Skyrocketing land values are as much to blame for the demise of Australia's drive-in cinema culture as the introduction of video cassettes, a historian says.
There were once more than 330 drive-in cinemas entertaining movie lovers across the country, but now very few exist.
The most remote one is probably South Australia's last remaining drive-in cinema, which is at Coober Pedy in the outback.
Around the country, only 12 drive-in cinemas operate regularly, while an additional three sometimes open to screen films.
Cinema historian David Kilderry, who owns Melbourne's largest drive-in venue, the Lunar in Dandenong South, will close his historic outdoor cinema later this year.
"Our drive-in was originally opened in suburban Melbourne in 1956, and it was on the outskirts [of town]," he said.
"Now we're in what they call they Rolls Royce industrial area in Australia.
"The seven businesses [that were] around us only 20 years ago, every single one of them has gone now … unfortunately we'll be turned into factories before too long."
It's the same fate many drive-ins around Australia faced, as they were traditionally located on the fringes of towns, where the night skies were darker and more conducive to movie viewing.
Last year, the Gepps Cross Mainline cinema closed in Adelaide, but there used to be nearly 50 drive-ins in South Australia, including in the regions like the Riverland, and even small towns in the Mid North such as Gladstone and Peterborough.
Boomtime for drive-ins
Mr Kilderry, who has worked in drive-in cinemas for nearly 40 years, says the boom days were in the 1950s, 60s and 70s.
"We reached peak numbers in the late-1970s and the numbers started to drop off by the mid-1980s," he said.
A big killer of drive-ins was land tax on high-value property, which created a huge dent in their profit margins.
Drive-in cinemas that had been built on the outskirts of towns were suddenly in suburban zones, as populations grew and more space was allocated for housing.
"The value of the land which was formerly on the outskirts of all our cities and towns … 20 years later they were surrounded by suburbia and the encroachment of industry and housing," Mr Kilderry said.
"Combine that with the introduction of the VCR — where people could watch R-rated sex films which were the most popular films in the drive-ins in the 70s — people could watch them at home.
"That was a big change and an easy choice for the drive-in companies to sell the land, realise the profits and put their money into indoor cinemas."
Passion started in childhood
Mr Kilderry's connection to drive-in cinemas started when his parents built a second-storey extension on their house in 1974.
"My sister chose the bedroom upstairs that had the view of the backyard, I chose the bedroom that had the view of the drive-in screen, so I was spoilt from a very early age," he said.
"It was about half a kilometre away … you needed binoculars to see it."
Mr Kilderry started working at drive-ins and cinemas across Victoria about 40 years ago.
He said that over the years, the way people consumed movies in drive-ins had changed.
"In the last 20 years or so, almost five or six months of the year in the southern states' drive-ins … they either parked the car backwards or lay in the back of the ute," Mr Kilderry said.
"Or they bring deck chairs or lawn chairs and sit outside.
"I think it perhaps has something to do with the cars, when you had an old bench-seat Holden … six people could see out but now with big headrests and everything else in a car, its actually not so easy to see out."
Could drive-ins make a comeback?
At the Yatala drive-in theatre at Stapylton, halfway between Brisbane and the Gold Coast, the nostalgic lure of the open-air cinema experience is alive and well, seven nights a week.
The owners advise movie-goers to "bring blankets, pillows, sleeping bags and mattresses and lie down in the back of your van, ute or car" to enjoy the experience.
In keeping with the nostalgic theme, a 1950s diner serves hot food. And one of the drawcards is that you won't need a babysitter, as kids and dogs are allowed.
The drive-in, which opened in 1974 and is owned by the Five Star Cinema Group, remains popular with audiences.
So perhaps there might still be time for an encore performance for drive-in cinemas after all.
