New location revealed for Whitsunday outdoor movie screen

Movies under the stars will soon be a reality for Whitsunday residents.

Councillor Jan Clifford pictured where a movie screen was planned to be positioned at the Airlie Lagoon. The movie screen will now be mobile. Picture: Deborah Friend

OUTDOOR movie screenings will soon hit Airlie Beach, but a change of location will mean more residents can kick back and crack open the popcorn.

An outdoor screen was originally set to be installed at the Airlie Beach lagoon.

However, issues with insurance and planning meant Division 1 Councillor Jan Clifford had to go back to the drawing board.

The 2020-21 budget, released by Whitsunday Regional Council last week, included $349,000 for a new screen.

Cr Clifford said rather than being fixed at the lagoon, the screen would instead be mobile.

This would allow it to be moved from location to location and used for events across the region.

“I’m thinking down near the playground, you can sit down there, and if there was an event coming we could put it away safely somewhere else,” Cr Clifford said.

“Maybe PCYC might want to have a fundraiser and they’d be welcome to borrow it, those kinds of thing.

Work will begin on widening the deck near the lagoon. Picture: Deborah Friend

“I’m happy with it, and I can take it to the lagoon for special occasions. It was just the ongoing safety and security (concerns).”

Exactly when the screen will hold its premiere showing is unknown as it will be shipped from overseas.

The new screen joins a raft of developments and projects for Division 1 included in the new budget.

Work will also begin on widening the deck in front of The Treehouse cafe and widening the path around the lagoon.

Cr Clifford hoped expanding the path into a shared zone would mean more people could enjoy the lagoon.

“At the moment, the kids going to school and things like that have actually got to go out on to Shute Harbour Rd and people on disability scooters and things can’t actually go around the lagoon,” she said.

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“So that was what I wanted to do, to make that a bit wider, so that could be a shared zone and everyone can use it.”

She said extensions to the deck would also provide more seating areas around the lagoon.

“I’m envisioning it being in two levels,” she said

“If the current restaurants want to use it, there’s facilities to do so under footpath dining and the lower level … would be for the general public to use.”

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