GOOD VIBES ONLY

STARLIGHT DRIVE-IN

Canberra got a little cooler in January 1957 with the opening of the Starlight Drive-In. Located in Watson, it initially had capacity for 48 cars, though later added a second screen and expanded its capacity to 950 cars.

Steamy windows, mates smuggled in the boot, families in Holdens – the drive-in seemed to have it all as it catered to a growing Canberra population looking for fun and entertainment. Even freezing nights and poor sound couldn’t deter the masses, who flocked to the Starlight for 35 years.

Silent by day, the drive-in turned magical at night. The neon sign beckoning you, movie idols flickering on the big screen, panel vans rocking next to you – many Canberrans have strong and wonderful memories of the place.

But as cinemas became more sophisticated and home video arrived on the scene, the drive-in just couldn’t compete, and in 1993 the Starlight closed, and the land developed for apartments.

The iconic sign, now conserved and reinstalled, stands as a reminder of those glory days.

CENTER CINEMA

The European concept of underground cinemas was brought to Canberra by Italian-Australian architect Enrico Taglietti. Centre Cinema on Bunda Street opened in October 1966 – the first underground cinema in Australia – and as patrons descended the stairs, they were met with a design that was, according to one reviewer ‘unbelievably luxurious – a temple to cinema, with state-of-the-art image and sound, everything in the best of taste and the height of luxury.’

The design contributed a great deal to the cosmopolitan vibe of the city and brought international attention to Canberra. Locals embraced the theatre and its presence contributed to the city’s ongoing love affair with film.

Unlike the mainstream theatres, Centre Cinema proudly showed a range of foreign and arthouse features, and its Sunday Classics were a popular way to pass the time on a quiet weekend.

In 2004 the cinema was converted into a nightclub, the luxury replaced by mirror balls and smoke machines. Cool, but no longer classic.

ELECTRIC SHADOWS

Electric Shadows opened in 1979, taking over from the French-themed Boulevard Twin. Another Taglietti design, patrons were led down steep stairs where fresh popcorn and choc-tops were waiting. Turning either left or right, they entered the ‘red’ or ‘blue’ cinema, before settling into the unmistakable vinyl chairs.

Like Centre Cinema, Electric Shadows screened a diverse mix of foreign, arthouse and classic movies. As the years passed it also took on the role of local community cinema – actively supporting Canberra filmmakers, holding talks and Q&A sessions with directors and actors and programming a wide range of community-based or boutique festivals. It became the darling of indie cinema in Canberra. Not to forget its epic all night ‘movie marathons’ or the ever-popular ‘what’s on’ posters that adorned many a student wall or toilet door.  

The cinema closed in 2006 but despite newer cinemas in town, nothing has quite compared to the iconic Electric Shadows.

SPACE DOME AND OBSERVATORY

Strange as it may seem, the small city of Canberra had, for a while at least, its very own public Space Dome and Observatory. The Canberra Tradesmen's Union Club supported the facility, which began on its roof in 1985 coinciding with the arrival of Halley’s Comet. It later moved to the nearby Downer Cluband became, by the mid-1990s one of the best in the southern hemisphere.

Dedicated staff worked to educate and inspire locals, visitors and school children about the wonders of space.

For a suburban facility it packed a heavy punch, full of high-tech telescopes, projectors and equipment. From the street it looked like a new-age space station, with UFO-shaped structures, shiny metal and domed roofs.  

Like too many other great ventures before it, funding issues resulted in the closure of the centre, and in 2010 it was subject to an arson attack.  Local astronomers hope that interest in astronomy will – like the universe – continue to expand, and that a new centre might rise from the ashes.

aGOG

The australian Girls Own Gallery, known as aGOG, opened its doors on Leichardt Street, Kingston in 1989 as a commercial gallery representing only female artists.

Helen Maxwell, aGOG’s director, believed female artists were being overshadowed by their male counterparts in commercial galleries, and intended her gallery to promote and exhibit women’s art from the Canberra region and beyond. In the ten years of its operation aGOG had an important influence on the visual arts in the Canberra community, and gave Canberra audiences significant exposure to a broad range of artists and contemporary art practices.

The gallery was an important enterprise in Canberra’s cultural history, and symbolic of affirmative action practices that followed 1970s second-wave feminism, in the creative arts as elsewhere. Maxwell’s gallery achieved its aims, bringing artists and audiences together, and significantly advanced the opportunities for women working in the arts in the Canberra region and elsewhere.

MERIDIAN CLUB

Beneath Canberra’s cliched reputation as a boring public service town lies a rainbow heartbeat of fun, glamour and gay pride. Since the 1960s the gay community had been meeting at various venues around the city, but as gay pride became more public, they were able to open a permanent venue.

The Meridian Club was Canberra’s first and only community-owned, community-led social organisation for the ACT LGBTIQ+ population. It operated for over 20 years during the 1980s, ‘90s and early 2000s. Run as a co-op, it provided social gatherings that were inclusive, friendly, diverse and fun. Entertainment included dance nights, drag shows, DJs, quiz nights and concerts, all put together through a largely volunteer base. It paved the way for other gay clubs including Heaven and Cube to open and thrive in the city.

The sign represents Canberra’s burgeoning LGBTIQ+ community and also the increasingly accepting and positive nature of Canberra as a queer-friendly city.  

Good Vibes Only Pt.2