Luna Park Melbourne-Quick update

[Jobe]

Hi all,

Visited LPM recently and I thought I would pen a quick update on what is happening in the park.

The weather was beautiful on the day we visited-unfortunately the Scenic Railway and the Ghost train were down for maintenance and restoration works- BOO HISS!!

• The biggest news is that upon walking into LPM, I was confronted with new construction! This is taking place on the far right of the park as you walk in and sits in between the entrance and the Ghost Train. Its a large 2 story construction. The new building will house a takeaway food area and a cafe area where guests can sit indoors and escape the weather. It will replace the current Scenic Eats. The Diner and other small food stalls will also remain but these all have small footprints that do not affect the park's space for new attractions.
• The Scenic Railway work is quite minor but it does need regular attention- I guess a 103 year old coaster is quite needy! The Ghost Train works , however, are more extensive. The Ghost Train needed a new rail installed which is quite a major job and they are taking this opportunity to restore many of the 'scares' back to their former glory and add a few new ones that are in keeping with the heritage nature of the ride. The park are also working on a new facade for the ride which, I am told, will look quite amazing! The Ghost train building itself has been stripped bare back to its original colour and is awaiting its new "bridge" work.
• The area that was inhabited by the former "Metropolis" coaster is still largely vacant, except for a temporary kiosk.This space where the Metropolis was will be used for temporary rides for the next couple of school holidays. LPM have hinted that there is something special in the plans for this space hopefully in the new year, but would not elaborate further.
• The return of the Rotor to LPM is something that has been discussed seriously , but will not occur in the next 12 months. It would be great to see this ride return back to LPM- its a ride that has great sentimental value to many supporters of LPM and it would be great to see a new version of the ride that highlights this history to the park.
• The park was heaving with guests on the day I visited-despite Scenic and Ghost train being down. The weather was absolutely cracking and many families were taking the opportunity to get out and about. The line up for wristbands went under Mr Moon and snaked into the adjacent park-it was great to see.
• The other rides were all looking in excellent condition-with the exception of Enterprise. This ride is fairly old and it would not surprise me if this was the next ride to be replaced within the park.
• LPM's latest ride, The Powersurge, is a good looking ride and proved to be extremely popular. However, it looks a little underdone in terms of theming and in its current setup, it still looks like a travelling ride. Hopefully this will be rectified in the near future.
• The PTC Carousel was looking absolutely brilliant. This icon of Melbourne has been through an extensive restoration recently and the results are stunning. It is the only PTC Carousel outside mainland North America left in existence and it was originally transported here in the early 1900's for Sydney's defunct White City amusement park. Sydney's loss and Melbourne's gain!

In summary, LPM looked in great shape. Hopefully, some major investment in the form of new rides (they desperately need another coaster), plus the new Eating precinct currently being constructed, will see it further evolve and go from strength to strength. It is great to see Australia's oldest amusement park still attracting the crowds and be relevant in todays forms of entertainment.

Its definitely worth a visit if you are in Melbourne and have a few hours to kill.

I did have some pics to upload, but for some reason they will not work. I will endeavour to get these up for you guys to give you a visual representation.

Cheers.

[iwerks]

Thanks for that trip report, Jobe. I'm visiting LPM in a couple of weeks - can't wait.

[Jobe]

Hey Iwerks did you visit LPM yet? If so how was your trip?

[iwerks]

Tomorrow Jobe. Any idea if the ghost train is back up and running?

[Jobe]

Yep your in luck!! The old girl should be up and running although I think they havent quite finished the facade as yet. Enjoy!! Take plenty of pic's and I look forward to a trip report from you!!!

[iwerks]

Cool, no pressure. Spent the day at Melbourne Zoo. It was free entry for those of us with a Perth Zoo pass, which meant we didn't have to wait in line for twenty minutes - nice.

[AUSTHEMEPARKS]

May I ask if pharoah's fury is any good? I know ranger style rides aren't comfy but is it at least fun? Are like the restraints different to the ranger at lps?

[Jobe]

May I ask if pharoah's fury is any good? I know ranger style rides aren't comfy but is it at least fun? Are like the restraints different to the ranger at lps?

They are a very similar ride but the restraints on Moon Ranger are fairly unique-it is a Huss ride and the Ranger was the first of this type of ride to appear. Pharoah's Fury is manufactured by Meisho. It is a good ride but it is essentially a cheaper version of Huss's pioneering attraction.

[AUSTHEMEPARKS]

They are a very similar ride but the restraints on Moon Ranger are fairly unique-it is a Huss ride and the Ranger was the first of this type of ride to appear. Pharoah's Fury is manufactured by Meisho. It is a good ride but it is essentially a cheaper version of Huss's pioneering attraction.

Oh ok. Isn't Pharoah's Fury a kamikaze type ranger because it has two boats.

[Jobe]

Oh ok. Isn't Pharoah's Fury a kamikaze type ranger because it has two boats.

Correct but the ride principle remains the same.

[AUSTHEMEPARKS]

Correct but the ride principle remains the same.

Moon Ranger at lps is always a re ride for me. I like to ride stomach churning flat rides.

[iwerks]

Very busy day at the park, today. Love the scenic railway. I'm in the queue to ride again. They are running two trains now.

[AUSTHEMEPARKS]

Very busy day at the park, today. Love the scenic railway. I'm in the queue to ride again. They are running two trains now.

That's really good for capacity. How's the ghost train?

[iwerks]

Ghost train is down to two trains. Wait time is about an hour. I'm giving it a miss.

[Jobe]

Bugger- I was hoping for an update on the restoration works inside! Good to see you are having a good day Iwerks!! Looking forward to seeing some pics mate!

[iwerks]

Yeah, it was busy, busy. That's the problem when you're visiting a park with family and friends. We missed it out earlier in the day. Tried later on only to discover that it had broken down. Then got in the queue at the end, only to wait twenty minutes to not even come close to getting in the official wait area. I overheard that it was down to two trains and people were cutting in left, right and centre.

On the flip side it was great to see the park jam packed. The ride ops for the travelling rides were pretty slow, but I love the attitude that they have as a whole. There's a bit of spunk about them. The way that the brakes people operate the railway. It was very cool. And the railway, itself, what fun. It bounces along at a great pace and there's quite a bit to the ride. For me, this has to be the greatest rollercoaster in Australia.

[AUSTHEMEPARKS]

Yeah, it was busy, busy. That's the problem when you're visiting a park with family and friends. We missed it out earlier in the day. Tried later on only to discover that it had broken down. Then got in the queue at the end, only to wait twenty minutes to not even come close to getting in the official wait area. I overheard that it was down to two trains and people were cutting in left, right and centre.

On the flip side it was great to see the park jam packed. The ride ops for the travelling rides were pretty slow, but I love the attitude that they have as a whole. There's a bit of spunk about them. The way that the brakes people operate the railway. It was very cool. And the railway, itself, what fun. It bounces along at a great pace and there's quite a bit to the ride. For me, this has to be the greatest rollercoaster in Australia.

It's really surprising for one of the oldest coasters in the world to still be running this good.

[iwerks]

Had a great day today, despite the fact the park was crammed to capacity. It was dazzling weather and everybody was enjoying the sunshine. Loved the Scenic Railway and the attitude that the ride operators had. Elsewhere, there were plenty of queues for food, drink, the flat rides and the ghost train, which seemed to really struggle.

Some of the most fun was had people watching. A unique little park.

Enjoy..

[AUSTHEMEPARKS]

Great trip report and photos Iwerks. How's the Ghost Train now?

[iwerks]

Missed riding it - tried twice. Had to head off. I'm on the gold coast now - seaworld tomorrow.

[Tim Dasco]

Have fun at Sea World tomorrow.

[iwerks]

The ghost train's exterior looks temporary or incomplete. The trains are lliterally steam trains, which is cool. Thanks Tim, will do.

[iwerks]

More details from yesterday as I was battling dodgy hotel internet and a dying netbook battery.

On the Great Scenic Railway, the 'brakes people' were really putting their back into their job - it looks quite physical. It's all a great performance, along with its other ride ops. As the railway makes its second trip around the park there are tunnels and little bunny hops it goes over, including the obligatory photograph opportunity. The red train was added later on in the day. They didn't seem to be using the first seat of the second car of this train. The seats appeared to be more comfortable on this train.

The food vendors were overwhelmed. One of the photographs below is of the queue for the snow cones. The fairy floss vendor had two queues - one to pay and one to collect. There didn't appear to be much choice with regards to healthy choice options at the food outlets and next to no water fountains. It will be good when they have that new food hall finished.

The stilt lady was applying sunscreen, free of charge. They even had greeters meeting the queue outside the park, handing out maps and advising people about buying their tickets online, in order to speed up their entry.

It was a big day and a lot of fun, despite the crowds.

[AUSTHEMEPARKS]

More awesome photos, The power surge has a really weird colour scheme.

[Jobe]

Great trip report Iwerks and awesome pics! Yeah the Ghost train facade is definitely incomplete and should be finished before Xmas. Loved seeing a great nod to LPM's past with the Cyclone travelling ride in for the holidays-back in the 70's one of these was permanently installed at the park. It was called the Scat then.

I also love the Eyerly Spider-they are becoming rarer and rarer these days!! The new food court will be a quantum leap in what the park can offer for dining options and also undercover!

Now if the park can install another small compact coaster within the year plus the reintroduction of modern examples of either the Rotor, River Caves or Giggle Palce then I will be a happy man indeed!

Have a great trip to Seaworld!