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Bass Hill Drive-in, Sydney: An Appreciation

By Phil Mathews

This was how the Bankstown Torch
reported the opening of Bass Hill
Drive-in on 15 November 1956:
‘Bankstown’s second drive-in
theatre opened at Bass Hill this week.
Bass Hill Skyline opened on Tuesday,
with an invitational preview of the
CinemaScope production, The Last
Wagon starring Richard Widmark and
Felicia Farr. The guest audience
included the men who built the Skyline,
together with their families.
‘The public opening took place last
night (Wednesday), when two shows
commenced at 7:15 and 9:30pm. The
CinemaScope feature was Hell and
High Water, with Richard Widmark and
Bella Darvi as stars.
‘Built at a cost of 3200,000 pounds
the Bass Hill Drive-in is a replica of the
Skylines at Frenchs Forest and
Dundas…. There is room for
approximately 700 cars at each session,
plus 450 more in the holding area
waiting for the second show. A western
barbecue supplies grills sizzling off the
grid; hot meals are available in the huge
snack bar; while the mobile service Drive-ins: A Tribute
brings appetizing dishes or
As a child I remember the Drive-in
refreshments to each car as required.
experience vividly; what an adventure
‘Motorists will see pictures on a for a kid! You would have a bath and
screen 110 feet wide by 48 feet high, put on your pyjamas thinking it was
standing 80 feet in the sky, and about it for the night, then all of a
weighing 156 tons of pre-stressed sudden it was on with the dressing
concrete. The arena and driveways have gown and slippers, grab a selection of
been sealed and drained so that even in favourite toys and into the car with
the worst weather there can be no bogs Mum and Dad.
or mud-holes.
Smiling men in white coats
‘Twenty uniformed car attendants,
collected the money at the gate and
trained to handle up to 1,450 cars a
waved the Movie News temptingly in
night, will control traffic without
the faces of mostly untemptable drivers.
congestion whether entering or leaving
Dad would park the car, front wheels
the Skyline.
perched on a little asphalt hill as if
‘The extraordinary reception poised for take-off, and hook the
Sydney picture-goers have given to the speaker up. Then it was fun time; time
new form of open-air entertainment to head for the playground in front of
should be repeated at Bass Hill, which the screen. What a life - playing on
is operated by Consolidated Drive-In public swings in your pyjamas -
Theatres Corporation Pty Ltd. something that otherwise you wouldn’t
‘The same organization will shortly 1988. We fondly remember Bass Hill dream of doing. It was normal at the
open two more Skylines at Caringbah Drive-in the night of Herbie Fully Drive-in though, and hey, all the kids
and North Ryde, completing the circuit Loaded in July 2005, when over 100 did it.
of five gigantic Skylines in the VWs drove in convoy from Liverpool From the playground it was up to
metropolitan area’. to watch the movie. the snack bar to stock up on provisions
Bass Hill survived the closure of Blacktown Twin (opened 1964) is for the movie, and hope you didn’t spill
most drive-ins in the 1980s. now the last remaining Drive-in theatre anything sticky on the upholstery
Reconstructed, it opened as a twin in in Sydney. because there was no surer way to cop
a belting.

28 2008 CINEMARECORD