List of active drive-in theatres in Australia

Drive-in theatres (also known as Drive-In Cinemas or Drive-ins) were once very popular in Australia. Although considered an American invention there is evidence of outdoor cinemas in Western Australia where some patrons attended in their cars as far back as 1938, and it is possible that these facilities may even predate the first American style drive-in theatre.
The first American style drive-in theatre to open in Australia was the Skyline in the Melbourne suburb of Burwood on 18 February 1954. It was the first of 330 drive-in theatres that would open across Australia. as was the Dromana Drive-in Theatre. In more recent times the former Dandenong Panoramic Drive-in, in Victoria, has been reopened as the Lunar Drive-in Theatre and now boasts 4 screens making it Australia's largest drive-in theatre with the most screen choice.
The Wonga Drive-in Theatre in Queensland has also expanded and now has 3 screens also. The Rodeo Drive In at Mareeba, near Cairns has new owners and is attracting good crowds. More recently the Tivoli Drive-in near Ipswich has been reopened as well.
Along with a few metropolitan operations, there are a number of drive-in theatres serving remote communities such as Jericho in Queensland.
The remaining drive-ins provide a glimpse of what was a very popular pastime in the 1950s and 1960s. The following is a listing of Australia's remaining open drive-in theatres. It also includes portable operations in which patrons can either drive or sit down to see a movie outdoors.
Victoria
Following a visit to the United States in the early 1950s Hoyts’ southern division manager, George Griffith Jnr, believed that drive-in theatres would be successful in Australia. Hoyts and Fox however did not share Griffith’s enthusiasm for the establishment of a drive-in theatre, so Griffith subsequently formed a syndicate, Auto Theatres Pty Ltd, and Oakleigh in March 1955. The next Hoyts drive-in was constructed in Broadmeadows (1958), but then there was a break of almost 10 years until Hoyts aquired drive-ins at Coburg and Oakleigh and constructed new drive-ins in Bulleen (1965), Wantirna (1968) and Altona. In 1972 the Broadmeadows Skyline was the first of the Melbourne suburban drive-ins to close,, however a new seasonal facility with a blow up screen has recently started at Randwick Racecourse. A few small community drive-ins remain in rural NSW.
*Randwick Racecourse Drive In, Randwick, New South Wales
*Greater Union Blacktown Drive-In (2 Screens), Blacktown
:Blacktown Skyline was opened in the 1960s. It was the first of the Consolidated circuit to add a second screen in 1984 and has a capacity of 700 cars. A third screen was subsequently added however in January 2010 it was closed, when its owner when into receivership. In September 2010 a new owner took over the operation of the drive-in reopening in December.
*Ayr Stardust Drive In, Ayr
:The Stardust drive-in was opened in September 1964, with a capacity of 360 cars. Built within the grounds is a hardtop cinema, so patrons can choose between outdoor and indoor movies.
*Tivoli Drive In, Ipswich
*Yatala Twin Drive In (2 screens), Yatala
:The Yalta Drive-In is the Gold Coast's last open-air drive-in theatre (in an area which formerly had over 20 drive-in theatres), formerly Beenleigh Drive-In, it opened on 27 October 1974, and in 2000 the theatre was renamed Yatala Twin Drive-In when a second screen was added.
*Charters Towers Tors Drive-In, Charters Towers
:The Charters Towers Tors drive-in was opened in 1966 and has two screens with capacity for 300 cars.
*Jericho Drive in, Jericho
*Rodeo Drive In Mareeba, Mareeba
:The Mareeba Rodeo drive-in was built by Far Northern Theatres in the 1960s. Far Northern Theatres had a circuit that extended right through far northern Queenland and into Papua New Guinea. The circuit was sold to Birch Carrol & Coyle in the 1970s.), this started a boom in suburban drive-ins which saw a further eight operating by the end of the decade (the Skyline in Floreat in November 1955, Mott's in Gosnells in January 1956, the Panorama in Roleystone in March 1956, the Metro in Innaloo and the Lakeway in Swanbourne in April 1957, the Melway in Melville, the Wirrina in Morely in March 1959 and the Eastway in Belmont in July 1959) and another nine opened in the 1960s: growth then slowed to only five more built in the 1970s with the last drive-in theatre, Aceway in the suburb of Morley, constructed in 1980. It was opened on 28 December 1954, it was followed by the Mainline Drive-In theatre at Gepps Cross on 7 October 1955, which was Australia's first drive-in / walk-in theatre (with a capacity for 500 cars and seating for 400 patrons). and the Riverland in Barmera in September 2008, only the community run facility at Coober Pedy, the Coober Pedy Open Air Outback Cinema, remains. although Deckchair Cinema provides seats in an outdoor setting.
Tasmania
Tasmania previously had drive-in theatres at Glenorchy and Warrane in Hobart, and in Launceston, Devonport and Burnie. The last of Tasmania’s drive-in theatres at Elwick and Mowbray closed in March 1985.
*None still open and the Sundown at Narrabundah (opened in 1968 and closed in 1984) which is now a caravan park.
*None still open<ref name="Aus Theatre"/>

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