Opened: 1970’s
Location: Bruce Highway, Bowen
Capacity: 200 Cars
Screens: One
Operator: ?
Closed: ?
The Whitsunday drive-in at Bowen was located just north of the Whitsunday group of islands which contain many resorts. The drive-in was almost on the water just outside the town. The drive-in was constructed as a residence and drive-in theatre. The home sat above the snack bar and was used as a residence for many years. The drive-in was for sale when still complete some years ago at $200,000.
When exploring drive-ins in QLD we stayed in arguably the worst motel in the country. Now I’ve stayed in some rotten joints but this one gets a “no star” rating. We were forced to stay in it as there was nothing else left. It had a pool (swamp), air-conditioning (broken since 1978), Colour TV (one channel, 14cm screen), 2 beds (Vietnam surplus bunks) and general condition of a derelict St Kilda boarding house! We swam in the pool at night in the dark, then wondered what the smell was. By morning we could see that the pool was a greeny-brown colour. Don’t even ask about the mild that was supplied for coffee.
