Brief History
Luna Park, Sydney is located at Milsons Point in North Sydney, New South Wales. The amusement park was opened to the public on the 4th of October, 1935. The original price for admittance was 6d for adults and 3d for children.
The entrance of the park features a giant face of the moon and is similar to the face entrance at St Kilda’s Luna Park in Melbourne. The face of Sydney’s Luna Park has been replaced several times over the years. The park was built after the construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge which occupied much of the foreshore from 1924-1932. During construction of the bridge, a large portion of the cliff behind the site was excavated and then flattened making way for a business opportunity. Tenders were sought for the areas of recreational development which was won by Hermann Phillips. Phillips proposed to build an amusement park on the foreshore. Phillips dismantled and transported rides from his South Australian park that was closed due to expansion issues. The rides and features were re-assembled or built by 800 structural workers, 35 artists, and 70 electricians in just over three months.
Tragedy struck in 1979 when a fire broke out on the ghost train, killing several people (including children). This led to the closure of the park and an unknown future. The park opened and closed several times before a re-vamped park was opened in 2004.
There were originally seven Luna Parks built in Australia however only Sydney and Melbourne Luna Park are still operating.