Hi all
Further to my post above I went down to Dandenong to do some investigative work and check out the new drive-in site.
I arrived about 1 P.M. which is just about when the Trash and Treasure weekend market is winding up. Fortuitously I was able to get into the site for free.
First let me describe the site. Dandenong is an industrial area to the south east of Melbourne and the drive-in site is just off the highway going from Dandenong to Cranbourne. The highway runs across the top of a hill and the drive-in is at the foot of the hill. The main drive-in entrance is flanked by trees and a large Trash and Treasure sign is the first thing one encounters at the main entrance. A long driveway leads from the main entrance, down the hill for 100 metres or so until one meets a typical drive-in ticket box with the ability to drive either side to pay your entrance fee (quite similar to the one used at Coburg - one wonders whether the new owners will find a pink chevvy to put on top of the ticket box!).
Having paid one's fee a few metres on, one is at the bottom of the hill and nestled behind a number of local factories is a large, generally flat, squarish site. There is plenty of room and arguably capacity for more than 4 screens eventually.
In one corner of the site, towards the highway but away from the entrance box, on a slight rise is presumably where the old Panoramic screen stood. I did not walk up the hill to examine the soil but one would expect that the concrete supports for the old screen lie buried under the soil. In the centre of the site there is an old , low roofed, snack bar pointing towards where the old screen once stood. Curiously there is no sign of a projection room - one presumes that it must have been demolished. The ramps are still in existence and the ramped area of the site now has wire fencing around it and this fenced area is used for the weekly trash and trasure market. In total though only maybe 1/4 of the site is fenced off for this purpose.
At this stage the site still looks pretty ordinary. Remember its a large flattish site in an industrial area and the ramps and snack bar are quite old. On a cold wintery Melbourne day it isn't the most inspring place to be - but it does have potential.
On the opposite corner from where the old screen used to stand is a non-ramped area of green grass. I drove onto the grass and noticed some construction equipment and some diggings were evident. There was some reinforcement steel for concrete stacked nearby as well. Evidently, construction work on the footings for the second screen has commenced It appears that work has not yet commenced on the new projection room however.
Arguably visiting this site on a winters day is seeing the site at its worst but often this is a good way to judge how a drive-in will perform. Really the test of a drive-in theatre is whether people are prepared to go see a movie when the weather is inclement. I ask myself the question - if there was a movie on here tonight would I go? The answer I think is yes - but subject to a few qualifications.
The first thing matter that would need attention is the ramps. The bottom line is that people would not be keen to trudge through mud or water to go to the snack bar. At this stage the surface needs further restorative work to improve the general appearance of the drive-in and make it look more professional. Having regard to the site's location some careful drainage planning would be beneficial to avoid pools of water accruing at points. The site has a slight rise overall so good drainage planning should not be too hard.
The second concerns the toilets. I did not get a chance to see the toilets but my wife who visited them thought they were ok but not flash. Obviously they were built when the original drive-in was built. I believe it is worth spending a little extra money and really providing very clean (possibly heated in winter) toilets with modern hand drying equipment. I noted that the entrance to the toilets is from the outside even though the toilet block is built onto the back of the snack bar. It makes sense to locate the toilets indoors with doors coming from a redesigned snack bar. I think it likely that this would lead to less vandalism and also would keep the toilets warm in winter. The traffic passing nearby to the snack bar would also encourage people to buy more eg patron goes to toilet and then, noticing food in snack bar, is motivated to buy something.
Next on the list is the snack bar. The snack bar was closed on my arrival so it was not possible to judge what food is offered. from the outside the decor looked very 70s (orange tables and all that) Eek! I really like what both Coburg and Dromana drive-ins have done with their snack bars which is to add lots of film posters which adds a certain film atmosphere to the snack bar. Hopefully the new owners will do likewise.
Food however, at drive-in snack bars here in Victoria, still lags behind the times. Coburg has regular American fare (hot dogs, chips, donuts, soft drinks etc) and a range of chocolate and confectionary treats. Dromana is similar. I think that times have changed however and that a more tasty, modern food line up is called for in addition to the old standards. I'd like to see the following:
- Salami & Tasty Cheese Croissants
- Souvlaki
- Greek salad
- Vol-au vents (chicken, salmon)
- Fettucine Marinara
- Churros - YES I INSIST - THE LUNA MUST HAVE REAL CHURROS JUST LIKE IN CALIFORNIA!!!
I think this kind of food (ie tasty) would prove popular, particularly with the many ethnic communities that live in the region. In addition to the above there is a need for good quality cappucinos and cafe latte's with outdoor seating although I accept that the time taken to prepare these coffees can be a problem in a drive-in snack bar situation. A clever solution is called for. There would be nothing better than sipping a nice cafe latte under the stars on a coolish autumn night whilst watching a good flick (that's Australian for movie). Maybe the lattes could only be offered in winter when crowds are smaller and the weather cooler.
As mentioned earlier ther are a lot of different ethinic communities in the Dandenong region eg Springvale has a large Cambodian community. The new owners would be wise to try and offer special film nights to cater to these ethnic minorities as well as advertise in the local ethnic press. Personally I'm keen to see some famous French films grace a drive-in screen in Melbourne. I'd love to see Asterix & Obelix, or Taxi II up on the big screen along with english subtitles. It would be awesome.
Anyway whatever happens I think the new owners are on to a winner with this drive-in. First the drive-in is close to a number of existing and proposed freeways so access to it is very good from the whole of south eastern melbourne. Secondly it is located next to a growth corridor where there is a very large growing population (Dandenong to Pakenham and down to Cranbourne). Finally it is located in or near to the drive-in black hole that we have in Melbourne - namely that residents in our South eastern suburbs live too far from either Coburg or Dromana drive-ins. It simply needs to provide good facilities and a good experience and it should be quite successful. I really think that Churros could be marketed as a special American treat not offered by any other drive-in in Melbourne. At present nowhere in Melbourne is it possibel to get real yummy Californian churros. One can buy Spanish Donuts at Victoria Market but these are not as sweet and yummy.
cheers Peter
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posted 07-27-2002 09:10 PM
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