Somerville

As outdoor cinemas go — this is my favourite. The setting is beautiful with the trees and sunset.
They do not get weird about you bringing your own picnic in abd there is lots of seating.
The chairs are comfortable and bringing a blanket makes for a cosy experience. Tickets are $ 17 but worth it considering the location. It is a good idea to arrive maybe an hour and a half before the movie for parking. I was able to secure close to the venue parking by arriving at 6pm for a 730pm movie.

Just visited this gorgeous venue for the second time for a Unilocal event and was reminded just how lovely it is! This outdoor theater is right in the northeastern part of UWA and has some of the same classic charm as that section of campus, yet you still feel sort of separated well away from the undergrads and secluded in your own little peaceful, outdoors world! Huge pines tower over you, stars twinkle above, and a kookaburra laughs in the background!
We started with some food from the in-​house catering company, Charlie’s pizza. I’ll put more details on my review in their listing, but in short — delicious! If you’re short on funds or just need to clear out the fridge, I believe they also allow people to bring their own food for pre-​event picnicking. So charming. :)
it seemed like all of the seats would have a pretty good view; certainly ours in the middle were perfect. The sound system was great and projection as well; there were a few scenes with just a basically white screen where you could see some of the moonlight reflections of the pines — very cool! You may want to bring a touch of mosquito repellent.
Somerville hosts the Perth International Arts Festival’s Lotterywest Film Season from November through to April, so lots of opportunities to see award-​winning international and independent films that you might otherwise have missed. They apparently also have an annual music festival, aptly named «In the Pines.»
The only real downside is that the seats are not the most comfortable for several hours at a time… they are sort of like deck or camping chairs, with a metal bar under the knees and taut fabric slinging back under you. Definitely put my butt to sleep after a while and felt like the bar at the knees was a bit uncomfortable. This could be easily solved by remembering to bring along a little cushion to sit on though! And maybe a blanket if you want to picnic before. Otherwise — perfect! I highly recommend checking it out, especially for girl’s night out or date night (casual but very romantic).

Great setting and a beautiful evening started with wine and food really hits the spot!

Had a fantastic time at the Somerville. Went to a Unilocal event and the catering was so yummy. Cheeses, fruit platters, risotto balls & yummy pizzas that came from the onsite catering.
It’s really serene, surrounded by huge trees and fairy lights– feels like your in the middle of a countryside watching a film.
A great way to watch a foreign film as part of the Perth International Festival.
Tip: bring mozzie repellent :-)

Loved it although I found the deck chair-​cum-​United Airlines style seats hideously uncomfortable. Richard’s relatives gave me a pair of Lotterywest Film Festival passes as a Christmas present. There was no need to book and there were plenty of seats available as we arrived early.
It’s lovely being amongst the tall pines and very cosy as dusk falls around the big screen. There are places to buy tea/​coffee, food and alcohol around the entrance.
We saw the film ‘Leviathan’ which was a thriller with political intrigue and corruption. I really enjoyed it although it’s a dark Russian film with subtitles and not happy clappy.
Silly rules about not being able to smoke on campus grounds. How ridiculous. Richard and I bought a cup of coffee and had a quiet smoke on a lawn with our portable ashtray anyway.
Yes, good interesting film and a cosy, atmospheric venue — I recommend!

Surrounded by tall trees with the stars twinkling above your head, this is a beautiful place to do anything, let alone watch a movie! It almost makes me feel like a little ewok or something gazing up at those massive trees. Hurm…
The Somerville has a great selection of food and drinks and is a fab place for a picnic. Unlike a lot of other outdoor cinemas, they still allow you to BYOB which is really decent.
There are a few things to bear in mind. Bring insect repellent! The mosquitoes here are feral! Bring pillows, cushions or other padding because the seating becomes brutally uncomfortable an hour or two in. Finally, you need to go for a little bit of a walk to get to the toilets, which are over at the Octagon Theatre.
Let’s face it though, the Somerville is a Perth institution. If you like foreign films, it’s definitely for you.

Guys if you want to wow that special lady friend take her to Somerville. It’s a beautiful setting with fairy lights and pine trees. The seating means you don’t have to sit on itchy grass all night which is a plus. Movie selection is a bit arty but I love a film that isn’t as predictable as the rom coms at every other movie cinema. The wood fired pizza is really great– freshly made with quality ingredients too. Make sure you get there early and have a picnic/​reserve seats cause it can get really busy with popular movies.

I think this is my new favourite place. I have been to a lot of outdoor movies and this is by far the best!
The setting is amazing. The big screen is surrounded by pine trees and lights. It is like you have stepped into a whole other world.
The food was really good as well. We bought a bottle of red with us and ordered the prosciutto pizza and some nachos to share.
There are a lot of older people at these movies and I it made me wonder how they all new about this incredible place and I didn’t. I absolutely loved the atmosphere and everyone picnicking. I plan on going back many times before Perth Festival is over.

I’ve managed to try out the various outdoor cinemas running in Perth over summer except Somerville and I definitely left the best one to last!
This is hands down my favourite outdoor cinema now!
Nestled amongst the pine trees at UWA, with deck chair seating, this is a gorgeous spot to watch the films picked for Perth Festival each year.
The venue includes a licensed bar and food options including Charlie’s pizza and they also have salted caramel icecream available. I just about turned inside out when I saw that! If you’d prefer to pack a picnic and byo wine or beer, then you can do that too.
Most people get down early, reserve a deck chair and then set up for a picnic pre-​movie on the grassed area in front of the screen.
I highly recommend other Unilocalers check the Somerville program and get themselves down here while the season lasts.

Beautiful venue, surrounded by pine trees and greenery! The pizza is delicious, can especially recommend the prosciutto and truffle oil one! Pretty limited vegetarian/​gf options (but you won’t go hungry) however if you’re able to eat anything the pizza, curry, nachos n sushi will satisfy you! Be warned though, no eftpos!
Get in quick and nab a seat then roll out the blanket, open basket, n open the wine! Great place for a picnic beforehand under the shady trees.
We saw 20 ft from Stardom and it was amazing. Music lovers will be mesmerised. An awesome doco about some of the most influential backup singers from the 60’s — 90’s. A wicked soundtrack, interviews with huge names and some of the most breathtaking voices… I was glued to the screen the whole time, it was the best.
If this is the quality of what’s going to be shown through summer then we need to check the diaries because we’ll be here a lot!

Brilliant venue! One of my favourite places to go for a gig. It’s always a laid back atmosphere with no douchebags in the audience and the setting in the pine trees is beautiful. In The Pines is always one of my favourite concerts of the year and I think the Somerville venue has a lot to do with that.

Highly recommended!
There is nothing more lovely than to sit with a friend under the pine trees and stars at Somerville on a balmy evening, watching a movie together. The deck chairs are pretty comfortable (although a pillow brought from home is recommended!), the screen size and audo quality are great, and the location is easily accessible, with free parking available after certain times (check the UWA website to be careful).
It is one of my favourite summer evening outings to spend time here with a picnic on the grass, before settling into my seat with a glass of wine or an ice cream. There is food available here, too, but I haven’t tried it yet. I quite like the luxury of packing my own picnic hamper to spoil my date with!
Tip: don’t forget to ‘bags’ your seat before the movie starts by putting cushions or a scarf where you’d like to settle in for the evening. It gets busy!

Every year I look forward for summer to go to outdoor cinemas. I’ve been to Joondalup pines, Luna in Leederville but my favourite is definitely the Somerville at UWA. Not sure if they did change but I reckon the audio and the quality of the picture was better than previous years.
We always bring cushions but we forgot this time and the seats were not too bad without it.
We decided to eat there next time, no hassle and the food looked really good! They also sell ice cream, wine, beer and even mozzy repellent.
Tip: The food/​drinks stalls closes as soon as the movie starts, so buy everything you need before! Bring cushions and mozzy repellent. If you are planning to have a picnic arrive early!

I want to love the idea of outdoor cinemas but there has always been a few things that have put me off. Firstly, sitting on the grass on blankets is not my idea of comfort. Secondly at night outdoor it is often a little on the windy side here in Perth. But the actual concept I love.
Somerville seems to solve all these problems, allowing you to enjoy the open fresh air while protected from the wind by many majestic sky-​reaching trees all whilst sitting in the comfort of your own personal hammock style seat. To make it even better there is a bar for you to buy a nice bottle of plonk to enhance the experience.
A great & comfortable night out!

One of the (many) joys of living in Perth over the summer months is going to all the outdoor cinemas and Somerville is such a delight. I went for the first time yesterday to watch Satellite Boy as part of the Lotterywest Film Festival and think that the whole set up is very well organised. We actually partially regretted bringing our own food because the food stalls looked amazing (note to self, accidentally leave behind the esky next time).
You can enjoy either the deck-​chairs or the grassy areas to the side of the screen if you feel like picnicking it up. The warm glow of lights in the surrounding pine-​trees give it almost a magical air and perfect for the romantic in all of us.

There’s something very special about outdoor cinemas. Maybe it’s the novelty, or maybe it’s because you know Perth is one of the few cities in the world blessed with such ideal weather conditions to host such events.
On top of that the Somerville setting is pretty magical. Rows of deckchairs are nestled inbetween giant pine trees in this somewhat secret garden. You almost expect Santa Claus to walk in or to see a circle or fairies hovering over a picnic rug — yes it feels that magical!
Combined with great drink, food and film it creates a winning combo in my eyes!
Oh and fee parking out on Hackett Drive — hooray!

With the 2012 – 13 Lotterywest Film season underway I can see myself spending many nights under the Pines. There is food available onsite, but many people arrive early and have a picnic on the grass. It is a lovely atmosphere. Reserve your seat when you arrive with a jacket or blanket, and bring a cushion if you can — it will make two hours in a deckchair more comfy!

There’s something almost stereotypically fairytale about the entryway to this outdoor cinema: a bottleneck of trees and bushes, opening out onto a village green-​type of space, with a large screen towering over the lot of us in a manner appealing and slightly daunting.
It’s worth arriving an hour or two early and taking advantage of the picnic space. As the sun goes down and the mosquitoes come up, this is the perfect spot to either bring a packed dinner (with several bottles of wine at the very least) or else take advantage of the food stalls on site (though the pizza takes a good half an hour).
The movie line-​up is very good, too. There’s an emphasis on European art cinema (we saw The Boy with the Bicycle the night we attended) and it’s an excellent opportunity to see film festival fare in the great outdoors. Be sure to look up: the sky serves as an impressive screen of its own.

UWA is by far Perth’s most aesthetically pleasing university. As such, it’s home to Somerville Auditorium, which becomes an outdoor cinema during the warmer months. hidden within the campus’ looming pine trees, the cinema is a little bit difficult to find at first! If you’re entering from Hackett Drive, keep an eye out for the music block and signs pointing you in the right direction.
If you dont want to picnic it up (but it’s so much nicer if you do!), there are deck chairs available for those who line up early. Also, no smelly port-​a-​loos! Hooray for hygienic toilet blocks! If you get there late like we did, be warned — no refunds under any circumstances, even if you can’t find a nice spot to sit!
It’s a nice setting, if not slightly smaller compared to other outdoor cinemas. The screenings are usually quite arty and of the independent variety, which suits the peaceful surrounds. Just make sure you bring some Aeroguard! Somerville is a human buffet for Mosquitos!

Somerville is an annual outdoor movie event within the lovely surrounds of the pine trees. Watching a movie at Somerville can be a pleasantly calm experience, with the pine trees towering over like silent sentinels, with the stars and the moon gazing from below.
The movies selected for Somerville tend to be art-​house, and some of the movies can be quite contemplative in nature — which suits the surrounds quite nicely.
Most people who come to Somerville will bring their own picnic baskets, and Somerville is a lovely place for a picnic. It is also cheaper than to buy a pizza from the pizza outlet. Despite it being held in summer, it is a good idea to bring a blanket — sitting still for two hours in the open can be surprisingly cold.
Somerville is a great outdoors cinema and worth checking out during its run.