Luna Park
Editorial
Unlimited Ride Tickets:
Toddlers (3yrs & under) $12.95
Children (4 -12 yrs) $29.95
Adults (13+ yrs) $39.95
Family (2 adults + 2 children) or (1 adult + 3 children) $122.95
Additional family members:
$11.00 per toddler
$24.55 per child
$33.55 per adult.
Single Ride Ticket Prices
Toddlers 1-3 yrs $3.50
Children 4-12 yrs $6.50
Adults 13+ yrs $8.50
(Generally if you are planning to ride more than 4 times it is more economical to purchase an Unlimited ride pass).
Back on 13 December 1912, when Luna Park first opened her iconic mouth, Melburnians flocked to her seaside spot, lured by the exoticism of the Pharaoh’s Daughter, the splashes of the River Caves, and the whooshes of the American Bowl Slide. Within a year, between 8000-10,000 visitors were turning up every Saturday night for a slice of the sideshow shenanigans.
Happy years passed and rides changed, but Luna Park staunchly remained Melbourne’s place of fun by the Bay.
Sisters June and Linda Tadgell grew up in St Kilda in the 1920s and ‘30s, and haunted Luna Park most weekends – usually on the way to or from St Kilda Beach. Thrill-seeker June remembers going on class excursions (she went to Brighton Rd School, now St Kilda Primary) when they were given free rides all day. She held the school record for the most rides on the Big Dipper in a day (11 times) but wasn’t too interested in the Scenic Railway because “the hills were not as steep.” Fun-loving Linda made a bee-line for the Giggle Palace, because “the moment you went inside, you started to laugh.” During the Depression, all children could soak up the fun without spending a precious penny.
Kids of all ages flocked to Luna Park over the years, but as the Park aged, she became more than just a place for youngsters. Luna Park director Mary Stuart has seen generations of thrill-seekers return – first with their children and then with their grandchildren. Linda was still whizzing down the slopes of the Scenic Railway (with grandchildren in tow) in her seventies. As Mary says, “Luna Park holds a special place in the heart of Melbourne.”
Luna Park still looks good for her age. The secret to her success? Put simply by Mary, “Luna Park is a little treasure ... not a huge area, but a very special area.” She has maintained her feelgood history and also moved with the times. This connection between the past and the present is something that will see Luna Park well into her 100s.
Judith Hatton, Citysearch
User Feedback
Josh
September 16, 2008
A ride on the scenic railway is a must do on a Sunny Melbourne Sunday. Do it before you have an icecream from that awesome shop on Acland Street though!
Your Feedback
1 User review (add yours)