Marina Drive-In Theatre

The Marina Drive-In Theatre opened at Lightning Ridge in May 1973, operated by Gino Scopel. It was the first drive-in theatre in New South Wales to have radio cinema sound, installed in 1979. Crocodile Dundee was shown at the Drive-In in 1988 for the “Back To The Ridge” re-union event.

In the 1990s, sections of the drive-in site began to be sold off for housing blocks, with the Scopel family retaining part of the land for their children. The screen, a large white rectangular landmark for decades, was finally dismantled in August 2005. The land was later fully redeveloped.

The Lightning Ridge Historical Society holds items relating to the Marina Drive-In Theatre including a set of theatre speakers and signage from the parking area, along with Lightning Flash Newspapers featuring decades of advertising material for programming at the theatre.

Article: Research by Russell Gawthorpe and Leisa Carney, edited by Russell Gawthorpe. LRHS research compiled by Len Cram and Barbara Moritz. Sources: Lightning Flash Newspaper, 31 May 1973, 1 March 1979, 25 August 1988.