Luna Park Sydney is a small amusement park located in Milson's Point in Sydney, Australia. It opened on October 4th, 1935, and was heritage listed on 5 March 2010. The park has been closed multiple times; on June 9, 1979, following a fire in the Ghost Train, which killed 7 people; 6 children and one adult. In 1981, almost all the old park, excluding Crystal Palace, Coney Island, and the face was auctioned off, with the remainder being bulldozed, with new rides being built in their place; in addition to being renamed "Harbourside Amusement Park". In 1988, the park was closed again, and this time did not reopen until 1995 with new attractions. However, this was short-lived, as people from adjacent apartments complained about the noise being created by the Big Dipper, an Arrow Looper roller coaster. The park was closed in 1996, and Big Dipper was sold to Dreamworld and renamed Cyclone.note The park was closed in 1996, and then, only opened on special occasions until reopening permanently in 2004. In 2021, the park closed for major renovations, which includes a revival of Big Dipper, this time an Intamin Hot Racer, and the world's first launched single rail coaster.
Tropes associated with the park:
- Abandoned Playground: After closing from 1979-1981 following the Ghost Train incident mentioned below, and then again from 1988-1992, the park was this.
- A Dog Named "Dog": The aforementioned ride was a ghost train called Ghost Train.
- Amusement Park of Doom: On June 9, 1979, the Ghost Train exploded into flames, with the fire being able to completely destroy the ride, as a result of inadequate fire protection, understaffing in the park, and low water pressure (water from Sydney Harbour had to be used to put out the fire). 7 people, 6 of whom were children, lost their lives that night. The cause of the fire has never been determined, although according to evidence from witnesses, it was most likely arson (an investigation by The ABC revealed possible links to police corruption and organized crime).
- Last of Its Kind: The Wild Mouse is the last wooden wild mouse roller coaster in operation today.
-
Referenced by...: The park makes an appearance in an episode of Farscape as the setting for a Battle in the Center of the Mind between John Crichton and his Not-So-Imaginary Friend.
