novelty factor and it is something you could do on a Friday night.

“I just can’t see it taking off in a big way in the cities again.”

Marc Trenfield says about a third of the town’s population turned out for the first screening at the Leinster Drive-In. (Supplied: Leinster Sport and Recreation Association)

The shire’s community development and events coordinator Shane Tobin said it was a way to get people together while adhering to the State’s COVID-19 guidelines.

“We had two nights of movies, and it was very well received and sold out,” he said.

Just like drive-in patrons in Leinster, Mr Tobin said most people had not experienced it before.

“This is like 30-, 40-year-olds with their kids [who] had never been to a drive-in, and they thought it was wonderful,” he said.

Mr Tobin agreed that drive-ins would work in regional WA, but it wasn’t an option to open one permanently in Esperance where there were other entertainment options.

“If you’re a regional town and you haven’t got a cinema, a drive-in is a great option,” he said. “We worked it out, we had a big screen and we pegged it up on a shed.

“I think going up against a cinema in a regional town, the cinema would win.”

UPDATE - kennerado on January 25, 2024 at 5:12 am - This drive-in now appears to be closed, the most recent aerial photo seems to show it being used as some kind of scrap yard, however the screen and concession building still seem to remain.

Contributed by Greg Lynch -