My family stayed at a hotel directly across from the park about 20 years ago. Sadly, at that time, the entire park was SBNO. The hotel staff told us the park frequently closed down due to low attendance, noise complaints from neighbors (bs since the park was there well before any developments), and the bad feelings from the fire (it had about 20 years before I went so most people remembered it fully). I’ve checked in on the park every so often and it seems to be doing well. Although the neighbors are as evil as ever about “noise”. Why move that close to an amusement park if noise is a problem for you?!? Anyways glad to here they put tons of $$$ into it because it’s an awesome, historic, easily accessible park. It deserves the best.
Yes Sydney used to have an amusement park called Australia’s wonderland. It was very sad when it closed. I did however get stuck on a broken down roller coaster there and we had to get winched down. Was rather scary.
Yeah, Luna Park’s history goes so deep that it’s even involved in corruption! The ghost train fire was arson and the children who were victims of the fire WERE MURDERED. The YT channel Australia Crime covered the ghost train fire in great detail and it was devastating 😢
the ghost train has a documentary and honestly its very very sad. in 1979 multiple families lost their children and one women lost her two sons and her husband. the fire was arson planned arson attack. The police were so corrupt that to this day its still “electrical fault” as the cause and no real justice has been served to the families that lost their kids and husband.
THANK YOU! I'm so used to americans or people from countries with tons of themeparks bash and complain about Luna Park, but they don't realise this is the only amusement park at sydney, yes it doesn't have a bunch of things to do but it holds a place in every locals heart
I respect your opinion but I’m American and enthusiastically looking forward to visiting Luna tomorrow, without comparing it to anywhere else. I adore visiting historical sights of any sort and am sad whenever they’re removed. Also am a recipient of many courtesies from locals here (directions, advice, conversation etc) and happy to visit your wonderful country 😊
We're lucky this place survived, because Sydney could of very easily ended up having no amusement park at all. The fact that it's had a major upgrade is great. A real step up over the Melbourne counterpart. Overall I agree that Sydney and Melbourne are both so starved for coasters. It's really sad. Thinking about how we lost Wonderland is like a dagger to the heart.
There are rumours that the Ghost Train fire was intentional, possibly caused by someone hoping to buy the land. My dad told me the story of it while driving one night, I wonder if it’s true.
Yes they were true ! My friend! Underworld figure called Abe Saffron employed people to set fire to the ride because he couldn't get his own way with the owners! However this was 1979 ? He made a cash deal that Harbor side amusements rejected I did security here ! He jacked up & the rest is history! Rip to the 7 victims one of them Richard Carroll my girlfriends cousin!!!😢😢😢😢
Charmingly creepy is a great way to describe that entrance. It is memorable, though. Those views from the boat ride you took to get there are impressive!
Yep, shame Australia’s Wonderland wasn’t sold as part of the package of Taft Broadcasting parks to Paramount Parks, which of course became part of Cedar Fair. Oh, what could have been 😢.
As an Australian who lives about and hour away from Luna park Sydney. It’s not a very good theme park for our city. I’ve always had a terrible experience and it’s not because of the atmosphere or the queues, it’s because of the staff. Now I’m a bit of a chunky person and I’ve been on multiple rides where I’ve been fine in regards to my weight and fitting in the seats and weight limits (I always try to check) I went on the wild mouse and the worker said I’m “too heavy” (and emphasised the heavy) for the ride which I was taking my little cousin on. Then about a month later I went on the swinging chairs and the worker denied me entry to the ride before I made it past the queue and the reason was because I am “too fat for the ride”. I’ve sent the park multiple emails about my concerns and they’ve never responded. I’ve always been in a situation with the workers at this park and my size and never want to go back again. So if you’re a little bit chunky. This park isn’t for you
Hopefully the wild mouse is still on track for the summer opening. I went a week or two ago and there was basically nothin left of the wild mouse track left, its great to see them taking measures to ensure the coaster will be able to run for many more years without as much need for maintenance as before where hakf the time the coaster would be closed.
The one day that we had carved out to check this place out it was closed for a private event. Such a bummer since Australia is a once every 10+ years trip
Haven't identified the actual fire starter, but the theory is that a Sydney Crime boss Abe Saffron ordered a biker gang to set the fire because he wanted to get the land.@@Lucy-qz6jx
To be honest i don’t think i’d want anything more than luna park. Ik we can definitely fit more but i just don’t think i want that here? We’ve got a charming little spot that’s so olf and creepy that we can’t even get rid of it, and i think that’s much more interesting than anything else.
Honesty, they are scary, there are no safety features. It's really easy to come out of your lane, in the middle of the slide it has a very small wooden divider, hurts when you hit it. The airtime is only a second or two, they are very short slides.
