I was there in the 60s and 70s. I was on the big dipper once and it started to rain...when it came to the end the big brake could not hold us and we ended up going around three times before they could pull the ride to a stop (felt like it was getting faster each time around)....true story....great times!!
I worked at Luna Park as a kid in 1978 and 1979 aged 7/8 - my Dad made home made fruit juice icy poles and we sold them on Saturdays - this brings back so many memories thanks so much for posting - I was there every week for a couple of years so it formed a big part of my childhood
I used to go to Luna Park in the 70's when I was a kid. It was a Sydney landmark & absolutely thrilling. Great memories but I'm sure it wouldn't meet safety standards these days.
Chilling to think this was the year before that terrible fire in 79. Luna Park never really seemed to recover after that. I remember first going to LP in 85 or 86 when I was on holiday in Aus. and Luna Park was pretty good then - enjoyed the rides and the atmosphere - although they were pretty much standard travelling carnival rides. I went again in 2010 and thought it was rubbish.
Simpler times....$2.00 for a 10 ride admission card. I can still smell of potato chips cooked in lard!. One of the first places I visited when I first arrived in Australia as a young boy. Such unforgettable memories. I ended up working as a part time 'Rides Operator' in the mid-1980s. Every shift was sheer joy!
I'm surprised that the Zipper made it to Australia considering it was manufactured in the U.S. The Zipper didn't even get to Europe. This is an excellent video especially looking at the older rides and attractions of the 1970s. :)
John Brooks The Zipper does tour the UK, I saw it at Epsom Downs funfair in 93 and Leeds town centre funfair in 94 - however I haven't seen the Zipper around in the UK since then - but then I don't get to many big fairs in the UK these days.
Richard Booth Thanks for the information. I had actually found out there was one in the UK shortly after I had made the above comment. But, I think it went elsewhere after the years you mentioned in your comment. It's kind of strange how it wasn't more popular in the UK in particular but, maybe it was because it's manufactured in the US by Chance Rides of Wichita, Kansas. I never liked the ride myself but, it sure brings the crowds to many fairs. :-)
Sure there was the rotor, big dipper, wild cat - mouse etc, but I have fond memories of those outrageous slippery slides in coney island & a personal goal was to beat your mates & be the last person on the humoungus spinning disc,also the mirror maze with that fluro green water stream that seemed to run up hill ? totally bizarre & cant forget penny arcade with rows of pinball machines. A quick ride on the hydrafoil to the Manly fun pier was a blast too. The 70's will never be repeated. It was certainly a golden era for good times - 1970's till the ghost train fire in 79. It was never the same after this.
Thanks for posting. What great memories you've brought back! I loved it there and went as often as I could through the 70's, never getting sick of it :-) I remember you bought a yellow/cream coloured card that had 5 (?) red squares on one side and 5 (?) blue squares on the other. When you went on a ride they'd put a hole punch through one of the squares. The red rides were the best like the Zipper & Big Dipper, with the blue rides being like the Mirror Maze and the Spinning House etc... Does anyone remember the Dodgem Boats? They were so, so slow lol... Luna Park was the only place I've ever seen them. I was devastated when I heard about the fire in the Ghost Train and the loss of life and as per the comments below, Luna Park was never the same after that :-(
I remember something similar. Weren't the red tickets for children, and blue for adults (or vice versa). There were a few large ones (for the bigger and/or more popular rides), and about twice as many smaller ones, for the "smaller" rides. They punched a hole through the appropriate square/part of the card. I remember everyone loved the River Glades (?) as you got a chance to sit down for a while and be cool. I do remember the dodgem boats I think, and how the part that ran along the chicken wire sparked... just like the dodgem cars. It was way better back then than now!
What a work of art the park WAS. Looking at this video, it's hard to believe, but it was on ly a year or so later that a big fire erupted and LP Sydney never really returned in spirit. Just a face n towers tokenism today.
I wasn't born then I'm 15 but Luna park now is crappy now compared to then. They have trees there and better rides. LP now has got carnival rides and they did back then too but they were better choices. LP has to get better rides
This was the Luna Park I knew back when many of the old rides from previous decades were still in operation. I was actually on the ghost ride with a friend the day before the tragedy occurred. It could just as well have been us that died in a fire.
I'm a university student who was born in the early 90s, and it really disappoints me to say that I will never experience the fun of any of these older rides! The 15 year old poster is right in saying that the rides there now are really quite boring and ordinary; the only thing that still draws me to the park is it's history. The Big Dipper looks like it was the most epic ride...and it's true - the Luna Park we have currently, has absolutely no greenery - no trees - the whole grounds are made of cement. I fear it will again be shut down soon due to lack of business.
Estelle Fletcher I was there in 85 or 86 on holiday - probably no as good as it was in the 70's but certainly worth making the effort to visit in you were on Holiday in Sydney - went again in 2010 and thought it was rubbish. We walked the whole park in about 3 mins and apart from a couple of big rides - including the Tango Train which is really now a museum piece, there wasn't much there in terms of rides and just rows of tacky side shows. Shame because LP could have so much potential and Sydney really needs a major fair ground attraction. It could be so magic - especially as Sydonians have such marvellous weather to enjoy - not like us Brits where it can literally pour it down any day of the year !
I first went to luna park in 1970 the last time was the week before it burnt down I was 13 the big dipper first time I went on it I came off looking pale and feeling sick my favourite ride was the river boat ride and the ghost train
I did not recall from my own memory what great well established gardens were there at that time! Such great rides, a pity they didn't go on the river caves!
Devil Warrior in the ride there were lit fire torches that came down at different times and one of the passengers didn't duck the fire burnt their hair off and spreaded to the rest of the cart
![[Part 1] ทารกน้อยถูกทิ้ง👶 หญิงชราเก็บขวดขายเลี้ยงดูเขาจนโต #โลกการละคร](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/nPTDvFCExks/mqdefault.jpg)
I was there in the 60s and 70s. I was on the big dipper once and it started to rain...when it came to the end the big brake could not hold us and we ended up going around three times before they could pull the ride to a stop (felt like it was getting faster each time around)....true story....great times!!
I worked at Luna Park as a kid in 1978 and 1979 aged 7/8 - my Dad made home made fruit juice icy poles and we sold them on Saturdays - this brings back so many memories thanks so much for posting - I was there every week for a couple of years so it formed a big part of my childhood
This looks so much more fun than it is now...
rachel knight it’s a monument now, a carcass, represents something of a shell of something that was Luna park
At least it's still there as a fun park for a new generation and not a block of apartments.
I went to luna park lots in 70s great memories went the same time and day one week earlier so lucky my thoughts to the people who died😢
I used to go to Luna Park in the 70's when I was a kid. It was a Sydney landmark & absolutely thrilling. Great memories but I'm sure it wouldn't meet safety standards these days.
Them rides were bloody dangerous but so much fun 👍
Chilling to think this was the year before that terrible fire in 79. Luna Park never really seemed to recover after that. I remember first going to LP in 85 or 86 when I was on holiday in Aus. and Luna Park was pretty good then - enjoyed the rides and the atmosphere - although they were pretty much standard travelling carnival rides. I went again in 2010 and thought it was rubbish.
Tragically , One year later , the ghost train caught fire and seven people died ... 6 children and one adult . 😔
Simpler times....$2.00 for a 10 ride admission card. I can still smell of potato chips cooked in lard!. One of the first places I visited when I first arrived in Australia as a young boy.
Such unforgettable memories. I ended up working as a part time 'Rides Operator' in the mid-1980s.
Every shift was sheer joy!
Wow great video and memories. I'm sure the on ride filming of the big dipper is a rare video.
Not gonna lie, I teared up a little watching this. This makes me wish I was born in another time. Thankyou for uploading.
Thanks for posting - a real shame there is virtually zero footage of the River Caves and inside the Ghost Train.
Yes, both those rides were amazing!
Wow the rides look way more thrilling in this video!! I wish the Big Dipper and zipper still stayed :((
+dotDolphin CSGO big dipper burned down :(
+rollercoastermaniac2 No, it was moved by noise complaint
+dotDolphin CSGO the new big dipper, the steel one, the wood one burned down
I'm surprised that the Zipper made it to Australia considering it was manufactured in the U.S. The Zipper didn't even get to Europe. This is an excellent video especially looking at the older rides and attractions of the 1970s. :)
John Brooks The Zipper does tour the UK, I saw it at Epsom Downs funfair in 93 and Leeds town centre funfair in 94 - however I haven't seen the Zipper around in the UK since then - but then I don't get to many big fairs in the UK these days.
Richard Booth Thanks for the information. I had actually found out there was one in the UK shortly after I had made the above comment. But, I think it went elsewhere after the years you mentioned in your comment. It's kind of strange how it wasn't more popular in the UK in particular but, maybe it was because it's manufactured in the US by Chance Rides of Wichita, Kansas. I never liked the ride myself but, it sure brings the crowds to many fairs. :-)
Sure there was the rotor, big dipper, wild cat - mouse etc, but I have fond memories of those outrageous slippery slides in coney island & a personal goal was to beat your mates & be the last person on the humoungus spinning disc,also the mirror maze with that fluro green water stream that seemed to run up hill ? totally bizarre & cant forget penny arcade with rows of pinball machines.
A quick ride on the hydrafoil to the Manly fun pier was a blast too.
The 70's will never be repeated.
It was certainly a golden era for good times - 1970's till the ghost train fire in 79. It was never the same after this.
Ohh don't forget the river boat rides and Davy Jones locker😊
Thank you SO MUCH for uploading this.
Ah, such good old days!!
Thanks for posting. What great memories you've brought back! I loved it there and went as often as I could through the 70's, never getting sick of it :-) I remember you bought a yellow/cream coloured card that had 5 (?) red squares on one side and 5 (?) blue squares on the other. When you went on a ride they'd put a hole punch through one of the squares. The red rides were the best like the Zipper & Big Dipper, with the blue rides being like the Mirror Maze and the Spinning House etc... Does anyone remember the Dodgem Boats? They were so, so slow lol... Luna Park was the only place I've ever seen them. I was devastated when I heard about the fire in the Ghost Train and the loss of life and as per the comments below, Luna Park was never the same after that :-(
I remember something similar. Weren't the red tickets for children, and blue for adults (or vice versa). There were a few large ones (for the bigger and/or more popular rides), and about twice as many smaller ones, for the "smaller" rides. They punched a hole through the appropriate square/part of the card. I remember everyone loved the River Glades (?) as you got a chance to sit down for a while and be cool. I do remember the dodgem boats I think, and how the part that ran along the chicken wire sparked... just like the dodgem cars. It was way better back then than now!
What a work of art the park WAS. Looking at this video, it's hard to believe, but it was on ly a year or so later that a big fire erupted and LP Sydney never really returned in spirit. Just a face n towers tokenism today.
Ghost train was great, real people used to jump out at you..
That was really good. The quick cuts were a bit distracting and it's a pity it had no audio.
I wasn't born then I'm 15 but Luna park now is crappy now compared to then. They have trees there and better rides. LP now has got carnival rides and they did back then too but they were better choices. LP has to get better rides
I went there a few times in the 70's & again in 80's after the fire on the ghost train, Stick to the wall was my favourite.
That is so cool!
Does anybody have any photos from inside Coney Island before 1980?
This was the Luna Park I knew back when many of the old rides from previous decades were still in operation. I was actually on the ghost ride with a friend the day before the tragedy occurred. It could just as well have been us that died in a fire.
I'm a university student who was born in the early 90s, and it really disappoints me to say that I will never experience the fun of any of these older rides! The 15 year old poster is right in saying that the rides there now are really quite boring and ordinary; the only thing that still draws me to the park is it's history. The Big Dipper looks like it was the most epic ride...and it's true - the Luna Park we have currently, has absolutely no greenery - no trees - the whole grounds are made of cement. I fear it will again be shut down soon due to lack of business.
Estelle Fletcher I was there in 85 or 86 on holiday - probably no as good as it was in the 70's but certainly worth making the effort to visit in you were on Holiday in Sydney - went again in 2010 and thought it was rubbish. We walked the whole park in about 3 mins and apart from a couple of big rides - including the Tango Train which is really now a museum piece, there wasn't much there in terms of rides and just rows of tacky side shows. Shame because LP could have so much potential and Sydney really needs a major fair ground attraction. It could be so magic - especially as Sydonians have such marvellous weather to enjoy - not like us Brits where it can literally pour it down any day of the year !
I first went to luna park in 1970 the last time was the week before it burnt down I was 13 the big dipper first time I went on it I came off looking pale and feeling sick my favourite ride was the river boat ride and the ghost train
It was a little sad to see the Ghost Train from the outside for the brief few seconds at 0:37
I feel sorry for those poor 7 souls (and Ghost Train as well, of course).
@@queenielouweekly3160 Me too.
R.I.P
back when it was Luna Park
It still is.
I did not recall from my own memory what great well established gardens were there at that time! Such great rides, a pity they didn't go on the river caves!
are you sure it's in the NFSA archives? all i can find is a movie from 1976 not 1978
How did the fire start?
Devil Warrior in the ride there were lit fire torches that came down at different times and one of the passengers didn't duck the fire burnt their hair off and spreaded to the rest of the cart
Essy Mo no my mum went on it the day before
@@duckie.mp3 Bullshit. You state absolute bullshit.
Arson see exposed on the abc
@@purplegrrl711 a bikie lit the fire useing kerosene