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Are you a movie aficionado? Do you love open air cinemas? Then you should travel to Western Australia! The Sun Picture Gardens (also known as Sun Pictures) is the world’s oldest picture gardens still in operation. It is located in Broome, Western Australia. And, unlike most outdoor cinemas around the globe, this open-air cinema screens multiple films per night. Most outdoor cinemas which are in areas with favourable climate conditions screen only one or two films per week.
The history of this gem far off the beaten path is quite the story…
Broome was established in 1883.
After a while, it became home to a large Asian population.
Then, in 1903, the Japanese Yamsaki family opened a store on Carnarvon Street. They sold Asian clothing, Asian food, and other Asian goods.
However, the entire Yamsaki family loved theatre. Eventually, their passion for the performing arts led them to devoting part of the building to a No theatre.
No, derived from the Sino-Japanese word for “skill” or “talent”, is a major form of classical Japanese dance-drama. It has been performed since the 14th century.
In 1913, the Yamsaki building was purchased by Master Pearler Ted Hunter, who began converting the entire store into a cinema.
Hunter had plans drawn out for an outdoor theatre seating five hundred people. Work started in 1913. But the theatre was not finished until three years later. It officially opened with a silent movie on Dec 9th, 1916.
In 1924, Sun Picture Gardens changed hands as it was purchased by W.H. Milner and Leonard R. Knight. Their wives oversaw the box office and handled public relations.
Then, in 1933, the outdoor movie theatre was adapted to sound. The first movie featuring sound was shown: Monte Carlo, starring Jeanette McDonald and Jack Buchanan.
Cinema owner Milner died in 1940. His business partner Knight returned to his hometown Perth. Milner’s widow continued to run the cinema on her own until the town of Broome was evacuated in 1942. Just two days before a Japanese air raid.
During or after the evacuation (no one is certain) projection equipment was vandalised. Army officers repaired it and used the cinema for themselves. But they had difficulty changing reels. Sometimes, they took up to forty minutes to do so… testing the patience of their military audiences to its limits.
After the war, open-air cinema operations went back into the hands of civilians.
One problem the cinema faced from the beginning was tidal flooding. Almost every night, the cinema would be flooded.
Some claimed you could catch a fish during the screening. Most nights, people would leave after the movie to find the street outside submerged. Men took this in their stride, carrying women to higher ground, no matter who they were.
Another, far more serious problem the theatre faced in its beginnings was racism.
Up until 1967, Europeans, who were considered most worthy, were seated in the middle of the cinema, with their children up front. Other whites and Asians sat on the left side. While “coloured people” were forced to sit on hard wooden benches on the right. They also had to enter through a separate door.
A boycott began just before anti-discrimination laws were finally established in 1967.
In 1974, a levy was built to stop tidal flooding. Going to the cinema became drier and more comfortable but also slightly less adventurous than before.
15 years later, in 1989, the Sun Pictures Gardens venue was listed on the Register of the National Estate, meaning that it can only be restored, but not altered in appearance or demolished.
In 1995, still going strong, the cinema was added to the State Register of Heritage Places due to its cultural and historical significance.
Marrissa Ferraz bought the cinema in 1997 and began restoring it in 1999.
Then, in 2002, an indoor cinema called Sun Cinemas was opened. This began operating alongside the outdoor cinema, which has to this day remained Sun Picture Gardens.
In 2004, the cinema entered the Guinness World Records for being the “Oldest Open-Air Cinema in Operation”.
If you are ever in Broome, don’t miss this nostalgic haven. During the day, the theatre is open so you can pop in at any time and wander around. A trip down memory lane is provided by a collection of memorabilia on display. Movie posters and old movie reels decorate the walls.
Make sure you stay until the late evening, for at night, it’s always movies under the stars.
Official Website Sun Cinemas and Sun Picture Gardens
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Liam Klenk was born in Central Europe and has since lived on four continents. Liam has always been engaged in creative pursuits, ranging from photography and graphic design, to writing short stories and poetry, to working in theatre and shows. In 2016, Liam published his first book and memoir, 'Paralian'.
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