Luna Park Melbourne Trip Report January 2019

[Jobe]

I had the opportunity to go down to Melbourne in the past couple of weeks for work and I thought I would combine work with leisure and bring the family with me for a extended break. We had a jam packed time and fit in quite a lot in our stay. I decided to tick off a couple of the Victorian parks that I have never visited and I will present them here as a trip report with my musings on each for all here to enjoy.

The parks and places that we visited included:

• Luna Park Melbourne
• Action Park , Geelong
• Funfields, Whittlesea

We also visited attractions such as:

• Werribee Open Plain Zoo
• Sovereign Hill
• Melbourne Zoo
• The Melbourne Aquarium
• Amaze and Things, Phillip Island
• The Penguin Parade, Phillip Island
• ArtVo 3D Art Gallery and Southern Star Observation Wheel

I will restrict my trip reports to the aforementioned 3 parks, but I might do an overview of the other places as there are some excellent experiences to be had.

So onward to Luna Park Melbourne!

Melbourne's Mr Moon is decidedly creepier than its Sydney counterpart.

We did the park on a Saturday as the park is open until 11pm at this time ( like LPS,we wanted to experience LPM in the night. It was quite warm when we arrived at around 2pm and the crowds were quite large.

It was around $149 for a family ticket of 4 however, thanks to a helpful work colleague, we had an entertainment voucher which gave us 25% off and this brought the total down just on $100. Good start so far!!

It is worth noting that that the park now charges $5 for just entering the park, regardless of riding or not. They justify this by saying that it is helping to maintain their heritage attractions of the Scenic Railway, Carousel and Ghost train. If you buy a ride ticket or pass this is included in that price , of course. I don't doubt that these attractions are seriously labour and financially resource draining so to me, it seems like a reasonable request , for mine.

The first ride we tried was the Spider. This is a Eyerly Aircraft Company example and these are becoming rarer and rarer these days. This type of ride debuted in 1967 and this unit is a typical example of its ilk. The operations on this ride were very slow as the ride was attended to by only one ride op. It was also hampered by the cycle before our ride where a rider was sick and it had to be cleaned up. Overall the ride experience was smooth and was quite an enjoyable experience. My son and I spun considerably in our car. The ride has been maintained well and it looked in good condition.

Not sure if this is the same unit as once resided at Wonderland in its early days. I am sure one of you esteemed knowledgeable forum members can tell me!

Interestingly , the Eyerly Aircraft Company went out of business in 1985 and the rights to their rides went to Oregon rides Inc. They are one of the more interesting ride manufacturers out there IMHO.

We next rode the Twin Dragon, a Meisho Swinging ship. As far as I am aware, this is the only type of this ride in Australia by this manufacturer , and they are extremely rare elsewhere. The ride experience was ok, however they certainly do not match a HUSS unit in any way. More on that later though.

We then rode the park's Enterprise, a unit which has obviously seen much use. It is a genuine HUSS unit(@HussRainbow87 will be happy about that! ) but its a unit that is in need of some love and attention. Still, the ride was smooth and as always, gives great forces. My son and daughter had never ridden this type of ride and they thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

This is LPM's new cafe and function centre. It looks excellent and is 3 levels- the first level a retail cafe and eatery , the 2nd level a function area and there is also a third rooftop level for functions as well.The food looked good and we decided to wait until later in the evening to have dinner to try out its wares. Alas this was not meant to be, as LPM made the inexplicable decision to shut this ( and almost all other food outlets) except for The Diner car at 7pm. This is in direct contrast to LPS where all food outlets are open until close. The park could have made some serious dollars if their food options had remained open. Subsequently , we left the park to nearby Acland street for a quick meal to return to ride. An amazingly short sighted decision on managments part IMHO.

The kids wanted then to ride the Powersurge and this is a fairly recent arrival at LPM. It was well presented and was quite popular with good sized lines throughout the day!! My daughter had to be talked into going on this with my son, but when she did, she loved it!! They ended up riding this 4 times throughout the day!

We then lined up for the Hellerious Clowns walkthrough attraction. This is a experience that has stayed since Halloween, and although not as well presented as LPS's Mystery Manor, it was quite an enjoyable scare attraction. The scare actors werent quite as good as their Sydney counterparts and it required you to wear 3 D glasses but it was certainly longer than Mystery Manor. This attraction was only open during the day and shut at 5pm.

 

The kids rode the Coney Shot Drop and the Pharaoh's Curse in quick succession. Both pretty standard park rides and fairly forgettable. The restraints on the Pharaoh's Curse were quite restrictive on the legs, making for an uncomfortable ride.

The Ghost train is well presented but with very slow operations. Its a ride that of course has quite a history, as it is one of the few remaining Pretzel dark rides left anywhere in the world, having opened in 1935. Its old school fun inside and can get quite dark in sections but i think it desperately needs a refurb inside, with some of the scares looking quite tired. Also, the ride would benefit enormously from having live scare actors roaming the track but unfortunately , this is not allowed anymore. However, there is plenty of technology that could be utilised to enhance this ride and the overall experience.

Of course the Great Scenic Railway was what we really wanted to see and ride and it was great to see it finally in action. This ride had 30 minute waits for the entirety of the day and was extremely popular with all ages. The only had one train in operation at any one time and the ride was down for about 40 minutes due to weather conditions. It was quite windy at this time and the train ( Red Train) valleyed after the first initial drop. It was quite amusing seeing 4 LPM employees scale the ride and walk to where the loaded train sat waiting. They then pushed the train to complete the circuit. To fix this issue, the park changed trains, (red to blue) and they completed several circuits with the maintenance crew oiling several sections of the track as they went. The ride then continued without any further stoppages. I am told this does happen quite regularly when the wind is blowing at the right angle. Fun times!!

The blue train awaiting riders and also displaying the awesome mural on the back wall.

The Scenic Railway station is a beautiful work of art in itself and is a pleasure to see and view.

We then decided to ride the park's smaller family coasters, the Silly Serpent a Zamperla powered coaster, and the Speedy Beetle, an SBF Visa spinning coaster. This was the first time that I had ridden one of these types of rides and I must say I was pleasantly surprised. They are an excellent family addition to any small park and they pack a good punch in a very small footprint. This unit is the smallest option that SBF Visa offer but they do come in varying sizes. More on that later.

Given that it does not get dark in Melbourne during summer until about 9:15pm, we opted to ride the Skyrider ferris wheel right on dusk. The view was magnificent looking out on Port Phillip Bay , riding as we watched the sun disappear from view, dipping below the horizon at last. It was a bit chilly due to the wind but an awesome experience and I would say a must do!!

This Ferris Wheel has been in the park since the 70's and its quite a feeling to ride  an open seating styled ride like this rather than the more common cabin style. This ride , like all Ferris Wheels , had to be carefully balanced in its riders.

The other historical ride at the park is the magnificent 1913 vintage PTC carousel. This has just been restored after some serious downtime and money to get it back into operating status. Little known fact is that this is the only PTC carousel ever imported outside North America and is one of only 35 remaining. It was originally installed  at Sydney's White City amusement park before fire destroyed this park ( perhaps a topic for another day?). LPM management bought it and transported it to Melbourne where it resides as the centrepiece of the park. Disappointingly, the 1909 vintage Pipe Organ was not running on the day.

Of course this place takes on a new level when night drops and the lights are turned on. The park becomes a incandescent wonderland and the atmosphere is absolutely wonderful at this time. This it shares with its sister park in Sydney. There is nothing like going on rides on a balmy summer Saturday night. Brilliant!

Interestingly , the Scenic Railway's trains are adorned with Blue LED's for night time action. The effect was brilliant and they looked amazing as the ride traversed its circuit into the night.

The face does look much more inviting at night......

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this trip report of a park not often reported on Parkz. LPM is a great place to visit for an afternoon, if only for the historical value of the Scenic Railway, the Carousel and the Ghost Train. Is is as good as LPS? Hmmm, thats a difficult one to answer. Both parks have their pro's and cons. LPM is quite a bit smaller than LPS but the Scenic Railway and its St Kilda setting is timeless. LPS does have the magnificent Harbour and bridge backdrop though to counter this. I guess we will have to wait and see what improvements are now brought to fruition for LPS. LPM does need some serious reinvestment to give it a lift- there are many things in the works and they are planned but of course financial backing is the key. We are incredibly lucky to have both LPS and LPM in Australia for us both to enjoy and they are significant in the amusement landscape and history of Australia.They cannot compete with the Gold Coast parks(nor are they meant to) but they deserve their place in our park lineup. My advice is get out there and enjoy them both

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 28, 2019 by Jobe

[mickayel]

Thanks for spending the time to create such a well written and comprehensive report. Your photos are beautiful - especially the nighttime shots. If you get a chance I would be more than happy to read about the other attractions you visited. Glad you and your family had a great time at such an iconic park. 

[HussRainbow87]

@Jobe Glad the kids enjoyed the Enterprise... Can't really go past classic HUSS, agree about it needing some TLC, it was down for a while, while they waited for parts from HUSS, but glad its back up and running, it just needs better lighting on the sweeps, the middle cover and better placement in the park... it just seems like such an afterthought in its position.

[Baconjack]

Have never been to LPM. Would like to go check it out one day though despite it being small park, there are plenty of unique and rare types of rides in the park worth giving a go.

I wonder how the AS-1 from ex Sega World Sydney is going over there?

[iwerks]

Thanks @Jobe for another excellent report. It's great to see people reporting on parks outside of the Gold Coast. I'm interested to see what you thought about the theming at Werribee too.

Edited January 28, 2019 by iwerks

[webslave]

6 hours ago, Jobe said:

Not sure if this is the same unit as once resided at Wonderland in its early days.

I doubt it.  It's been there at least 30 years.

6 hours ago, Jobe said:

It is worth noting that that the park now charges $5 for just entering the park

There's another motive there that they don't publish.  The local area has a reputation for attracting some groups of youth who often cause trouble.  This has been seen to keep those elements out of the park.

6 hours ago, Jobe said:

extremely popular with all ages

One of the reasons for this is the low minimum height requirement to ride, which seems pretty random across the park.  For example, my kid is 106cm.  This means he is allowed to ride the Scenic Railway (with me), but is unable to ride Coney Drop (drop ride), the Twin Dragon (pirate ship), the Spider, the Dodgems, or the Sky Rider (Ferris Wheel).  Really odd given he is able to ride the counterparts of at least the dodgems and the ferris wheel in other locations with me.  I know it's about the restraints and all, but most parents just found it strange their little tackers were allowed on the big dawg roller-coaster but not the dodgem cars.

7 hours ago, Jobe said:

due to weather conditions

10m/s is the threshold apparently.

7 hours ago, Jobe said:

Disappointingly, the 1909 vintage Pipe Organ was not running on the day

I don't recall ever having heard it run.

3 hours ago, HussRainbow87 said:

better placement in the park... it just seems like such an afterthought in its position

I dunno about that - it's pretty prominent.  I'm not sure where you'd put it that's more prominent.  The original location (which is where Pharoah's Curse is now) hidden behind the Disco Swing was the real afterthought.

 

I too visited the park a couple of days ago.  The Scenic Railway was an easy highlight and worth visiting for on its own.  Power Surge was a welcome addition, albeit one of limited re-ride value IMHO.  Pharoah's Curse I've never been a real fan of - it's uncomfortable, slow, and short in duration.  The Enterprise is still a great, smooth ride (although it never fails to surprise me how many people are frightened off by the thought that it goes upside down).  The "Holodeck" (simulator) attraction is a bit embarrassing for the park, and they really ought to either do it properly or replace it.  The screen inside it is very low-res (the video it plays can be seen on a monitor at the ops position outside the ride and is good quality) and is full of dead pixels.  The ride motion itself is uncomfortable, shows little resemblance to the video and is very noisy.  The audio quality also needs work.

One thing that struck me though was that with the exception of the Scenic Railway operations were incredibly slow.  It seemed like ride operators were constantly coming and being replaced, and in the process of doing that it would mean all loading would stop for up to five minutes while the operators had a casual chat and a laugh about their plans for the remainder of the weekend.  In other cases where two operators were allocated one would just hang out at the controls and the other would supervise unloading and loading solo.

The park could also do with some drinking fountains around the place.

[HussRainbow87]

Can’t say I really agree, there is far too much dead space in the park and could be utilised far better. The Enterprise is just not given proper justice as you cannot stand in front of it properly. Could have been moved over after the Galaxy removal and used that corner curve, giving space either side for other rides. The placement of the new SBF coaster is terrible. 

Edited January 28, 2019 by HussRainbow87

[Baconjack]

1 hour ago, webslave said:

The "Holodeck" (simulator) attraction is a bit embarrassing for the park, and they really ought to either do it properly or replace it.  The screen inside it is very low-res (the video it plays can be seen on a monitor at the ops position outside the ride and is good quality) and is full of dead pixels.  The ride motion itself is uncomfortable, shows little resemblance to the video and is very noisy.  The audio quality also needs work.

That's honestly a bit of a shame to hear the Holodeck isn't running well. Bear in mind this simulator was developed in 1993 and LPM's model is a 22 year old one originally built for Sega World. Considering Sega has long cut off support for this type of ride I'd probably be seeing them replacing the ride. They could use the opportunity to get a cool VR attraction but I just don't see LPM investing the money into it.

[webslave]

Thanks for the history on it @Baconjack.  I wasn't aware that was the heritage of it.  I reckon the screen inside it is not original to the attraction, and if that's the case then I wouldn't think replacing it would be too taxing for the park.  Looking at the software that drives it I wouldn't think it would be too hard to tweak the motion timeline if it was needed - but I'd have thought the fix might be a little more mechanical than that.

Even so, a basic vision and audio upgrade is unlikely to be costly or difficult and would make a world of difference.

[Jobe]

10 hours ago, webslave said:

I doubt it.  It's been there at least 30 years.

That would make the timeline perfect then. Wonderland History reports the Funnel Web leaving Wonderland in 1989 where it sat out back in maintenance for a little while and its eventual fate is unknown. On Wiki, it says the Spider was built in 1983. It COULD be the same unit.....

 

10 hours ago, webslave said:

There's another motive there that they don't publish.  The local area has a reputation for attracting some groups of youth who often cause trouble.  This has been seen to keep those elements out of the park.

That's very interesting. I am sure that is a by product of that. Do you have a source for this?

10 hours ago, webslave said:

One of the reasons for this is the low minimum height requirement to ride, which seems pretty random across the park.  For example, my kid is 106cm.  This means he is allowed to ride the Scenic Railway (with me), but is unable to ride Coney Drop (drop ride), the Twin Dragon (pirate ship), the Spider, the Dodgems, or the Sky Rider (Ferris Wheel).  Really odd given he is able to ride the counterparts of at least the dodgems and the ferris wheel in other locations with me.  I know it's about the restraints and all, but most parents just found it strange their little tackers were allowed on the big dawg roller-coaster but not the dodgem cars.

Yeah the Dodgem's height is a bit puzzling. LPS has 85-95cm can ride with an adult for its Dodgem set. The other restrictions I get, looking at the rides. They seem pretty standard across the board with most other parks. As for Scenic Railway, I guess its a function of the ride itself. Its not a very forceful ride and any child 100-110cm can ride with an adult. Riding such a big coaster is such an awesome thing to do for someone at that age so its great they can experience it with the whole family.

 

10 hours ago, webslave said:

I don't recall ever having heard it run.

The Pipe Organ is a historical feature of the carousel and is fairly integral to the overall experience. I have been to LPM on 5 occasions and have heard it play on 2. I was lamenting its silence on this visit- it really adds to the overall atmosphere of the ride.

10 hours ago, webslave said:

The "Holodeck" (simulator) attraction is a bit embarrassing for the park, and they really ought to either do it properly or replace it.  The screen inside it is very low-res (the video it plays can be seen on a monitor at the ops position outside the ride and is good quality) and is full of dead pixels.  The ride motion itself is uncomfortable, shows little resemblance to the video and is very noisy.  The audio quality also needs work.

 

9 hours ago, Baconjack said:

That's honestly a bit of a shame to hear the Holodeck isn't running well. Bear in mind this simulator was developed in 1993 and LPM's model is a 22 year old one originally built for Sega World. Considering Sega has long cut off support for this type of ride I'd probably be seeing them replacing the ride. They could use the opportunity to get a cool VR attraction but I just don't see LPM investing the money into it.

Yeah agree 100% here on the condition of the Holodeck. It was in pretty poor shape for exactly the reasons as Webslave outlined. Like a few other attractions, it needs some love and attention! What a pity LPM didnt pick up Rail Chase at the same time- going for less than $140,000 it would have been an absolute bargain and a great addition to the park!  Also consider if the sale of the Titan had been actually completed from Expo Park in 1989 and this had arrived at the park. I know Boomerangs are old hat now but it would have been a great addition in LPM with its relatively small footprint. It certainly would have made the loss of the Big Dipper a bit easier to swallow.

 

10 hours ago, webslave said:

It seemed like ride operators were constantly coming and being replaced, and in the process of doing that it would mean all loading would stop for up to five minutes while the operators had a casual chat and a laugh about their plans for the remainder of the weekend.  In other cases where two operators were allocated one would just hang out at the controls and the other would supervise unloading and loading solo.

Yep operations overall were not great. Scenic Railway was good, Powersurge and Speedy Beetle was decent and the rest was a bit of a lottery to be honest. However, I thought that the park did a good job of rotating the operators- I saw first hand operators handling the majority of the rides withing their shift- with the exception of the Scenic Railway. This appears to be a more specialised field and was limited to 5 operators for the 8 hours I was there ( including brakemen)

 

10 hours ago, HussRainbow87 said:

Can’t say I really agree, there is far too much dead space in the park and could be utilised far better. The Enterprise is just not given proper justice as you cannot stand in front of it properly. Could have been moved over after the Galaxy removal and used that corner curve, giving space either side for other rides. The placement of the new SBF coaster is terrible. 

I think you are spot on here Huss. There is several spots in the park that seemed "odd placement" for mine and the current layout of rides could definitely be tweaked to be better suited for space management. I think that the SBF Coaster placement is not meant to be a permanent position.

Honestly and realistically, if i was in charge of LPM, with the exceptions of the Carousel, The Ghost Train, the Spider and of course the Scenic Railway, I would gut the park and completely overhaul the ride lineup and alignment and placing. The place has great potential to be a fantastic mix of the best of the historic and the best of the new!!

15 hours ago, mickayel said:

Thanks for spending the time to create such a well written and comprehensive report. Your photos are beautiful - especially the nighttime shots. If you get a chance I would be more than happy to read about the other attractions you visited. Glad you and your family had a great time at such an iconic park. 

 

12 hours ago, iwerks said:

Thanks @Jobe for another excellent report. It's great to see people reporting on parks outside of the Gold Coast. I'm interested to see what you thought about the theming at Werribee too.

Thanks guys- its important that we support the smaller parks in Australia- its not just all about the Gold Coast , even though they are the main focal point of the Australian industry. 

I will complete the other reports in the next couple of days and I look forward to posting them

[webslave]

Maybe re-zone the park like this crude little number?