LUNA PARK TO CELEBRATE 110 YEARS
Hip, hip, hooray! The anniversary countdown is officially on for Melbourne’s Luna Park who is celebrating 110 years since opening on 13th December, 1912. Australia’s oldest and most treasured heritage amusement park, Luna Park is gearing up for a summer of lunacy to celebrate the anniversary of all anniversaries!
To help celebrate their milestone in style, Luna Park has the ultimate summer soundtrack sorted with This Is Where I Fun, an anthem to get those of all ages to gather in the sun and have some fun! Performed by Australia’s Got Talent star Greg Gould, who co-wrote the track with Tony Chilvers, the track will ensure ‘there’s magic in the air, lots of laughter everywhere’.
Luna Park is also taking the opportunity to say thank you to its supporters with a Community Day, inviting neighbours, schools and charities for a night of fun at the park. Attendees are sure to leave with smiles as big as Mr Moon’s!
Since opening more than century ago, Luna Park has welcomed millions of locals and visitors alike who have come one, come all to revel in its modern thrills and nods to the past. Those who dare to step inside are still swallowed up by Mr Moon’s mischievous face, the smell of hot dogs, donuts and popcorn wafting in the air, the lovingly restored Carousel horses going up and down and round and round, and the delightful screams of those riding the Great Scenic Railway echoing across The Esplanade
The oldest amusement park in Australia, the historic attractions are the jewels in Luna Park’s crown, creating a world of fantastical fun that has created delightful memories for generations.
“It’s lovely to see a new generation of children and adults making memories at Luna Park. It’s a part of Melbourne’s history, but it doesn’t belong behind glass. It’s a living museum in many ways, where you can enjoy attractions virtually unchanged from 110 years ago, while also experiencing modern thrills,” said Mary Stuart, Executive Director, Luna Park.
“We encourage everyone to share their most memorable Luna Park moments with us; the wild, the unforgettable, the exhilarating!”
Restored between 1999 and 2001, Luna Park’s Carousel is a grand example of carnival arts, with 68 magnificent horses each boasting an elaborate design. At the heart of the carousel is a large band organ made in Paris in 1909, the only one of its kind in Australia and one of only five remaining lumines in the world.
The Great Scenic Railway is the oldest continuously operating wooden rollercoaster in the world, persisting still when the Park reduced operations during World War I and as the park operated under blackout conditions during World War II.
Mr Moon’s gaping face has been restored several times over the years. Originally made of chicken wire, hessian and cement, the current Mr Moon is made of fibreglass, but used the original “bone structure” as a guide, a process that involved painstaking work.
Just like the Great Scenic Railway, Luna Park has had its ups and downs — struggling for survival during world wars, the depression and recession — but proving classic thrills never go out of style, it’s thrived thanks to a winning combination of heritage charm melded with modern adrenalin-seeking; where the genteel carousel shares space with the Supernova and its 360-degree high altitude spins.
Here’s to another 110 summers of lunacy at Melbourne’s home of fun!
For more information on Luna Park, please visit www.lunapark.com.au
