May 2015

May 28, 2015

Urban Exploring: The Old Regent Cinema

Seating 2300 people, the Adelaide Hoyts ‘Regent’ Cinema opened in June 1928 and for the next 39 years was known as “Australia‘s most luxurious theatre”.

The facade of The Regent Cinema — Adelaide 1937. (Photo courtesy of the State Library of South Australia)

In the 1930s and 40s The Regent Cinema was the place to go to impress! If you wanted to go there on a Friday or Saturday night you’d have to book your seat weeks in advance. Upon entering, a large stairway with fountains on either side led you inside the theatre. There you were entertained by live music played on a huge Wurlitzer pipe organ – played by one of Adelaide‘s top organists.

The foyer of The Regent Cinema — Adelaide. (Photo courtesy of the Australian Cinema and Theatre Historical Society)

Sadly though, in 1967 the Regent Cinema was closed and remodelled into a shopping arcade. All but gone, remnants of its lavish interior can still be seen inside…

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May 9, 2015

Urban Exploring: The Tube Room

Long before EFTPOS and electronic transactions, Adelaide store owners needed a way to securely store the daily takings. A common solution in the 19th and 20th century was to employ a Pneumatic Tube System.

Every time a salesperson collected cash they would place it into a special cartridge and load it into an airtight tube. It would then be propelled (by means of suction) along the tube, until it reached the end.

The end would often be located in a different floor of the building (in our case the 2nd floor) containing a vault or strong room. There the money would be securely stored awaiting transport via armoured vehicle.

Not many Pneumatic Tube Systems still exist in Adelaide so I was shocked to find this one inside an abandoned shoe store. Be sure to let us know if you find something similar!

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May 1, 2015

Urban Exploring: Drovers Station

It was a warm sunny day in Adelaide. Hesh, Skold and I were doing another recon mission to this place — previously we found it impenetrable. Prying back a branch of an overgrown bush we identified a fracture in the buildings fortifications.

We squeezed through and onto the grounds.

‘Drovers Station‘ was once owned by a stockman back in the late 1800s. Disused for many years, the buildings have been left to rot and decay. The floorboards have been mostly eaten away by white ants. The walls turning to powder from rising damp. Large structural cracks from ground movement.

In the yard sits machinery from a bygone era. The 1963 International Harvester VF-190 truck proudly displays its military past on the glove box “… BY ORDER OF THE CHIEF OF STAFF USAF”. The hand-crank of the 1945 Fordson E27N tractor reminiscent of days before electronic ignition systems.

We love the fact that just behind a door or on the other side of a wall lies so much of Adelaide’s history. Having such a visceral connection to it far outweighs reading about it in a book or having a guide explain it to you.