Reservoir Village

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Opened: 1964
Location: Settlement Road, Thomastown
Capacity: 700+
Screens: One
Operator: Village Drive-in Pty Ltd
Closed: 1982

After Coburg, which I could see out my bedroom window, I saw more of Reservoir than any other drive-in, I passed it on my way to school each day. As I passed the side of the screen, I would try to line up all the steel supports of the screen tower so they aligned as one. It only ever occured for a split-second as I passed that magic spot on Settlement Road.

This image is from the Fairfax Archives
Playground at Reservoir, courtesy Alan Vogt.
Image courtesy of Chris Keating

Reservoir was built to capitalise on the rapidly expanding northern suburbs that followed the Epping train line north. After Broadmeadows drive-in closed, Reservoir had a large population base from which to draw its customers from. Reservoir closed in 1982 along with Sunshine. They joined Altona and Moorabbin that had closed previously, it was this point in time that we realised that all was not well in the land of drive-ins! When operating, the drive-in was surrounded by fields of grass, today the area is residential housing, factories, freeways and McDonalds! One of my earliest trips to the drive-in (that I can remember anyway) was to Reservoir in the family Volkswagen. Left-over roast chicken in foil and cordial in coloured aluminium cups – remember those? I don’t think I ever saw inside a drive-in snack bar until I was a teenager, my mum always ensured we had enough to eat and drink so there would be no need to go near the diner. With my eyelids too heavy to stay open, I would flop behind the back seat of the VW Beetle and sleep.