IT started in 2016 with just a handful of people watching the movie Labyrinth, starring David Bowie, on Quambatook’s large concrete silos.
Now, the Quambatook Silo Cinema has grown into a major event attracting hundreds of people from as far away as Melbourne and South Australia.
On March 2, Australian classic Babe will grace the concrete screen as the small town of 260 people swells its population by up to 500 people.
A bring-your-own-chair occasion, the event has many people arriving several hours before the screening to stake out the best spot in the local Men’s Shed carpark.
Run by the Quambatook Community Development Association Inc, it is held twice a year, usually in March and October.
QCDAI president Chelle Espange said it was good for the local not-for-profit organisations, which provide catering to feed the crowd.
“It’s a good little event,” Ms Espange said.
“The community development association has baked potatoes and possibly a popcorn machine, the Lions Club do coffee and cold drinks, the historical centre do waffles and the Men’s Shed does a barbecue.
“A bus brings people up from Kerang and they dress in theme for the movie being shown, so it can be quite hilarious.”
One of the Melbourne-based groups to frequent the event is 707 Operations, a group of rail enthusiasts that operates and restores historic locomotives and rolling stock, calling itself a moving museum.
The group offers “slow rail journey” experiences to various events throughout Victoria.
“We decided, after a bit of a slow start, that it had to be an Australian film,” Ms Espange said.
“There has been The Dressmaker, Crackerjack, Last Cab to Darwin and many other Australian classics.
“People wanted us to have Mad Max but we have to be careful of the classification, being a public event.
“It is a great atmosphere and we try to get everyone involved.”
As part of the festivities there is usually a prize for the person who has travelled the furthest to watch the movie.
Ms Espange laughed and said it was usually a backpacker coming from France or Germany.
