A search is on to find a new home and future for the rare and iconic drive-in cinema at Dubbo in a race against time.
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Dubbo Westview Drive-In has attracted a strong following since it brought back movie screenings to 12R Narromine Road in 2017, after a three-decade hiatus.
But now the privately-owned property, which had been on the market for about 15 years, has sold, opening up its next chapter.
Operator of the drive-in business Jason Yelverton thanked both the vendors and new owners of the land for allowing movies to continue showing until the first weekend in April.
He said a new home was needed for the icon, including its giant screen and projection equipment, and called for expressions of interest. Mr Yelverton reports the drive-in is one of only three still in operation in NSW and has had more than 30,000 people through the gates since 2017.
He said its end would be a huge loss to Dubbo. He suggests a move to public land would be the best way to secure the attraction's long-term future.
"...so many people talk about how they came in so many years ago, but I see the excitement that the little ones have now, being able to go and experience a night at the drive-in," Mr Yelverton said.
... when the parents and grandparents are in the car and they experience that together, it's really quite an amazing thing to see."
The public quest has yielded a response, Mr Yelverton said.
"We were actually bowled over with the amount of interest we received from other regional councils, near and far, that were interested in exploring the opportunities, to purchase the equipment and relocate it," he said.
Mr Yelverton said he had also received a phone call from Dubbo mayor Mathew Dickerson about potentially finding some council land.
"But I guess at this stage, in good faith we'll continue to have these conversations and see where we end up," he said.
Mr Yelverton says he's had talks with some charities because he would "really like" to see the drive-in's operation "handed over to a charity or a community group that is better suited to be able to apply for grants than a private company", but he is offering training and support to help make it a success.
Cr Dickerson said he would like to see the drive-in remain at Dubbo.
He said when he had learnt of the sale of the land, he had made contact with both the new owners and Mr Yelverton to discuss a way forward. He said there was potential to find a site that was council-owned land.
"So it would be a site that would be used day-by-day, not exclusively for the drive-in, but obviously then could be used on a Friday or Saturday night for a drive-in," Cr Dickerson said.
"And Jason's got some specific requirements about what he needs, so we'd just try and find some suitable land and then enter into a licence agreement."
The mayor said there were a few steps to go, but he thought there was a good chance a solution would be found to keep the drive-in at Dubbo.
"There's good intent from the developers, there's good intent from Jason and good intent from council," Cr Dickerson said.
"You get those three together and I think we're a pretty good chance of coming out with a solution."