Overview
It has been 85 years since a patch of Milsons Point was turned into a Sydney amusement park, and much has changed in the city over that time. Plenty has changed at the heritage-listed Luna Park itself, too, including multiple closures and reopenings between the late 70s and early 00s. Now, the site is undergoing a big revamp — which'll add nine new permanent rides as part of a $30 million facelift.
As announced on Tuesday, November 24 by New South Wales Minister for Jobs, Investment, Tourism and Western Sydney Stuart Ayres, Luna Park will update and refresh its facilities, and introduce new reasons for Sydneysiders and tourists to stop by. It'll mark the biggest makeover the park has had since it permanently reopened back in 2004, although the site will need to temporarily close from late-January 2021 to get everything done.
Wondering what you'll be able to hop on? Six of the new rides will be specifically for children, so unless you have littlies in tow, they mightn't excite you all that much. Also, just what they'll entail hasn't been revealed. But the other three fresh additions include a family coaster for all ages, some type of thrill ride and a new version of The Big Dipper.
Luna Park has been home to rollercoasters called The Big Dipper before, but this latest ride will be smaller than its predecessors — and also faster, with a top speed in excess of 70 kilometres per hour. It'll also be an inline seating launch roller coaster, which means that it'll be just one seat wide.
A render of how the revamped Luna Park will look
Exactly when you'll be able to take a whirl on the new rides hasn't yet been announced, but it's expected that you'll be able to walk though Luna Park's big face gates again after its January shutdown by the middle of 2021.
Luna Park will close down for its latest upgrades from Wednesday, January 27, 2021, reopening sometime mid-year. For more details about the revamp, visit the park's website.