[1] The building was owned by Winifred Kenny, and operated by Robert McLeish, who also leased several other theatres such as The Rivoli.

[2] By 1922 the business was reported as "booming",[3] and the following year The Austral won second prize in a competition for lobby display, losing out to The Prince of Wales Theatre, Perth.

[6] The cinema had one screen[7] and was said to seat 1600 patrons when it first opened,[8] though this number appears to have fluctuated over the years, and was just over 1400 in 1953.

[9] In 1953, Robert McLeish died,[10] and on 29 July 1959 the cinema closed[11] and was converted into the Austral Super Stall Market.

These plans were met with considerable pushback from residents, but were tentatively approved by Yarra City Council in September 2021.