The Tors Drive-In Cinema by Maria Caesar

     With only a handful of operational drive-ins left in the country, the residents of Charters Towers and surrounding districts have access to a movie experience that most Australians can only dream about.

      Construction of the Tors Drive-in began in 1965 as the result of a bet between Jack Feldt, owner and general manager of Feldt’s Theatres Townsville and Charters Towers, and a fellow exhibitor. Almost everything used in construction had been second hand – bricks, iron, timber and even the cafe counter. A railway line was used to construct the screen tower which is why it hasn’t fallen down despite the battering of the elements and the passage of time.

     The Drive-in was officially opened on St Patrick’s Day, 1966. The opening went well until the Tors was struck by a hail storm during the interval, leaving dents in the roof that are still present today. One by one the local theatres closed down. Eventually the Olympia and Royal Theatre closed their doors, leaving the Regent and the Tors Drive-in as the main theatres servicing the town.  On 25 June, 1983, the Regent held a final farewell screening. Five hundred patrons packed into the theatre to watch “Gone with the Wind”.

      When imagining the hills and troughs of a drive-in cinema, with speaker boxes on rows of white posts and a giant outdoor movie screen, most people immediately think of scenes from movies like Grease or popular television series like Happy Days or That 70’s Show.

      I have many fond memories that came about whilst watching a double feature in the Tors Drive in. Sitting in the front (or back seat) with speakers propped on the open car windows is only one option. Some people like to utilise the seating located outside the cafeteria, but I’ve found the ideal viewing position is from upon an old mattress laid out on the inclined bitumen with a mate or two and a blanket to ward off any chills.

     One weekend, six of us crowded onto the back of a ute. Thankfully we had enough cushions to go around. Though various movies may come and go, I’ve always found that a drive-in experience is a hundred times more pleasantly memorable than a seat in a crowded indoor cinema.