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The news rarely reports on the closing of a drive-in, but Coober Pedy’s drive-in is not your typical one. It was constructed by volunteers in 1965 and has served as a central gathering place for the isolated opal mining community. This community has been featured in movies such as The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome. For many years, miners would arrive in their trucks, still loaded with mining tools and explosives. However, due to the sale of beer at the drive-in, the owners had to prohibit patrons from bringing explosives with them.
Unfortunately, the final showing at South Australia’s sole remaining drive-in theater came to an end when strong winds with speeds reaching 120km/h destroyed the screen on November 15th. The wind caused significant damage, tearing away over half of the panels and the supporting structure.
The website for the drive-in expresses our community’s sorrow.
In 1965, the Progress and Miners Association constructed the original drive-in with the assistance of volunteer workers. During this era, individuals such as my father were enticed to Coober Pedy in hopes of striking it rich by mining opals. Basic necessities were scarce, with no access to electricity and limited water supplies. The nearest pub was over 200km away in Kingoonya.
According to Sue Britt, a volunteer at the drive-in and a member of the Coober Pedy Historical Society, there was very limited entertainment available. Besides listening to the radio, the only other form of entertainment for miners was viewing slides at the town’s community center, which were powered by a generator from a nearby store.
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According to Britt, the drive-in theater served as a meeting place for everyone. Families would bring snacks and arrive early to allow their children to play before the movie began.
The initial projection room consisted of a double-decker shed made of corrugated iron, with projectors located on the upper level and a canteen situated below. The projection booth was equipped with older cone speakers for audio. Even now, prior to the start of the movie, a sign is displayed stating: “Customers, please refrain from bringing explosives into the theater – The Manager.”
Tina Boyd, a former volunteer projectionist, recalls that the initial drive-in theater could accommodate 110 vehicles and was open every day of the week. Occasionally, the theater would show R-rated films for male viewers.
The drive-in theater in Coober Pedy was a popular attraction, so much so that any updates or announcements about the town were made there. Britt recalls that even when the Flying Doctor plane arrived at night, people would go to the drive-in to ask for someone to turn on the airport runway lights, as everyone was gathered there.
In 1986, 500 cars gathered at the drive-in theater to view the movie Crocodile Dundee on the large screen. A man known as Crocodile Harry, who was a peculiar local and former crocodile hunter, had previously boasted about being the inspiration for the main character (although this has been proven false). However, Harry had other notable achievements: his underground home was featured in the filming of Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome and there is a rumor that Tina Turner left a pair of her underwear behind as a decoration for his subterranean hideout.
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In the 1980s, Coober Pedy saw the introduction of television and VHS, marking the end of the drive-in’s dominance in the entertainment industry. By 1995, the drive-in was in a state of disrepair and pigeons had taken over the screen. However, in 1996, it was revitalized and reopened. Since the 2000s, a team of volunteers, including Britt and Boyd, have been managing the drive-in.
Boyd was trained in the operation of the Gaumont-Kalee Model 21 projector, nicknamed “Sexy Beast”, which utilized carbon rods to display movies on a screen. She compares the experience to learning how to mine for opals. The training was hands-on and similar to an apprenticeship. As 35mm film became obsolete, the drive-in theater raised funds to purchase a data projector and construct a climate-controlled room for its use.
Boyd remembers showing The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert to the movie’s producer and crew to commemorate its 20th anniversary. The scene where Guy Pearce’s character is attacked by miners was shot at the drive-in. The original 35mm film was retrieved from the National Film and Sound Archives, and Boyd brought the postwar projector out of retirement. She says, “It was a privilege to be invited to show the film again.”
Britt remembers how calm Boyd was under pressure. According to Britt, if there were any technical issues with the projector causing the film to stop, people would honk their car horns and Tina would have to troubleshoot amidst the loud noise of horns and complaints.
Prior to the recent storm, the drive-in theater was still operating, screening movies every two weeks. In a testament to the town’s determination, the volunteers have reassured on social media that the drive-in will return: “This is not the end of our drive-in, we will reconstruct and resume operations in no time.”
Britt states, “It represents something unique about Coober Pedy.”
Source: theguardian.com
