Luna Park Sydney

History

The 1901 Pan-American Exposition, a World’s Fair held in Buffalo, New York, United States, from May to November 1901, inspired the first Luna Park in Coney Island, which helped set in motion a frenzy in building amusement parks. The park’s creators, Frederic Thompson and Elmer “Skip” Dundy, created a wildly successful ride called “A Trip To The Moon”, at the Pan-American Exposition. The name of the winged spacecraft (which was not a rocket, but flapped its wings) was Luna, the Latin word for the moon. At the invitation of Steeplechase owner Harry George Tilyou, Thompson and Dundy moved their show to Steeplechase Park, an amusement park at Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York City, for the 1902 season after the Pan-American Exposition closed. At the end of that season, the partners obtained a long-term lease for the site of an older amusement park, Sea Lion Park, and rebuilt it as Luna Park, the second major amusement park in Coney Island. Although the two partners claimed that Dundy suggested the park be named after his sister in Des Moines, Luna Dundy Newman, it was probably named for the spaceship of their successful ride. The architecture was quite fanciful, with thousands of electric lamps on the outside of the buildings at a time when electrification was still a novelty.

That first Luna Park operated from 1903 to 1944, and established a link between the two names – Luna Park and Coney Island – that still exists today. Like their White City Amusement Park cousins, a typical Luna Park featured a shoot-the-chutes and lagoon, a roller coaster (usually a figure eight or a mountain railway), a midway, a Ferris wheel, games, and a pavilion. Some Luna Parks featured miniature railroads.  Many of the world’s fast foods had their origins in the White City, Luna Park and Coney Island amusement parks. It was here that most Americans, Britons and Australians were first introduced to the hamburger, shredded wheat, Juicy Fruit chewing gum. These amusement parks exposed millions of people to a new form of music called Ragtime, composed and performed by Scott Joplin; it instantly became a staple for fairs and carnivals.

Luna Park Sydney is a park filled with a difficult history. It opened in 1935 to great success. The rides were brought from the recently shut Glenelg Luna Park for 60,000 pounds and it took 1000 men to re built the rides and the park. The park was originally closed during winter months, a tradition which stood until 1972. During this time existing attractions were re painted and moved, new attractions were added and the park was given a new feel. During World War 2, the park was caused to turn off all its light in case of attack by the Japanese, and the 50′s saw new rides and new technology come to the park and the famous moon face was reconstructed. 60′s and 70′s saw the adding of new American thrill rides and as the lease expired for the park in 1975, pressure was put on the park to be destroyed for new apartment buildings.

On the 9th of June 1979, the park’s Ghost Train caught fire. The fire quickly destroyed the ride, which was understaffed and not adequately covered by the park’s fire hose system, although it was contained before spreading to the nearby Big Dipper and River Caves. Searches of the charred rubble revealed the bodies of six children and one adult. The park was immediately shut down.

The park was bought in 1980 and everything was sold or destroyed besides Coney Island, the Moon Face, The Wild Mouse Coaster and Crystal Palace. The parks still hadn’t opened 10 years later and new apartment blocks had been built during the time it was shut. This led to further problems down the track for the park, as these residents started complaining when the park finally re opened in 1995 with a new roller coaster, now known as the Cyclone in Dreamworld.

The park was again closed in 1996 and was not opened until 2004 until all the loud rides were taken down, and replaced with cafes, concert halls and function rooms. Legal action was taken again against the park by nearby residents in 2005 and 2007 to completely shut down the park and they were asking for up to 20 million dollars in damages. These were luckily beaten and the park now operates with a descent amount of success and with the closure of Wonderland Sydney due to the corrupt Malaysian business Sunway Group, the park is still New South Wales largest up to 70 years after it opened.Luna Park.