Луна-Парк Сиднея: История и Возрождение

Amusement park in Sydney, Australia. Luna Park Sydney is a heritage listed amusement park located at 1 Olympic Drive in the harbourside suburb of Milsons Point, New South Wales, Australia, on the northern shore of Sydney Harbour. The amusement park is owned by the Luna Park Reserve Trust, an agency of the Government of New South Wales. It is one of Sydney's most famous landmarks and has had a significant impact on culture through the years, including being featured as a filming location for several movies and television shows. It is one of two amusement parks in the world that are protected by government legislation, namely the Luna Park Site Act 1990 which specifically protects the site and sets it aside for the purpose of an amusement park. Several of the buildings on the site are also listed on the (now defunct) Register of the National Estate and the New South Wales State Heritage Register. The park was constructed during 1935, approximately from the northern approaches of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. It was an extremely popular attraction during World War II and the post war period. The park suddenly closed in mid 1979 after the Ghost Train fire which killed six children and one adult. Most of the park was demolished and a new one was constructed, which operated for a brief time as Harbourside Amusement Park before the name was reverted. The park was closed again in 1988 as an independent engineering inspection determined that several rides needed urgent repair. The owners failed to repair and reopen the park before a Government of New South Wales deadline, and ownership was passed to a new body. The park reopened in 1995, but closed yet again within thirteen months due to noise complaints about the Big Dipper rollercoaster from local residents, which led to reduced hours and a drop in attendance that made the park unsustainable to run. Luna Park opened only sporadically for the next nine years, including for special charity events and as a filming location. After another redevelopment, it reopened in 2004 and has continued operating ever since.

The Cammeraygal people are the traditional owners of the North Sydney area, having lived there for at least 5,000 years. After the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788, a block of land between Lavender Bay and Careening Cove was granted by colonial authorities to a private soldier named Robert Ryan. This land passed down via surveyor general Charles Grimes to politician Robert Campbell by 1805, with James Milson later settling there in the 1820s. In 1830, Jamaican ex convict Billy Blue commenced the first ferry service across Sydney Harbour. By 1837, a regular wharf and waterman's service was operating from the site now known as Milsons Point. A regular vehicular ferry was operating by 1860, joined by a tram line to North Sydney in 1886.

The first "Luna Park" was opened at Coney Island, New York in 1903. The first Luna Park in Australia opened in , Melbourne in 1912, followed by Luna Park Glenelg, South Australia in 1930. From 1924 onwards, the future site of Luna Park Sydney was used extensively by the Dorman Long firm to fabricate and assemble steel components for the Sydney Harbour Bridge, which officially opened in 1932. Phillips and his associates won the tender for the North Sydney site and began a 20 year lease on 11 September 1935, forming Luna Park (NSW) Ltd. The rides from Glenelg were dismantled and transported to Sydney over a three month period an elaborate process undertaken by Stuart Brothers under the direction of David Atkins, Ted Hopkins (also known as "Hoppy") and Arthur "Art" Barton. Construction of the park employed almost 1,000 engineers, structural workers, fitters, and artists. There were noise complaints and protests from North Shore residents against the park's construction as early as April 1935, before it had even opened. Members of a "Parks and Playgrounds Movement" were quoted as saying the park was the result of "a deplorable lack of aesthetic taste", and akin to "Coney Island under the Tower of London" as in, not worthy of proximity to the Sydney Harbour Bridge. These sorts of complaints would turn out to be a theme throughout the park's history.

On 4 October 1935, Luna Park Sydney was officially opened to immediate success. After a successful opening season, the park closed down for the winter months so that rides and attractions could be overhauled and repainted, and new ones could be added. Winter closures were abandoned under this new management, meaning there was no opportunity to carry out regular maintenance works on the rides.

On 16 April 1979, a steel runner came loose on the Big Dipper, halting one train and leading to a collision with another.

The NSW government called for tenders for the site's development at the end of July 1979. Over the next six years, the Face was removed from over the entry gates on two occasions, the owners of Harbourside were involved in two disputes with the Department of Public Works and one director was the subject of an inquiry by the Corporate Affairs Commission.

In 1991, the first two stages of the three stage redevelopment and restoration plan for Luna Park was given the green light, with $25 million granted by the Open Space and Heritage Fund towards the project. The Luna Park Plan of Management was prepared by the New South Wales government in 1998 to guide the future management of the Luna Park Reserve. This plan identified a preferred option for Luna Park's future use, determined in consultation with residents, the general public and other stakeholders. It sought to preserve Luna Park's amusement park character while introducing new uses to improve its viability and accordance with the parameters in the Luna Park Site Amendment Act 1997. There was also grassroots community support for the park's reopening; one example of this was the collection of a 5,000 signature petition by a pair of high school students. The claim was of noise nuisance from the amusement rides, particularly those in Maloney's Corner. Stating that they had been misled as to the types of amusement ride that were located in the Maloney's Corner area, the residents and developer attempted to claim over $20 million in damages, and demanded the relocation or permanent closure of the Ranger and Spider rides. On 1 January 2007, a staff member working on the Golden Way Amusements owned Speed (hired for the Christmas holidays) was struck in the head by the armature while the ride was in motion. In October 2007, Multiplex announced that it was intending to sell the lease to one of the undeveloped sections of Luna Park. The section of land, advertised for approximately A$7 million, had initially been leased from the NSW Government for A$1, on the condition that any profit made from property built on the site was invested in the amusement park. In February 2010, the Park was placed on the NSW State Heritage Register. In late 2011, the NSW government allocated $78,000 in the state budget for upgrades of the park's lighting to LEDs, along with repairs to the park's buildings.

On 19 March 2020, Luna Park confirmed that the park would be closed as a result of the COVID 19 pandemic. The park reopened on 3 July with the implementation of additional safety measures, including regular cleaning between rides, limits on the number of visitors per ride and health checks upon arrival. The park closed again in January 2021, and nine new rides were built including three roller coasters; one a Gerstlauer family shuttle coaster called Boomerang, and another a coaster designed for children called Little Nipper. These were supposed to open on 26 June, but was delayed until 22 October due again to the COVID pandemic and resulting lockdowns. The third coaster is an Intamin Hot Racer that is Australia's first single rail coaster, and is named Big Dipper after the coasters that operated before it. Big Dipper opened on December 26, 2021. In March 2023, the park held a reunion of the Friends of Luna Park activist group at Coney Island. A plaque was unveiled to commemorate their efforts, and particularly Sharp's, in saving the park from development.

The iconic 9 metre wide (30 ft) smiling face, as well as its Art Deco towers, have presided over the main entrance for almost all of the park's existence. The idea was based on the large smiling faces at Luna Park, Melbourne, Australia, and Steeplechase Park in the United States. There have been eight distinct faces, installed in 1935, 1938, 1947, 1958, 1960, 1973, 1982, and 1995. The seventh face was donated to the Powerhouse Museum in May 1994. It was built in 1993 from heavy duty fiberglass and installed in 1995. The design is based on Arthur Barton's 1960 "Old King Cole" face.

Stretching from the Face to Coney Island, the Midway has always been the main thoroughfare of Luna Park. The Midway is the focus of many activities and amusements, and provides access to the Crystal Palace, Big Top, and Coney Island, along with the majority of Luna Park's permanent rides.

The Rotor was designed by German engineer Ernst Hoffmeister in the late 1940s. The Rotor is a large, upright barrel, rotated at 30 revolutions per minute. The rotation of the barrel creates a centrifugal force equivalent to between 1 and 1.5 g. Once the barrel has attained full speed, the floor is retracted, leaving the riders stuck to the wall of the drum. At the end of the ride cycle, the drum slows down and gravity takes over. The riders slide down the wall slowly. Although Hoffmeister was the designer, most Rotors were constructed under licence. The first Luna Park Rotor was built by Ted Hopkins in 1951. Three Rotors were built in Australia based on Hoffmeister's design. All had been demolished or destroyed by the 1980s, although a slightly redesigned Rotor was rebuilt for Luna Park Sydney in 1995, which is still in operation. Since the 2004 reopening, Crystal Palace has been host to four of the seven rooms used by Luna Park's functions business. The main room stretches across the entire lower floor of Crystal Palace, and is often used for wedding receptions and other large social functions. The Midway facing exterior of the building is host to numerous sideshow games, such as the Laughing Clowns, Crazy Crooners, and Goin Fishin'.

First constructed in 1935, Coney Island Funnyland is the only operating example of a 1930s funhouse left in the world. Although some changes have been made over the years, the layout is almost identical to when Luna Park opened in 1935. It is a rectangular building with the longest side running east–west. It has a corrugated iron hip roof with its external walls forming parapet walls around each side. The basic structure of Coney Island is virtually identical to that of the Crystal Palace. It is similar in width but slightly shorter, having twelve bays. Internally the steelwork of the main structure is concealed by mural panels or decorated motifs which were physically conserved during 1994. The roof purlins and sheeting are exposed. The industrial light fittings are suspended from the roof. The open space contains large and small fun devices, giant slides 1–4, joy wheel, turkey trot and barrels of fun. The design was based on funhouses in Europe and the United States, and contains rotating barrels, moving platforms, large slides, and arcade games. Today's Coney Island is also host to the restored artworks of Arthur Barton, who started as one of 35 artists, along with photographs and memorabilia spanning Luna Park's 85 year history. The slides and amusements are the same ones first used in 1935, but modified to meet modern safety standards. The amusements were saved from the 1981 demolition by the 'Friends of Luna Park' action group, who purchased them for $9,200, on the condition that they remain in the heritage listed building. The Park closed on January 26, 2021, and reopened with 8 new rides on October 22. These rides are: Boomerang, Bug, Cloud 9, Freaky Frogs, Little Nipper, Loopy Lighthouse, Sledgehammer, and Silly Sub. Rotor Luna Park's Rotor was first installed in 1951. It was continually a popular ride until its demolition at the end of 1986. A slightly smaller Rotor was constructed during the 1995 redevelopment. Carousel A carousel by John H. Rundle Ltd.
Ferris Wheel Standing 35 metres tall, the 24 gondola Ferris wheel was introduced to the park during the 1982 Harbourside development. Volaré A Preston & Barbieri Wave Swinger and Luna Park's first permanent ride since 2013, opening in 2019. Tango Train (2016) Opened in 2016 on the site of the original Tango Train. A 20 Car Musik Express manufactured by SBF Visa. Hair Raiser A Larson International Super Shot drop tower added to the park in 2013. Wild Mouse A wooden Wild Mouse roller coaster, Luna Park's Wild Mouse was first installed in 1962, and although it has been disassembled and removed on several occasions, it has remained at Luna Park since 1995. Big Dipper (2021) The first single rail coaster in Australia, the first Intamin Hot Racer model, and the first launched single rail coaster in the world. The ride opened on 26 December 2021. Flying Saucer A 1988 HUSS UFO. Was closed in 2013 and replaced by Volaré in 2019. Moon Ranger A HUSS Ranger coming to the park in 1995. Was closed and removed in 2020. Tumblebug A 1988 HUSS Troika, the Tumblebug was installed in 1995. The ride, named after the Tumble Bug operated by Luna Park from 1935 to 1973, was closed and removed in 2020. Spider A HUSS Breakdance installed during the 1995 redevelopment, the Spider received its name from the park's 1938 ride. This was the last of the four HUSS rides that came to the park in 1995 remaining when it was closed and removed in late November 2020. Octopus An Octopus ride that came to the park in 1995 however was removed after the park closed in 2001.

In 1959, the entire park was used for Leslie Norman's film adaptation of Summer of the Seventeenth Doll, based on the play by Ray Lawler.

Luna Park was used as a filming location by the ABC pop music series Six O'Clock Rock, which ran from 1959 to 1962. In 1969, the 38th episode of the 2nd season of Skippy the Bush Kangaroo was filmed at the park. The episode, simply entitled "Luna Park", was based on the premise that Skippy had won a trip to the park in a newspaper competition. In 1976, television soap opera Number 96 had characters Dorrie and Herbert Evans, Flo Patterson and Junior Winthrop (Pat McDonald, Ron Shand, Bunney Brooke and Curt Jansen) visit the park, including scenes of them in Coney Island, eating fairy floss, and riding on the Big Dipper and the Topsy Turvy House. This footage, from Episode 920, has been preserved digitally and was featured in Number 96: And They Said It Wouldn't Last, a bonus feature on the 2006 DVD release of the feature film version of the show, Number 96: 2 Disc Collectors Edition. In 1977, the park was featured in the telemovie Gone to Ground. In 1989, the park was featured in the New Zealand children's drama/adventure programme Betty's Bunch. In 2000, scenes for the two part 100th episode of JAG, entitled "Boomerang", were filmed at the park. In 2001, the "memory sequences" in the Farscape episode "Infinite Possibilities Part I: Daedalus Demands" were shot at the park. In 2001, scenes for the Bollywood film Dil Chahta Hai were shot at the park. In 2010, Luna Park was featured in the first season of the Australian TV series Dance Academy. In 2019, the auditions for season 9 of Australia's Got Talent were filmed in the Big Top, with the judges being seen on the rides at the beginnings of some episodes.

In 1996, a documentary about the park entitled Spirits of the Carnival – The Quest for Fun was released. In 1979, Martin Sharp brought Tiny Tim to Luna Park to set a new record for the world's longest professional non stop singing marathon. Tiny performed for two hours and seventeen minutes. Footage of the complete show was released as The Non Stop Luna Park Marathon by Planet Blue Pictures in 2014. As of 2023, it can be viewed for free on Vimeo. Footage of the above marathon was originally intended for Street of Dreams, a feature film directed by Sharp that investigated the Ghost Train fire and the history of the park in general, as well as telling Tiny's life story and showcasing his eccentric personality. The film was never completed in Sharp's lifetime, but a leaked rough cut exists on the internet. In March 2021, a 3 part documentary aired on ABC TV and ABC iView called EXPOSED: The Ghost Train Fire which investigated the cause of the fire, interviewing many witnesses and drawing posthumously on Sharp's extensive research into the topic.

In 1983, Luna Park was mentioned in the song "Upstairs In My House" by the Australian band Men at Work on their 1983 album Cargo. In 2016, the park was featured in Seventeen's "Healing" music video which was released on 16 October 2016. It was filmed during their Shining Diamonds: Asia Pacific Tour. In 2018, Lady Leshurr filmed her music video for "On My Way" at the park. In 2020, Sydney post punk band Johnny Hunter filmed their music video for "Innocence Interrupted" at the park.

In 2022, the video game Newfound Courage's expansion Return to Otherwhere featured a theme park inspired heavily by Sydney's Luna Park, including several of the rides which players are required to use.