Jobe

Hi all!!! Was reading the local rag when I came upon this very interesting article. Luna Park will be getting a new ride for the Xmas hols.It is the 35 metre Extreme Speed Machine which pulls 3.8g's. It is claimed this is the first of this type of ride for Australia. Does anyone have any other info or pics on this ride?? Its good to see that Luna Park are introducing new rides and are not afraid of the wrath of the local residents.(As long as they comply with the new sound laws they shouldnt be liable to any court cases again!!) Hopefully this isnt the only new ride they will be installing in the park for the hols. Lets hope this leadsto something more permanent and spectacular!!! Here is the article.

Thats fine. I work for Coles Myer as well but in a managment capacity. What have you done to piss people off,if anything??? Mayhap it is time to speculate if the park will add new attractions now that the NSW govt has enacted the bill protecting the park from civil lawsuits. It certainly needs at least 2 major new rides. Another small coaster would be ideal as I have stated before. Preferably a Maurer Sohne custom Spinning Coaster but I would be excited with a Reverchon model as well. Also we may now see some serious travelling units brought into the park for seasonal events. Last Xmas hols the Hard Rock was there and it was a fantastic addition to the ride line up. What else would people like to see?? Cheers Jobe

Paul, What brand of Coles Myer do you work in?? In what capacity?? I had tickets to go to the Funday but I was unable to attend so I gave them away. Good to see that the rain didnt dampen the spirits of the people who turned up from having a good time!! Zamperla you are indeed correct. There was a ceremony for the unveiling of the Ghost Train commenrative plaque that was attended by relatives of the victims and certain memebers of the Friends Of Luna Park last year. It replaced a similar plaque which was located just under the old Big Dipper mountain near the Octopus ride in the '95 incarnation. Will try and post that photo of the Wildcat if anybody is interested?? Cheers Jobe

Paul , the sign on the Tumblebug relates to nearly 12 months ago, when the park had extra rides for the Xmas holidays. Next to the Tumblebug at this time was placed a ride called the Twister( A kiddies ride). Whether the sign is indictative of plans to keep a rotating roster of rides next to the Tumblebug is up for debate but there is definitely room for another major ride there. IMHO they should put a spinning Wild Mouse Coaster up there and move the Tumblebug to a place on top of the carpark entrance which is currently a landscaped grass area. There would be room for 2 rides here I would think!! Interesting to know that the LPS history video is on DVD... will have to update also!!! Great!! The Simulator is the same that has been there since this current incarnation opened in April 04. I visited the park last school holidays when the park was celebrating its 70th anniversary. They had in the brassierie(still vacant!!!) a photo exhibition of over 200 pics of the park from all eras. There were quite a few shots that I have never seen before(especially of the Wildcat and the Calypso ride ,which was only shortlived in the park). These photos are not included in the Sam Marshall book, Just for Fun so they are quite unique. An excellent exhibition. I did take a photo of the Wildcat on my digital camera and it came out fairly well..I will see if I can upload it soon. As an aside the 2nd edition of Just for Fun by Sam Marshall is well worth forking your dollars for and is also different enough from the first edition to warrant getting. Excellent resource and you wont find a better starting point to discover the magic of Luna Park. Cheers Jobe

Very sad but not unexpected eh? Fairly inevitable from the time of announcing Wonderland's closure really. Bussy do you know if the Beastie is still standing and when this will be scheduled for demolition?? It would be a fine idea to attempt to document this demolition since The Bush Beast's slipped underneath the radar. Cheers Jobe

I agree Huss. The rides are definitely not junk!! They are just in need of a little TLC and the addition of each having a succesful bridge being added to them(ie SOME sort of theming!!) Goboi, although I dont agree in essence the spirit of your post I do believe that the current rides at LPS could do with MUCH better positioning in the park. Your comment about them being "scattered randomly" isnt that far off the mark. Huss. Bad boy!! You leave LPS rides alone. They would NOT be better travelling or trailerised. They are quite fine being a part of LPS IMHO!!!. Or the obverse of this argument is for LPS to get a Rainbow!!! Would be MUCH better than having it travel randomly around the country. Put it at LPS with the best backdrop in Australia as its scenery!! Would be MUCH more succesful!!! *smile* Cheers Jobe

Hey Zamperla!!! Where did you get that pic of the model of LPS from ?? What year was it made and was it done for public display?? It looks like it could have been made by the same people that made this model of the '95 incarnation. Would love your info!! Cheers Jobe :cool:

lunaparkfanatic.... sorry but your dad is completely wrong. The Big Dipper from LPS was torn down and DEMOLISHED on the 3rd June 1981. it was never relocated anywhere. The notion that the Beastie from Wonderland Sydney is actually LPS Big Dipper is..well absurd!! The Beastie is a exact copy of a coaster from Paramount's Canada Wonderland and is considered an ACE coaster classic. As Paul suggested, maybe your Dad was thinking about the Steel Big Dipper re-located to Dreamworld?? Zamperla the info I got about both Dippers being the same layout is from Sam Marshall's great history book "Luna Park- Just for Fun" In it ,he states (referring to Luna Park Glenelg) "Much of the mechanics were made in Luna park St Kilda.The Big Dipper and station were identical to St Kilda's" Page 50. The Big Dipper at St Kilda was introduced in August of 1923. The Big Dipper at Glenelg was opened on the 8th October 1930. We all know of course that Luna Park Glenelg was later dismantled and removed lock ,stock to its present site at Milsons Point. Therefore the Dippers were exactly the same both in layout and in the station,with its great Moorish architectual influences. Cheers Jobe

Its a shame that both Big Dipper's have disappeared from our landscape.The Big Dipper's from both LPM and LPS were both from the stable of legendary coaster creator John A Miller's Philadelphia Tobbagan Company and both their station and layout were identical. With the demolition in 1981 of LPS Big Dipper, there should have been a concerted effort to save LPM's surviving example. It was a travesty that such an important heritage item such as this was aloowed to be removed without so much as a fight. I would have loved to ride these coaster's and I would love to chat with anyone who has any experience in doing so. Anyone?? I have ridden the Big Dipper at Blackpool Pleasure Beach in England ,which is around the same vintage as our Dippers. Whilst not of the same layout, it sure packed quite a punch and amongst the coaster scenery at Blackpool, was my favorite riding experience. I would also love to see and collect pictures of either LP from any era so if anyone has any they are willing to share that would be fantastic!! Cheers, Jobe

Madave,how are those photos coming along?? Anyone have anything else to contribute?? I think its a little amazing that there seems to be so little pics from this era in the parks history. As an aside Zamperla, do you have any pics of Luna park Melbourne from the 80's, specifically of the Big Dipper?? It would be great if you could post them in this forum!! Regards Jobe

Well here are a few ideas that i think could be good for Luna Park Sydney. Firstly these ideas revolve around being as cost effective to the park as possible,whilst adding to the current ride roster. Of course the residents might not approve but they are only hypothetical. Of course I sincerely hope that LPS wins the court case and is free to include new additions without fear of litigation,provided they all fall within EPA guidelines. *Firstly I would move the ride with the most controversy, The Ranger to the space in-between the Crystal palace and the Ice cream shop. There it would at least be shielded somewhat from the overlooking apartments instead of the open space of Maloney's corner *Secondly i would move the Tumblebug ,if at all possible to the space on top of the carpark entrance. This would give it a commanding view of the park and harbour and its heightened elevation would make for a more thrilling ride. The space created up here may be enough for one or two future new rides. A walkway or stairway will have to be devised to gain access to this part of the park. * On the space where the Tumblebug resides i would install a Maurer Sohne Spinning Wild Mouse Coaster(maybe custom designed?) and theme it to the old Wildcat of LPS yesteryear *I would place the Dominator oppposite Coney Island at the end of the concrete slab where the Tumblebug now resides. I would extensively re-theme it giving it a new facade and call it The Whip. *I would remove the additional buildings that have been installed behind Coney Island and locate all the childrens rides in their stead. Cover them from the sun with a strategically placed sun sail. I would place the Simulator here as well. *In the space created from the removal of the kids rides I would locate a wooden coaster approx about the size of the Beastie. This would encompass the space from the so called picnic site as well. Call it "Son Of Big Dipper".Would look great at the back of Coney Island!! *I would install The Hard-Rock ride in Maloney's Corner. When it was there for the Xmas Hols it was very popular and would make a great addition to the permanent ride roster.Other rides that could possibly be installed are the Techno Jump(good family ride) or the Chaos(good modern Thrill ride). Of course these would all have extensive facades and theming to try and take away the travelling ride aspect. *Give all rides extensive bridges(re-install the big Spider and Tumblebug facade to their respective rides.) and tey to give each ride uniqueness via a elaborate bridge(facade) There is also the room behind the Tumblebug and old management building,maybe ripe for the re-introduction of a River Caves dark ride. Well there you go. Midnight ramblings and all pie in the sky sort of stuff!!! I have included a aerial shot of the park to give you guys an exact idea of the areas I am talking about. All in all it would be an improvement from what is currently there and you would also have 3 coasters!!! Feel free to comment and dissect....I am sure you guys could come up with much better ideas. Its all food for thought!! Cheers Jobe

Thanks Paul. I think I have managed to work it out. As you can see the newsletter is 4 pages long. The most interesting part is the outline of the different carpark options(both of which didnt eventuate in the final form.) Other interesting things to note *The Tumblebug in its original position *The very different Luna Circus and Luna theatre to the Big Top we have now *The use of the area behind Coney Island as to the current Maloney's Corner Anyway...enjoy,its an interesting little addendum to LPS history. Does anyone else have anything at all to add in the form of pics?? Lets attempt to build a good library of photos of the park from all eras throughout its history Cheers Jobe

Excellent photo Zamperla thanks!! I have a couple of Luna related things that I will attempt to scan. I have a newsletter dated November 1999 that shows the then future plans for the current incarnation of the park, all the different carpark options and a very different layout to what is currently inplace now. However the scans exceed the allowable limit on the website?? Anyone know how I can get around this?? If anyone else has anything interesting to share about either Luna Park please scan as i love anything to do with these unique and historical sites. Its great to see people with the same obvious interest for a place that is very dear to my heart. Cheers Jobe

Hey madave!! I would love to see your pics of Luna Park from the 80's. Pics from this era of the park are scarce and difficult to get hold of. Scan them in as soon as possible!! Cheers jobe

Well there you go!! Thanks for that info Goboi and Zamperla!! I was sure that the Tango was originally from the 1980's era LPS.I was not aware that the Tango was from the Darling Harbour amusements run by Wittingslow. I distinctly remember the Love Express and the Octopus from the early 8o's when I visited as a kid. Sorry Zamperla I am not 100% sure on exactly where it was located although I seem to recall that it was up close near the face entrance and quite possibly next to Cinema 180. I remember the rides at Darling Harbour quite well also Zamperla but unfortunately do not have in my possesion any photos. I do recall quite vividly the Python Loop Rollercoaster at the time,thinking I would love to ride that!! Sadly, I never did. Cheers Jobe

Goboi, The Tango train first appeared at LPS in the 1980 incarnation. Along with the "Octopus"(which has since been moved to Aussie World) it was the only ride from the 1982-88 era to survive to the 1995 re-opening.(Apart from Coney Island ,of course.) You are correct in it being a ex-road model however. I am not sure though where it was sourced from or even the manufacturer of the ride.(Anyone??) If some major re-investment was spent on the LPM it could once again be a very atmospeheric and enjoyable park to visit. Filling the park with 2nd hand ex road model rides however is NOT the answer. They do need a 2nd DECENT coaster,maybe a re-imagining or newly built copy of the old Big Dipper. By looking back to their history, they should find the perfect medium between the past and the future to settle upon the perfect mix,which unfortunately isnt up to standard at the moment. Cheers Jobe

Goboi's information is absolutely 100% correct!!! The Wildcat was indeed made by Anton Schwarzkopf. A great pic of one can be found at RCDB under Cedar Point. Some good pics too!! Mercedes do you know what happened to it once it was relocated to Tasmania?? Lunaparkmad, do you think you could scan those pics you took with your brother all those years ago?? They coud be quite interesting!! Petestrash, since you worked at the park in the 80's, do you have any pics that you could share?? I went there in the early 80's but my memory is a little hazy. I also went in the late 70's where my memory is even hazier so any pics from these 2 era's would be much appreciated!!! Cheers Jobe

Hi Spastro and welcome!! Are you privy to any of these plans and would you be willing to share them with us?? Great to have another member who could provide us with first-hand information!!! Cheers Jobe

Well I have only been to Disnyland Paris and I would have to say that their version of Big Thunder Mountain was awesome! Its a great family ride,yet still gives good thrills.It is also a ride which is, as Scott says, of a fair length. The day I was there the crowds also thought so as well. It was by far and away the most popular ride in the park, and the one in which we experienced the longest queues.It was a very high capacity ride though,with 3 trains running and they kept the queues ticking over rapidly. Alex, I agree with your sentiments. Disneyland Paris version of Space Mountain LOOKS great, the themeing and idea behind it is excellent,however the ride was a tad disappointing. They were experiencing problems with the ride that day however and apparently it has gone into rehab ,so lets hope that this improves the overall ride and elevates it to the same level as the Anaheim version Cheers Jobe

That sounds fantastic!!! Great work!! Do you have any other info ie..how long did it take you to build?? Cost etc?? I echo Adam-some pics would be great!!! Cheers Jobe

Coasterfreak is quite correct. Its only available on VHS at this time in being. Spirits of the Carnival(as the documentary is so named) was commissioned by the NSW Film and Television Office for the re-opening in 1995. I remember it was shown on Channel 10 in that year one Sunday afternoon. It offers a fascinating insight into how Luna Park came into being, the full story of Luna Parks in Australia and around the world and the tireless battle of general manager Ted Hopkins ,who ran the park from day one,untill the early 70's. It is filled with dramatisations of actual events but it is also filled with wonderful historical imges of the park's heyday. What does give a shudder however, are the news reports of the time of the ghost train fire in '79. The images from that time of the flames getting higher and higher are a nightmare that one would not see visited upon any park. Tragic, and signalled the end of an era for the park. Couple this video with the Sam Marshall book "Just for Fun" and you willl have the best known historical resources and reference guide on Luna Park anywhere.(Incidentally, this book is recieving an update to reflect events that have happened since 1996. Hopefully it will be re-printed later this year,according to sources within the park.) :cool: Totally recommended especially if you are like me and have a love for the park and its colourful ,iconic history Comments? Cheers Jobe

LPS only ever had the original wooden Wild Mouse that general manager Ted Hopkins brought back the plans for to build 3 copies. The Steel Mad Mouse from Downunderland is definitely not from Luna Park,Sydney. Gazza, nice looking coaster but The Chipmunk was not that advanced. Remember that it was a travelling coaster. The main features of it were bright blue tracks and as I have stated before, the cars were cylindrical in shape with cones for noses! I really dont think that it was a Vekoma. Anyone else have any memories?? Cheers Jobe

No LPS had a Schwarzkopf Wild Cat in the early 1970's, which replaced the Wild Mouse. Read a few threads down and you will learn all about it Paul. It had to be modified to fit on the concrete slab that the Wild Mouse sat on. The Wild Mouse from the former Sydney Showgrounds IS the one from Luna Park ,Sydney-it was always lent for the Royal Easter show. When the Wild Mouse for Luna Park was built it was decided to build 3 to cut down costs. The other 2 is in Melbourne and Adelaide. The Wild Mouse at Aussie World came from the US. As an aside can anyone remember a travelling Wild Mouse coaster from many years ago called The Chipmunk?? It used to appear at the show here in Newcastle every year but I havent seen it for a long time. Can anyone shed light on what became of it and who was the manufacturer?? I distinctly recall its cone-nosed cars!!! Comments?? Cheers Jobe

Yeah Spinball Whizzer looks like a great ride. However I dont think that a Maurer Sohne of that layout would fit in the elevated position where the Tumblebug currently resides.( I could be wrong-Carolinbee perhaps you could correct me in this instance?). I do agree that it would be a MUCH better addition than a Reverchon,although at the moment I would take a Reverchon addition to LPS with both hands!! Cheers Jobe

G'day Carolinebee!! Pepsi Max was excellent. Being the only Hyper I have been on, I dont have anything to compare it to,however it was the pinnacle of my UK and European visit!! Personally, i loved Blackpool and found it MUCH more enjoyable than Disneyland, Paris. The history and atmosphere of the place was what attracted me and it reminded me in a small way of what Luna Park Sydney was like in its hey day. As for the other coasters, the Grand National was excellent.My first and and only racing coaster!The one that did surprise the hell out of me though was The Big Dipper. This woodie was nothing short of brilliant and came close to being my favorite ride of the whole trip!! I didnt find that Space Mountain was rough..it was a very enjoyable ride, although the day we went it was experincing problems and was down for 3 hours. I would have loved to have gone to Alton Towers but it was not open at the time we went. We visited Blackpool on the first operating weekend of the year-all you can ride for 10 pounds. An absolute bargain!!! Hence the very large crowds...waited an hour and 20 minutes to get on Pepsi Max but that consisted of 15 min of downtime!! Cheers Jobe