Luna Park, Sydney

Luna Park is a historical amusement park in Sydney, Australia, first opened in 1935.

History

From 1924 to 1932, the construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge occupied much of the foreshore surrounding the bridge. The area around the North-Western Pylon, (now the site of Luna Park) was occupied by two large workshops and a set of heavy duty cranes. During the creation of the bridge large portions of the cliff behind the area were excavated and the area was flattened. Following the completion of the bridge all buildings bar the wharf were dismantled. The North Sydney Council then requested tenders for how the area should be developed. This was won by Hermann Phillips from Melbourne. His previous park located in Glenelg, South Australia had closed due to issues regarding expansion with local residents, so all the rides there were dismantled, transported by ship to Sydney and then reassembled in the new area. "The city of a million lights" was built by 800 structural workers, 35 artists and 70 electricians in a little over 3 months.

Related Topics:
1924 - 1932 - Sydney Harbour Bridge - North Sydney Council - Glenelg - South Australia

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The major showpieces of the park were Coney Island and the Big Dipper, but the face of the moon, 50 times the size of a normal face, was the immediate identity of the park. Opened at 8:00 pm on October 4, 1935 the park was an immediate success.

Related Topics:
October 4 - 1935

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Luna Park has a successful first season and then closes for the winter months, a practice it would keep until 1972. At each opening the following year they would make the park different by changing a ride, the colours of a ride or even bringing in a new ride. During the war years, the lights of Luna Park were "browned out". The park also became a centre where many servicemen would look for a new girlfriend. One of the new rides bought for the park after the war was the Rotor. This became the second most popular ride, but even it and the Big Dipper could not save the park from a decline of the "old" Luna Park in the 1970s and 1980s.

Related Topics:
1972 - The war years - 1970s - 1980s

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In 1969 the lease on the park was sold to World Trade Centre Pty Ltd. They tried to put forward a proposal to turn the park into trade centre, but the New South Wales state government rejected this and the park carried on as normal.

Related Topics:
1969 - New South Wales

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A tragedy struck the park in 1979 when fire broke out on the ghost train, killing several people. Since then the park has closed and re-opened several times, partly because of complaints by the mostly wealthy local residents to the noise generated by the park. Luna Park reopened in 2004 after several years' closure following an abortive attempt at reviving the park after a much longer period of closure.

Related Topics:
1979 - 2004

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