By Sahar Foladi
A council meeting on Monday 5 June saw a petition of 1,980 signatures in a desperate move to list Australia’s largest drive-in theatre, the Lunar Drive-In in Dandenong as a heritage site urging the council to support the cause.
The petition was listed on change.org.au on 12 January this year by Shane Fischer.
“Let’s get our politicians to hear our voice and list Lunar Drive In’s a heritage site that can’t be bulldozed by the next owners and turned into another warehouse.
“Act now before it’s sold and bulldozed and gone for us and generations to come!” Mr Fischer said in his listing.
The City of Greater Dandenong Council has referred the petition to the appropriate Council Business unit for further action.
The petition asked the council to reduce land tax and stop the sale of the land in a desperate move however council has no power over either.
Heritage Victoria spokesperson said they’d received nominations for the drive-in.
“We have received a nomination for the Lunar Drive-In Theatre in Dandenong and a decision will be made in due course.
“An application for an Interim Protection Order has also been received by Heritage Victoria and is currently being assessed.”
Since the council meeting, signatures have increased to more than 2,000.
The current owner and soon to be ex-owner of the remnant of the past, David Kilderry said assessments are always made by the Heritage Council.
“The Heritage listing makes no difference. The Drive-In is already sold and will be closed.”
The 5.92ha (14.93 acres) land was sold to a private developer, Pellicano, in December 2022.
The Dandenong Drive-In is the perfect locations for many communities and one of the last out of three in Melbourne.
However, Mr Kilderry said the location of the drive-in makes it not viable with soaring land tax.
“We performed a miracle by making it viable for past 21 years.
“We’re the largest and the best drive-in and still can’t make the money,” he said.
In 2010, Heritage Council Victoria determined not to include one of the few Drive-In theatres remaining, on the Victorian Heritage Register and referred the place to the City of Greater Dandenong for potential inclusion in the local heritage overlay.
The Dromana Drive-In and Coburg Drive-In are included on the Victorian Heritage Register and will be the last two remaining in Melbourne after the closure of the Dandenong theatre.
Mr Kilderry said the Heritage Council rejected the drive-in as a heritage site in its original building and questioned what is to be heritage listed as some original parts were removed and re-developed with new equipment.
“There’s no original sign, screen projection room, snack bar, all were replaced in the 2000’s.
“Even when original building was here they (Heritage Council) deemed it not worthy of protection,” Mr Kilderry said.
The Dandenong drive-in theatre will be closed after 67 years after it first opened in 1956 as one of the first 10 drive-in theatres built in Australia.
Mr Kilderry said they’ll keep a lot of the equipment’s from the drive-in theatre for a comeback at a future location.
“That’s something difficult because of re-establishment cost but it’s not out of the picture.
“We’ve looked at areas and we can’t make further comments.”
