melbourne luna park ghost train

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10 Attractions for Kids in NYC

We’ve rounded up the best attractions for kids in NYC. Read below to know where to take your kids.

The High Line

This former elevated freight train has been turned into a public park that’s perfect for kids with public art, entertainment and family programming. From the High Line NYC entrance at Gansevoort Street to 34th Street, this 1.45-mile long stretch offers great views of the city.

Alice’s Teacup

Delicious finger sandwiches, chocolate chip scones, charming scenery and afternoon tea make Alice’s Teacup an adorable stop for kids and their parents. Multiple locations throughout the city mean you can fit a visit in no matter where your sightseeing takes you.

In addition to a world-class collection of art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art features a rooftop garden with incredible views that’s open to the public during the summer.

Brooklyn Bridge Park

Brooklyn Bridge Park offers a tremendous view of Lower Manhattan, plus places to eat and sit while the kids run off their energy. This 85-acre expanse on the East River waterfront offers a restored 1920s carousel and riverfront promenades.

Ellen’s Stardust Diner

This fun spot in the theater district offers continuous live entertainment featuring Broadway hits. It’s a bit touristy, but kids will love the singing waitstaff, most of whom are ready to become Broadway stars any minute.

The Guggenheim Museum

Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, the Guggenheim Museum NYC has a large permanent collection including artwork from Pollock to Picasso. Check the museum’s website before visiting to see what is being shown in the current collection and whether the famous spiral ramp is open.

Brooklyn Children’s Museum

Renowned architect Rafael Vinoly updated the Brooklyn Children’s Museum, which is the oldest in the world, a few years ago when it doubled in size. Perfect for toddlers through early elementary school students, it’s also the first “green” museum in New York City.

Central Park Zoo

Centrally located in Central Park, this clean zoo hosts almost one million visitors every year. It’s a favorite among kids, and a visit through the zoo only takes about two hours.

Governor’s Island Ferry

Take the free ferry from Lower Manhattan to Governor’s Island, where you can have a picnic, rent bikes, buy crafts from local artists, experience art installations and more.

Tour Chinatown

If your kids are adventurous eaters, introduce them to some authentic Asian cuisine in Chinatown. Sample some of the city’s best hand-pulled noodles and roast pork buns in Lower Manhattan’s Chinatown.

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• 16th · Monday Closed
• 17th · Tuesday Closed
• 18th · Wednesday Closed
• 19th · Thursday Closed

Ghost Train

Purchased from the Pretzel Amusement Company, the Ghost Train has been spooking guests since way back in 1934. It might be cheesy, but its haunted tracks are still riddled with ghastly ghouls and terrifying scares (well, frights anyway)!

This ride is great for

Families & Kids

To ride on your own you must be

Kids under 110cm can ride with a

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The Great Scenic Railway

Ride the world's oldest continually operating roller coaster!

Buckle up for bump-tastic ride in our ever popular dodgems!

A beautiful 'jewel in the crown' of Luna Park!

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Ghost train ride is not scary - Luna Park Melbourne

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Ghost train ride is not scary

Luna Park is Luna Park. This time I visited the park at night with friends. The place looks spectacular lit up in the dark. The park is a little expensive on a per ride basis but you can buy an unlimited pass to access all the rides. We tried the ghost train ride as a group. Boy was it not scary at all - the ride at Spookers pre dinner is sooo much better. Very disappointed. We also wanted to the roller coaster however it was closed due to the winds. Luna Park is very pretty tho. I would suggest combining the visit with a trip to the St Kilda penguins.

extremely Small and dated place for its price. whole place lack of shelter. just steaming hot. one of the worst theme park

Not the biggest place to visit but it's a legend so you have to at least have a walk around. Some ok rides and fun food. I think the kids enjoyed it more. Nice if you have a couple of hours to kill and if it's not too hot. Sporadic opening hours make it difficult to plan.

This place is so nice. Everything is made 1912 and it looks vintage. I was very surprised by Its look. The park has the only rollercoaster in the southland East Hemisphere that have a riding break person on it! It was so cool. I would definitly go there again. It's a smal park but totaly worth it!

I took my kids to Luna park. At first, they were poker- faced about the experience, as everyone can see the giant roller coaster around the park. But as we entered the huge, gaping mouth, we saw kids running around, fairy floss being turned, and shrieks of laughter erupting the air. A very vibrant, colorful location; perfect for tourists of age, young and old.

This place is exactly as you remember it from when you were a child, with a couple of extra attractions. It's all kinds of cheesy in a vintage sort of way, which makes it enamouring & loveable. No Victorian can avoid a visit as an adult at least once in their life.

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The last ghost train in Australia and other dark rides around the world

There are just 16 ghost trains left globally, mainly in the us, and st kilda's luna park's ghost train is the last in australia. deakin university film lecturer joel zika is filming all the remaining old-time ghost trains (1930s and 1960s) left in the world in his the dark ride project., save galleries for later.

Add galleries to your saved list and come back to them any time.

Academic Joel Zika, who is doing a PhD on ghost trains, passes the 'severed hands at the piano' inside Melbourne's Luna Park ghost train. Photo: Simon Schluter

Deakin University film lecturer Joel Zika with the Dark Ride Project's Virtual Reality apparatus at the opening to Luna Park's Ghost Train.

Panoramic image of the Haunted House at Trimper's Rides amusement park, Ocean City, USA.

Haunted castle ride from Miracle Strip amusement park, Panama City beach, Florida, two years after it closed in 2005. Photo: Steve Sobczuk

Spookarama Ride, Deno's Wonderwheel Amusement Park, Coney Island, NY, USA. Creative Commons

Dante's Inferno Ride from the Miracle Strip Amusement Park, 2 years after it closed in 2005, Panama City Beach 2007, Florida. Photo: Steve Sobczul

Luna Park, Melbourne, 1936.

Exterior of the ghost train at Luna Park, St Kilda. Photo: Kate Moon

Panoramic image of the Haunted House at Trimper's Rides amusement park, Ocean City, Maryland USA.

Haunted House at Camden Park amusement park, Huntington, West Virginia. Photo: Joel Zika

View of the Dark Ride Project's custom designed Virtual Reality apparatus for amusement rides. Luna Park, Melbourne. Photo: Joel Zika

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Melbourne Poster - Luna Park Ghost Train

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Luna Park Ghost Train - Melbourne Poster

Luna park is located in st kilda, a trendy melbourne bay-side suburb..

Located a short distance from the city of Melbourne by Tram or Train and is one of the most picturesque settings on Port Phillip Bay. In the mid 1800’s St Kilda was a very fashionable suburb of Melbourne with magnificent homes and affluent people.

Luna Park’s gates first opened in 1912 and ever since it’s been one of Melbourne’s icons. Luna Park opened formally in December 1912 and has been operating almost continuously ever since. The Ghost Train first appeared in 1934 and it is one of just 16 Ghost Trains still in operation globally. They are mostly in the US, and the St Kilda Luna Park Ghost Train is the last in Australia.

The central historic features of the park that still remain include:

• The legendary "Mr Moon Face” entry and adjoining towers dating 1912.
• The Scenic Railway, 1912, which is the oldest continuously operating roller coaster in the world.
• The Carousel, 1913
• The Ghost Train, 1934
• The Dodgem's Fairytale Castle-Style Building erected to accommodate the patented ride in 1927.
• The "Luna Park Ghost Train" Poster is a reproduction of an original photograph.
• This poster is digitally printed on high quality paper with vivid colour and exceptional detail.
• We use Australia Post and your print will be delivered in a postage tube for extra protection.
• Our online images are electronically watermarked, the actual purchased prints are not.

Dimensions:

• Available print sizes: A4 [210 × 297mm], A3 [297 × 420mm], A2 [420 × 594mm], A1 [594 × 841mm] and A0 [841 × 1189mm]
• Click here to for the Print Size Guide for details .
• Product Code: AMTP-M-129_Luna-Park-Ghost-Train
• Availability: In Stock

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'My friends died in front of me': Lone survivor of Luna Park Ghost Train fire breaks his silence to reveal chilling details of the tragedy which killed his four best mates and sparked wild conspiracy theories

• Jason Holman lost four friends to the Luna Park Ghost Train fire in June 1979
• It was the first time the five teenagers were allowed out without their parents 
• Richard Carroll, Jonathan Billings, Seamus Rahilly and Michael Johnson all died
• Mr Holman, sitting in a separate carriage, was pulled from the ride to safety  
• The fire that claimed seven lives was initially put down to electrical faults 
• A coronial inquiry could not determine the cause and some believe it was arson  

By Tita Smith For Daily Mail Australia

Published: 23:07 EDT, 13 March 2021 | Updated: 23:21 EDT, 13 March 2021

View comments

Jason Holman knew something was wrong when the ride attendant at Sydney's Luna Park yanked him from the Ghost Train just as he was about to enter 'Hell's Doorway'. 

'There was a man with panic written all over his face,' he said of the life-changing moment on that balmy winter's night.

He didn't know at the time that he would never see his friends Richard Carroll, Jonathan Billings, Seamus Rahilly and Michael Johnson again as they would perish in the theme park's infamous fire of June 1979.

'I've started to cry, wee myself, have the start of the meltdown. I've just lost it,' he said of the blaze which killed seven people and shocked Australia.

Mr Holman, now 54, was dubbed 'the luckiest boy alive' by the media, but of course he did not feel that way.

The Luna Park Ghost Train fire in June, 1979 claimed the lives of John Godson, and six children - Damien Godson, Craig Godson, Richard Carroll, Michael Johnson, Jonathan Billings and Seamus Rahilly

The inferno was blamed on an electrical fault, but a coronial inquiry held later that year was unable to determine the cause

And almost 42 years later little has changed as he breaks his silence as the lone survivor of the inferno to open up to the ABC's investigative documentary series EXPOSED .

He can still hear the screams. Smell the smoke. See the flames.

'As I'm retreating, the smoke, the flames, the absolute mayhem starts to kick in,' Holman recalls in the show which airs at 8:30pm, Tuesday, March 16. 

He still feels the incessant guilt. Why did he survive? How did it happen? 

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The then 12-year-old and his 13-year-old friends were on their first night out without parental supervision after many months nagging their mums and dads for permission. 

Mr Holman was eagerly sitting in a separate carriage behind his friends who he  watched excitedly roll through the ride's entrance doors inscribed 'Hell's Doorway'.

Jonathan and Richard had piled into the first carriage, and Micheal and Seamus into the next, leaving Mr Holman to sit alone in one behind them.

Mr Holman was seconds from entering the ride, which at 10.15pm was to be their last for the night, when the Guardian Angel whisked him to safety.

At this point, Mr Holman had no clue of the terror that was about to unfold as nothing seemed amiss from outside. 

Footage from ABC's investigative documentary series EXPOSED  shows police at the scene of Luna Park moments after the blaze in 1979

On June 9, 1975 a fire on the Ghost Train ride at Luna Park in Sydney (pictured) killed seven people and changed the lives of a community forever

But the ride's black interior had begun filling with thick smoke after a small blaze that started deep within the ride billowed into a roaring inferno, swallowing the entire train. 

Within moments, chaos unfolded as scrambling passengers started kicking down partition walls and pouring out of fire exits just moment before the ride exploded into a fireball.

Mr Holman's schoolboy friends as well as John Godson, 29 and his two young sons, Craig, four, and Damien six, all died after becoming trapped inside.     

'This fire was something different. This fire was just nuts, out of control … and massive, dwarfing us,' Mr Holman told the ABC. 

'My friends, engulfed by flames, died in front of me. Why did I survive? Why me? I ask myself that question nearly every single day.'

Mr Holman waited outside for his friends but they never emerged as Mr Godson's body was found with his arms outstretched attempting to shield his young sons.

Jason Holman was the lone survivor and has broken his silence for the first time since the tragedy rocked the nation in 1979. Pictured: The entrance of Luna Park today 

Pictured are four of the children who died in the fire, including Richard Carroll (second from left). The cause of the fire is still unknown, but there is speculation is was an electrical fault

Luna Park reopened in 1982 under the name Harbourside Amusement Park before relaunching under its original name in 1995 

Police the next day put the fire down to an electrical fault, but a coronial inquiry held later that year was unable to determine the cause.

The tragedy has since been shrouded in mystery, sparking conspiracy theories of arson and cover-ups - with the source of the fire yet to be resolved.  

Mr Holman believes it was the work of arsonists after speaking with Australian artist Martin Sharp who repainted Luna Park's iconic face after the blaze.

Before his death five years ago, Mr Sharp had carried out his own makeshift investigation and collected pieces of evidence which lead him to believe the theme park was deliberately set on fire.

Mr Holman said it was now his mission to get justice for those who perished in the flames on that winter's night when laughter was replaced with screams of terror.

He said he will never forget the sight of the empty carriages emerging from the ride along the mechanical track completely engulfed in flames. 

The theme park, which opened in 1935, was shutdown immediately after the incident but reopened in 1982 under the name Harbourside Amusement Park, before later reclaiming its original name and relaunching in 1995.

• 'Luckiest boy alive': Luna Park Ghost Train fire survivor breaks his silence - ABC News

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Luna Park ghost train fire: Fatal tragedy wasn’t an accident or electrical fault

Stunning claims are emerging that a criminal conspiracy is behind Australia’s worst theme park tragedy, which killed six children and a father.

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Unthinkable way woman survived massacre

It’s been more than 40 years since a dad and his two sons and four young school mates were burnt to death in the notorious 1979 Luna Park ghost train fire.

It is the deadliest tragedy at an Australian theme park, and was an unprecedented and unrepeated horror until four people lost their lives on Dreamworld’s Thunder River Rapids ride in 2016.

But when you compare the response following the two tragedies, the differences are stark.

In the latest episode of ABC’s Exposed , which is investigating how the deadly fire was allegedly arson, a group of horrified police officers and lawyers claim a criminal conspiracy was likely afoot when the inferno was quickly ruled an accident.

Former Luna Park ride attendant Frank Boitano, who now has his own legal firm, said evidence from that night made it clear: “Somebody got away with murder”.

It was just after 10pm on the night of June 9, 1979 that a small fire was first spotted in the depths of the ageing decorations at Luna Park’s ghost train.

Flames quickly engulfed the ride, claiming the lives of Waverley College school boys Seamus Rahilly, Richard Carroll, Jonathan Billings and Michael Johnson. Damien and Craig, and their father John Godson also perished in the fire. Mr Godson was found attempting to shield his boys from the inferno.

It took police less than 24 hours to rule the tragedy an accident and blame the fire on an electrical fault.

And, it had barely been nine hours since the final body had been carried from the charred ride for the head investigator to issue a stunning statement.

“There is nothing suspicious about the origin of the fire,” NSW Police Inspector Doug Knight said, claiming four witnesses had come forward to say they had seen sparks in the roof.

“We are now satisfied the fire was due to an electrical fault in the building,” he told reporters from the scene.

Instead of shutting down the ride and setting up a crime scene, or at the very least stationing armed police outside the ride to maintain some level of respect for a place where seven people had just lost their lives, labourers were brought in the next day to clear the crime scene.

Two days after the fire, Richard Carroll’s mother Mary arrived at Luna Park to lay a flower where her son lost his life.

Instead of finding crime scene tape, or officers, or mangled pieces of the ghost train, Ms Carroll arrived to find nothing but the floor left.

“Nothing else,” Ms Carroll said.

“I thought it was very unusual, there should’ve been some forensic stuff going on.”

For decades, dozens of witnesses at Luna Park that night, and the families that lost their loved ones, have suspected something - specifically the way police explained away the deadly inferno - was amiss.

But Col Wedderburn, the police prosecutor assisting the coroner at the Luna Park inquest, told Exposed something wasn’t just amiss, there was a cover-up going on. One that was deep, far-reaching and criminal.

“If you ran this inquest today, you’d probably have had a different result,” Mr Wedderburn said.

“There’s sufficient evidence to show that it was done deliberately ... things that were important were stopped, they didn’t see the light of day ... police putting blocks on everything.

“I’d direct them to do this and they’d just come back with nothing, dead ends.”

‘100 PER CENT GUARANTEE KEROSENE WAS BURNING’

The coronial inquest into the fire, held two months after the fire in August 1979, suggested a discarded cigarette likely caused the huge inferno.

That finding was already a direct contradiction to the electrical fault police were so quick to jump on.

But neither the theory of the coroner or the police was supported by witnesses from that night.

Witness Gregory Chard, who saw fire on the ghost train, told police he smelt kerosene burning in the ride.

“I told the police that and no one was interested,” he told Exposed.

“Nothing came out of it.”

Mr Chard spent three days at the Coroner’s Court during the inquest, but was never called.

“I can 100 per cent guarantee it was kerosene burning,” he said. “I can’t forget it.”

Luna Park ride attendant Frank Boitano also smelt kerosene.

“It smelled not natural,” Mr Boitano said. ”(It smelt like) burning kerosene.”

‘SCARED SH*TLESS’: KEY WITNESSES INTIMIDATED

The origin of the kerosene was explained by Les Dowd, another witness from the night of the fire who was at the theme park with a group of friends from a youth home.

Mr Dowd, then a 17-year-old, was standing near a group of “biker blokes” when he heard one of them claim he’d spread kerosene in the ride and lit a match.

Another of the group said “you’re a fool for doing that”, before he saw the group run towards the exit.

Mr Dowd told police everything he knew, and everything he’d heard the group of bikies say, in an interview at North Sydney Police Station after 2am, a few hours after the fire.

A radio message was sent out to police immediately, to look for the bikie suspects.

But at 12pm on June 10, eight hours after Mr Dowd finished his first interview with detectives, the teen was hauled back to the police station.

Mr Dowd told Exposed he’s spent the past 40 years “scared sh*tless”, alleging police intimidated him into changing his statement.

“I was bullied into it, ‘if you don‘t change your statement something will happen’,” he said, recounting his conversation with the second group of police.

“I just felt so scared, I was scared of the coppers and scared those people would come and get me.

“I fear for my life everyday. I still live with it today in my head.”

Mr Dowd eventually caved and told police he made the entire story up.

He was fined and charged with public nuisance that day.

The Exposed team uncovered seven witnesses who all spoke about the bikies near the ghost train that night.

Multiple said the group made them feel at the very least worried.

“I was a little worried about the bikies that went in just shortly before the fire but I couldn’t get in to check on them,” Albert Bessell, who was operating the ghost train the night of the fire, told the inquest.

Mr Bessell, who has passed away, said the bikies went on the ride about 10 minutes before the first patron left the ride screaming “fire”.

Two witnesses also spoke about hearing one of the bikies claim he’d set a fire in the ride.

Despite a number of witnesses quickly telling police about the group, a radio message sent out early that morning to search for the suspects was not updated.

In fact, at 12pm, when Mr Dowd said he had made up his story about the bikies, despite other witnesses corroborating his account, the radio message was completely withdrawn.

“It would be the worst instance you’ve ever had for perverting the course of justice,” Mr Wedderburn said.

“I feel like someone’s pulled the wool right over my eyes, there’s a lot of unanswered questions here.

“It’s becoming worse and worse.”

Retired NSW Supreme Court Judge John Dunford QC, who was also involved in the Luna Park inquest said the worst case scenario was “that the police were attempting to pervert the course of justice”.

NSW Police Inspector Doug Knight died in 2008.

The final episode of ABC’s Exposed  on Luna Park’s ghost train will air next Tuesday, March 30, at 8.30pm AEDT

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