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Austral Picture Theatre

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Coordinates: 37°47′58.6″S 144°59′29.7″E / 37.799611°S 144.991583°E / -37.799611; 144.991583 (Austral Picture Theatre)
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Not to be confused with the Austral Picture Palace in the Adelaide suburb of Kilkenny, South Australia

Austral Picture Theatre
Austral Picture Theatre in 2021
Map
General information
TypeFormer theatre
Location200 Johnston Street, Collingwood, Victoria
Coordinates37°47′58.6″S 144°59′29.7″E / 37.799611°S 144.991583°E / -37.799611; 144.991583 (Austral Picture Theatre)

The Austral Picture Theatre was a theatre and cinema built in Collingwood, Victoria, Australia. It opened in 1921 as a theatre and later became a roller skate rink. It is currently used as a carpet store, with plans to partially demolish the building to make way for apartments.

History

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The theatre was formally opened on Thursday, 15 September 1921, at 8pm, by the Mayor of Collingwood, Cr. Walter G. Amos. A jazz orchestra played music, and two films, Dady-Long-Legs and The Diamond Queen, were shown.[1]

The building was owned by Winifred Kenny, and operated by Robert McLeish, who also leased several other theatres such as The Rivoli.[2] By 1922 the business was reported as "booming",[3] and the following year The Austral won second prize in a competition for lobby display, losing out to The Prince of Wales Theatre, Perth.[4]

The Austral building was run as a cinema until at least the late 1930s,[5] and had a partnership with Hoyt's Theatres.[6] The cinema had one screen[7] and was said to seat 1600 patrons when it first opened,[8] though this number appears to have fluctuated over the years, and was just over 1400 in 1953.[9]

In 1953, Robert McLeish died,[10] and on 29 July 1959 the cinema closed[11] and was converted into the Austral Super Stall Market.[12] Later in the 1970s the building was used as a roller skate rink, and in 1975 the building was placed for sale for $200,000.[13] It was still available January the following year,[14] and was then put up for auction in 1976,[15] and again in 1988,[16] and 1990.[17] Since 2003 the Austral building has been the home of a carpet store Mr Carpets / Inner City Floorworld.[18]

Recent Developments

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In 2019 Mr Carpets Floorworld sold the site for a reported $8 million to developer DPG who announced plans to turn the site into apartments.[19][20][21]

The new building, designed by Jackson Clements Burrows Architects, was originally planned as an 11 storey apartment complex which would retain the original theatres facade,[22] but would have removed an 80 year old Dutch elm tree from the rear of the property. These plans were met with considerable pushback from residents, but were tentatively approved by Yarra City Council in September 2021.[23]

Although the building is considered "significant" by Heritage Victoria it is not protected.[24][25]

Rear of the Austral Picture Theatre building showing the elm tree on its right.

References

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  1. ^ "AUSTRAL PICTURE THEATRE". Herald. 14 September 1921. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  2. ^ "Life's Phases on the Film". Herald. 10 September 1921. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  3. ^ "The PICTURE WORLD". Table Talk. 7 September 1922. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  4. ^ "FLICKS AND FANS". Herald. 22 November 1923. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  5. ^ To-Night Suburban Entertainment. The Age. 1938. p. 22.
  6. ^ Hoyts Theatres Ltd. The Age. 1929. p. 12.
  7. ^ "Austral Theatre in Melbourne, AU - Cinema Treasures". cinematreasures.org. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  8. ^ "AUSTRAL THEATRE". Table Talk. 29 September 1921. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  9. ^ "venue". 10 June 2010. Archived from the original on 10 June 2010. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  10. ^ "DEATH OF A GREAT SHOWMAN". Argus. 7 October 1953. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  11. ^ "Austral Theatre". Ragic!. Archived from the original on 13 December 2021. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  12. ^ "Advertising". Australian Jewish News. 18 September 1959. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  13. ^ For Sale. The Age. 1975. p. 46.
  14. ^ For Sale. The Age. 1976. p. 16.
  15. ^ Superb Location In Collingwood. The Age. 1976. p. 31.
  16. ^ "Advertising". Australian Jewish News. 22 April 1988. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  17. ^ "Advertising". Australian Jewish News. 23 March 1990. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  18. ^ "ABN Lookup". abr.business.gov.au. 1 November 2014. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  19. ^ Pallisco, Marc (31 August 2017). "Salta finds a strategic way to secure Preston Market catchment". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  20. ^ PALLISCO, MARC (16 April 2019). "Receivers sell central Geelong medical centre for $20m". Commercial Real Estate. Archived from the original on 10 October 2021. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  21. ^ "Heritage & Planning Issues". Collingwood Historical Society Inc. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  22. ^ "PLN20/0950 | Yarra City Council". www.yarracity.vic.gov.au. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  23. ^ "Yarra City Council ignores objections as plans to demolish historic theatre go ahead". The Swanston Gazette. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  24. ^ "VHD". vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  25. ^ "Austral Theatre later Austral Picture Theatre 200-202 Johnston Street Collingwood". City of Yarra Review of Heritage Precincts 2007 Appendix 7. Archived from the original on 23 September 2020. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
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