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Launceston
Postcards from

Queenstown
Tasmania

Hobart

With eyes and ears for theatre New Owners Wanted. Lyric Scottsdale
buildings and news, Ross King The former Wynyard theatre In March 2003 Ross was in town
cycled some of the island (above) and the adjacent hotel are both when the interior of the Lyric, (below)
for sale. The theatre forms part of the a 1920s pre-stressed concrete building,
and Fred Page independently
hotel establishment was being stripped of its dress circle
used four wheels.
Forum at St Helens and front veranda. At that time the
Here is what they found. Ellen France and Chris Lea have person gutting the theatre said that it
was to be turned into shops. Twelve
opened the Forum cinema at St. Helens
Stars Dim on Tasmania’s east coast. The Forum is months later, I can say that not much
‘Expressions of Interest’ are invited a 95-seat state of the art digital cinema had changed. The main doors were a
for the use of the Star Cinemas at in the centre of town. real estate display and the shops either
Burnie and Devonport, formerly side of the entrance were locked and
It will screen four sessions a day,
operated by Village as Cinema One. barred. Sad to see that a town like
seven days a week, as long as there is
CMAX cinemas now operate at the demand. Most of the seats are from Scottsdale, which plays host to a lot of
Devonport, while Burnie is served by Scottsdale’s Lyric theatre. St. Helens’ tourists, hadn’t gained anything by the
the METRO complex. Hopefully the art residents had been without a cinema destruction.
deco façade of the Star Devonport since 1964.
(below) will be preserved.

Launceston State Cinema, North Hobart Georgetown Theatre
The Princess is active with live A recent upgrade to this Mathew Flinders landed near what
shows. A front display case shows independent cinema includes a platter would become Georgetown when he
drawings of the original 19th century in the projection room feeding into ever discovered the Tamar estuary in 1798.
façade. The exteriors of the former reliable Centrex projector(s). Before the Now there is a plan to link the old
National (now a clothing store) and platter was installed projection was still theatre building (next page, top left)
Majestic (a printing works) are well reel changes between two machines. with history by making it the home of a
maintained. replica of Flinders sloop The Norfolk.

28 2004 CINEMARECORD