Words and pictures by Colin.
On a mild night in mid-January a small but enthusiastic group of Motafrenz members, family and friends gathered at the South Melbourne Life Saving Club. Most arrived on 4 wheels, but some on just 2.
First stop for the evening was the Bleak House Hotel & Pub, a 5-minute stroll from the meeting point for a pleasant meal and some stimulating conversation, some motoring some not.
Luckily no booking was required and we were able to dine together on the largest table in the bistro, so big that it had a supporting pole in the middle of it which was presumably for the roof and not the table!
After the meal we bundled back into our cars and, in perfect convoy, made our way to the Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre Loading Dock for our indoor drive-in, peculiarly on a night that would have been almost perfect for an outdoor drive-in.
We were greeted by friendly ushers who directed us without fuss into the building to be confronted by possibly one of the largest open indoor spaces in the country, as all but one of the dividers had been retracted.
The floor had been mapped out with parking spaces and we were guided to the best ‘seats’ in the house, in row 2.
We lined up side-by-side and could have all joined hands had we wanted to, except perhaps for those that reversed in and watched ‘hatch-open’. That was clearly forbidden in the ‘rules’ but maybe it was allowed due to the low numbers in attendance, or some smooth talking, or maybe a bit of both!
By the time the movie started there was maybe a dozen vehicles in attendance, mostly scattered through the venue except for ours which were lined up together.
The movie started right on-time at 9.30pm. Once we worked out what it was, we tuned our radios to the appropriate frequency and sat (or lay) back and enjoyed what was a first for everyone, in experience terms if not the actual movie.
For me it was a really interesting experience and I’d probably do it again next year given the chance. As the movie was over 2 hours long it was just on midnight as it finished although I didn’t see anyone turn into a pumpkin, or a handsome prince, unfortunately!
Thanks to everyone that attended, and also to Daniel for bringing the concept to our attention.
