GoGoBoy

You're a legend Jobe, thanks for that. Very interesting pics indeed - in particular that close up pic of the actual cinema building. Glad to see it is going to have some interesting and colourful architecture... as any building, new or old, at Luna Park should have. I do think it almost confirms my theory however regarding removal of the UFO. That part of the building with all the colourful squares next to the Tango is on the exact spot where UFO sits. I can't see any other way around it. I also find it interesting that they refer to this cinema as if it's a leap back to history for Luna Park. That 'cinema' they had in the 1980's was more of a ride/attraction. It was a 360 degree dome theatre which only screened one short film. It had footage of flying over canyons and going down a roller coaster. It was included in the ride ticket price. It is a little strange to compare the two. Overall I think this cinema is a great idea and will give people an extra reason to head down to the precinct. However, I wish LPS would be honest about it and not imply they are going to retain all of the rides if they are not. I also think they need to admit that the cinema is a new development for Luna Park and is NOT the revival of an old tradition. After this I would also like to see the amusement park side of things given a bit of a boost too with a decent new ride or 2 in the future to balance out the scale

Part of my theory comes from the fact that I just don't think it would be possible to fit a 5 screen cinema (even if the theatres are small) in that area without using ALL of the space up there. I have seen pictures from above and the admin building is very small. It makes it even harder when you take into consideration the fact that the roof of the cinema will not be allowed to go higher than the line of the cliff top for heritage reasons. I would be happy to be proved wrong on this. Jobe - I am particularly interested to see the image which accompanied that article, even if it is a little vague. If you could upload it that would be great

I can't comment too much on this as I am yet to read any official articles or anything but it sounds to me like LPS are being very careful and trying not to cause a stir with this new cinema. I think it's highly likely they will remove the UFO but they have worded it carefully and avoided mentioning it. They know full well it would cause a minor outcry and get the "they're not interested in running a fun park" talk happening again. I would really like to see a picture of the proposal

Bussy you are getting a little confused. I myself was confused about this a few months ago so did some asking around and got the answer. The administration building Jobe is referring to (with the corrugated steel walls) is behind the UFO near the front of the park. It is actually the OLD administration building which they used mostly when the park reopened in the 90's. This building is now essentially empty. It is no longer where management resides. Luna Park's current management/administration is located in the new office block directly behind Maloney's Corner. Luna Park built this building and then sold it off. They retained some space for their own offices however. You can't miss it - it is the most obvious thing behind Coney Island and MC. The administration building which is going to be demolished for the cinema is the old empty one behind the UFO

Jobe you mentioned that this new cinema will not replace any existing rides. I've got 3 letters for you - UFO (as Mrmoon mentioned). How do you think they can build a cinema above the lighthouse cafe without getting rid of this ride first? I think we all knew from the start that the new owners of Luna Park were never overly interested in running an amusement park. Proof lies in the fact that the majority of the cash went into new function and entertainment venues. I do think and hope that they will always have SOME rides at Luna Park but I certainly think they are moving fast away from this idea everyone has of it still being an amusement park 100%. The rides have apparantley done well for Luna Park this year and they complement the function spaces nicely but they will no longer be the main attraction

As far as I know Kevin's a nice guy who is mentally disabled. Definitely no stalking going on... spending the day at the parks is just what makes him happy. Don't think he spends nearly as much time at Luna Park as he did at Wonderland though for obvious reasons

Doesn't it cost $40 for an URP at Luna Park?

I agree with some of those points Richard. In terms of amusement parks and rides, both of those parks do not have a lot going for them, no matter what some fan boys might say. Sydney has even less than Melbourne. I find it funny that on their website on the Wild Mouse link it says 'More rides than ever' when in fact it should be 'Less rides than ever'. I love fun parks but even I wouldn't be tempted to fork over my hard earned cash to ride some of those old carnie rides at both parks. It surprises me how many people do though and seem to enjoy themselves. And how anyone can spend a full day at Sydney's Luna Park I don't know. On a reasonable day you could do all the rides in under an hour

I will never be thankful for the Demon, never. I realise some people liked it (well being the only steel coaster for most of the time in Sydney ofcourse it was popular.. there was no competition for it) but I always hated it. Way too rough with too many inversions packed close together. I used to get off feeling sick and with a headache. I am a much bigger fan of full circuit coasters which have a nice combination of hills, corners and inversions. Corkscrew is a much better ride. But generally most Australians just don't know what a decent roller coaster is like. If you wet yourself over Demon - I can't imagine how excited you'd be after getting off one of the incredible coasters over in the States

I will never be thankful for the Demon, never. I realise some people liked it (well being the only steel coaster for most of the time in Sydney ofcourse it was popular.. there was no competition for it) but I always hated it. Way too rough with too many inversions packed close together. I used to get off feeling sick and with a headache. I am a much bigger fan of full circuit coasters which have a nice combination of hills, corners and inversions. Most of Australia just doesn't know what a REAL roller coaster is like

Thanks for this very interesting piece of news bussy. Some great investigative work there. So glad to hear we are rid of that horrible boomerang. But also sad to hear that Sunway is getting their hands on ANOTHER million

Thanks for this very interesting piece of news bussy. Some great investigative work there. So glad to hear we are rid of that horrible boomerang. But also sad to hear that Sunway is getting there hands on ANOTHER million

Nah don't stop Alex, it's fine. You guys have both made some really good points. The ride op I spoke to was a lovely girl and from what I could tell she was only peeved because she felt like the park was being ripped off in a sense. I could see where she was coming from at the time but I can also see the bigger picture now

I agree with the idea of your post Alex and can definitely see the point you are making. However, the ride op I was speaking to told me that most of the students are only charged just over $10 for an unlimited rides pass which entitles them to spend as long as they want in the park. Compare this to a standard URP at Luna Park for kids of this age which I believe is around the $40 mark. The female ride op I spoke to was a bit annoyed by this and I can see her point. They can surely charge the schools a bit more. The kids are getting this crazy bargain and yet they are going on the rides (yep, you heard steve$ say it) over 10 times each!! That is more than any normal guest would who is paying almost 4 times as much

These school educational trips are such a joke. I can't believe the teachers get away with it. I've said it before and I'll say it again - teachers are bludgers. I find it amazing that they try and pass it off as an educational excursion and yet (as steve$ said) they just let the kids go off and do their own thing and give them a bunch of photocopied worksheets. I've seen kids running around from ride to ride all day with no thought or discussion of 'physics' or anything else. It's essentially a pupil free day for the teachers as they sit back and have a cup of coffee or hop on a ride themselves. I'd like to say that at least these school groups are a good thing for the park but I was speaking to one of the ride ops and she said the students get ride passes at a massively discounted rate. So I don't think the park benefits much at all. steve$ - how was it being back at the park again after such a short time? How long did you guys spend there and did you do all the same rides again?

Thanks for the trip report. I would imagine four hours is more than enough time to spend at the park (and that's including you riding the rides multiple times). I have no idea how people can spend a whole day there - I just don't think it's designed for that. I also don't think I could go on any of those rides more than once - once is enough... spin and spew

I've always loved Movie World because of the amazing quality of its attractions - particularly the newer ones. The park has a great atmosphere and really makes you feel like you are somewhere other than Australia. I have to say it was a hard decision for me though because I have been swayed by Dreamworld's recent expenditure with Nick Central and the Claw. I know though once MW picks up their act and adds their next great ride it will easily be my fave again

Come on steve$ - type it again. I was just getting into it

Haha nicely put Scott. Now that is one fascinating topic. Just remember one thing people - both the theme park and the wildlife park were doing well right up to when the park closed, even though no significant capital was spent in the last 10 years. Don't let Sunway fool you into thinking otherwise. Imagine how well the place would be doing now if they had continued to improve things rather than cutting back so heavily. Especially with the tourism market bouncing back and people wanting to spend their disposable cash on leisure. A couple of the main points discussed here which I think would have benefited Wonderland in the long run include - 1. Expanding/improving the water park significantly and allowing it to become both a stand alone and intergrated attraction 2. Building a golf course with a Wonderland resort attached on the excess land 3. Retain and improve the children's area with a new drawcard attraction for kids and new theme 4. Major new ride Some of these things were considered by Wonderland a few years back but obviously never even got close to actually happening

How often do you guys go to Luna Park? Are the rides there really that re-rideable? And what made you go yesterday as opposed to today when the park was making an effort for Halloween?

The 1995 Big Dipper track actually used to go through the top of this building at one section of the ride. The painting inside the stairwell was created this year and is like a homage to the Big Dipper. steve$ - how was your day at Luna Park? If you have the time, please give us a trip report

Yeah I had a feeling that was the case. Think I read it somewhere

I would have liked to see Dreamworld hold a whole month of Halloween festivities. It would be a way to bring in some more people in a traditionally quieter time. It would also give them a chance to really put some nice theming together. This is when a temporary walk-thru attraction like Tomb Raider (horror themed ofcourse) would be really suitable. It would build up to a climax and finish on Halloween day. Just out of interest - was the Tomb Raider attraction run in-house by Dreamworld or was an outside company responsible for it? Did anyone end up making it to Luna Park today? If so, let's hear your comments

Forget Christmas. I reckon Halloween is the best chance for theme parks to really create something special. I don't think LPS is going too overboard this year bit it will certainly be a better effort than the rest of the parks. I don't know why on earth DW had their fright night on some random date. It would have made much more sense to actually hold it on Halloween

Love this ride. Lots of fun. Definitely no reason to get rid of it. I can think of plenty of good reasons why they removed the Thunderbolt though