Pink Lake Drive In , named after the famous PINK LAKE in the town , was built by Mick Lalor in 1965 .Mick , a very early Esperance resident and a man of many hats previously ran movies and the old Bijou hall. The cinema was affiliated with Consolidated Theaters , Perth WA , run by Bob Yelland .
Although it was never sealed , this 400 car cinema was set in a natural sound bowl and boasted a large kiosk.The cinema was located on the outskirts of town ,or so it was back in 1965 , mains power and scheme water had not reached this area. Onsite diesel generators provided power for the cinema and a water bore provided water supply , the cinema was connected to mains and the generators were discontinued , the bore however was continually used right up till the cinema closed.
The giant 148 foot x 42 foot screen , was the second largest in Western Australia. All the timbers in the frame were hand cut and changing the light globes over the "Pink Lake" sign was a real challenge! All the timbers in the screen were cut by handsaw and erected by Jack Lalor& John Fahaan-Smith
Radio sound was added in the late 70's only the front rows still had speakers on stands
CONSTRUCTION OF THE SCREEN PHOTOS