Ferry terminal to host summer movie nights

A PAIR of outdoor movie nights will bring cinema to the Queenscliff waterfront this month, with film screenings locked in beside Port Phillip Bay at the ferry terminal.

The terminal’s car compound will be used as a pop-up outdoor cinema on consecutive Saturday nights, screening Wicked: For Good on January 10 and Australian favourite The Castle on January 17.

Gates will open at 8pm, with movies starting at 8.45pm to take advantage of the fading light and cooler evening air.

Audiences are encouraged to bring their own chairs, and a licensed bar and snack food will be available on both nights. Those wanting to extend the evening can book dinner beforehand at TARRA Queenscliff, inside the terminal, before heading outside for the screening.

The outdoor cinema will be delivered by Searoad Ferries.

“We wanted something that felt distinctly Queenscliff,” marketing manager Peter Wallace said.

“Most outdoor cinemas pop up in parks or city spaces. Waterfront Cinema is different – you’re sitting where cars usually queue for the ferry, watching a film with the ferries, harbour lights and bay as part of the backdrop.

“It’s a simple idea, but there’s nothing quite like it on the Bellarine.”

The initiative is part of a broader effort to activate the terminal beyond its usual role as a transport hub.

“The terminal has parking, facilities, food, a bar and those big open spaces,” Wallace said. “Turning it into a cinema for a couple of nights is a way of testing what else is possible – and giving our local community something new to do on a summer Saturday.”

To secure your tickets, head to searoad.com.au