CAARP
Cinema and Audience Research Project

The Lakeline opened in late 1967 under the proprietorship of Greater Union through their subsidiary company Southline Drive-In Theatre Pty. Ltd (Parkinson 1995, p. 97).

The venue proved popular with local residents and continued to pull large audiences into the 1980s then went into decline. Parkinson (1995, p. 97) states that the decreased audience size and consequent closure of the theatre was attributed at the time to the growth of the home video industry and random breath testing. He also considers that the "mature adult" films that were frequently screened in the latter years of its operation also played a role in the loss of patronage. This kind of entertainment, he argues, was likely to have discouraged general audiences, particularly family groups.

Reference:
Parkinson, R 1995, Gauffered Velour: a history of motion picture exhibition and picture theatres in the Illawarra district of New South Wales, 1897-1994, Australian Theatre Historical Society, Campbelltown, NSW.