Page 35 - CR

An extended stay of three nights in Strahan
enabled our tour group to partake of a
luncheon cruise to the Gordon River and
Macquarie Harbour, visiting the entrance,
Hell’s Gates and the infamous convict
settlement of Sarah Island. The following
day we were bussed to Queenstown to take
the ABT steam hauled train.

Burnie Metro 4 Cinemas.

As day two of our tour dawned we continued Passing through Tullah and Rosebery where
on our western trajectory to Burnie to visit the now silent and frozen overhead Aerial
the Metro 4 Cinemas. This stand-alone Ropeway remains suspended above the
complex commands a prominent position roadway, and where in 1909 a young Frank
overlooking the seafront. The interior fit-out Thring Sen, toured his World’s Pictures ART Railway.
is enhanced by the unique vaulted and ribbed Biograph Show, we continued on to Zeehan.
ceiling of the entrance lobby, the design
reflecting the skeletal ribs of a ship hull. This once thriving mining town retains many Since our arrival in Strahan two days earlier
of its old buildings with the now restored the weather had been deteriorating with rain
Gaiety Theatre / Grand Hotel being one of and getting progressively colder. On leaving
the most prominent. The theatre (complete Strahan the next morning, there were large
with continuous big screen video screenings) areas covered in hail. By the time we arrived
has been largely restored and included in the in Queenstown to inspect the Paragon
ever developing School of Mines Museum. Theatre, the hills surrounding the town were
all snow-capped.
Prior to 1919, Zeehan boasted two large, well
equipped theatres the other being the Royal
Burnie Metro 4 foyer.
Theatre where the Royal Picture Show was
conducted. In 1919 a major fire engulfed a
At the completion of this inspection we whole block of the main street destroying
stopped for a photo of Burnie’s former Star many business premises including the
Theatre (Village/Cinema One) now looking Royal. Fortunately the biograph equipment
quite forlorn since last used as a nightclub. was saved and so the Royal Pictures show
In the same street, the older Burnie Theatre continued across the road at the Gaiety.
was only recently demolished.
From Zeehan we continued onto Strahan, Queenstown Paragon.
situated on Macquarie Harbour, for a three
night stay. There the small Pontifex Theatre
was demolished in the early 1970’s, having On our way out of town we drove past the
since the earliest days been the town’s former Gaiety (Capitol) Theatre, now an
picture - theatre. aged care facility.

Star Theatre.

At Wynyard, the old Wynyard Theatre is now
physically connected to and forms part of the
hotel complex next door. The purpose built
1926 theatre is complete and used for a variety
of entertainments, including movies. It was also
another of the Star theatres chain and featured
the ornate pressed steel ceiling panels.

Wynyard Theatre Zeehan Gaiety.

CINEM AREC ORD 2012 35