I was recently invited to spend some time at Luna Park Sydney with a friend and her family. I hadn’t been to Luna Park since I was a kid, so I was keen to go and check out the fun with them all. A merry band of kids, teens and adults, we set off from different locations to meet up at the iconic waterfront theme park.
Getting to Luna Park Sydney
Our party donned our facemasks and took the train in to Central Station. After a quick fix of our selected tea from Gong Cha, we took a short walk down to Paddy’s Markets. We managed to pack a few bargains away in our day bags and then hopped on the Light Rail L2 down to Circular Quay so we could take the ferry over to Luna Park Wharf (Milsons Point).
I snapped a couple of pictures of our beautiful Sydney landmarks along the way. We waved up at the Bridge Climbing Expedition as we passed under the Harbour Bridge.
As an aside, it is also easy to get to Luna Park Sydney by catching the train to Milsons Point, but we were travelling from the South of Sydney, so we wanted to enjoy a ferry trip. ( Read about more fun with Sydney Harbour and Ferries here )
Luna Park is Just for Fun
Entry into the park through the enormous smiling face is free, but you have to buy a pass to be able to go on the rides. The park caters for riders of different ages by using a colour coded system based on rider height.
Once you have your height-defined coloured wristband riders-pass attached, you are free to come and go from the park as you please during the opening hours for that day.
There are tables to sit at for rest breaks outside the Helter Skelter Café. These tables offer a magic view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the activity on the water, and are for customers purchasing items from the café.
At the back of the park there is also a picnic area overlooking the beautiful views of Lavender Bay, where you can bring your own food to enjoy.
Food
A reasonable variety of food options were available from the Helter Skelter Café. You can purchase BBQ chicken, different salads, and their chips are listed as being Gluten-Free. (Always check with the servers though, because chip suppliers do change frequently!) There’s also an ice cream parlour and popcorn, hotdogs, and frozen slushie drinks on offer.
Gift voucher only available for food and sideshow alley purchases
One of our teens had a sizeable gift voucher card that she had received for a Christmas Present. The person who gave her the gift had set the amount of the card thinking that she would be able to use it to buy her entry tickets. Unfortunately, when we arrived on the day to use the gift card, we were told that the gift cards are actually only valid for food, beverages and sideshow alley purchases. So she had to buy her entry ticket anyway, and then the gift card became a lot of money to use up on food and sideshow alley purchases.
If you are thinking of a Luna Park gift card for someone, this should be handy information to know!!
Don’t bring cash
The kids had brought their pocket money in cash to spend, but Luna Park only takes cards at the moment. Fortunately, we were in a group, and the kids with the cash were able to make an arrangement with owner of the gift card. The benefits of family outings!!
A little bit of history
The smiling face of the Luna Park entry has been a part of the Sydney Harbour Landscape since 1935. Throughout the years the operating hours have changed, and the park has been open “on again – off again”. It has been the subject of legal battles and noise pollution complaints, has experienced tragedies as well as being seen as a symbol of hope. The challenges over the years have not aged the face of the park though, as it has had several facelifts, as well as getting a regular coat of paint to freshen up the colours.
The site has a history that is as long as it’s buildings are colourful, and has overcome many changes of ownership and even threats of demolition.
The rides
Some of the original rides are still in service, though they have been upgraded to meet current day safety standards. Others have been replaced, or reinvented. For example, the big dipper ride, which was originally a rickety old wooden roller coaster. It has now been demolished and replaced by the world’s first inline seating launch roller coaster, opening soon. (Not that you will ever be likely to see me on that one!).
Coney Island
An original 1930’s fun house which had been heritage listed and is located within the theme park. Here you can get lost in a maze of Mirrors, navigate stomach lurching slides, and endure enough wonky balance challenges to knock your socks off.
Luna Park Sydney at night
The park is beautifully lighted at night and is worth waiting to see. My friend commented that she loved the hour when the lights first came on, because it was dark enough to see the lights, but still light enough to take photos. I agree!
The price of all this fun?
Ok, so Luna Park Sydney operates under a system of Dynamic Pricing. What this means is that the closer you get to the day you want to go, or the closer that the park gets to reaching its capacity, the more expensive your entry ticket is going to cost you.
So when you look up on the Luna Park website to enquire about the ticket prices, it can be somewhat misleading if you don’t understand this. The website says that the day pass entry tickets for an adult start from $44. However, if you turn up at Luna Park without pre-booking your ticket, you will actually have to pay $75 to get in. That’s a big difference, so again, something to be aware of!!
Here’s an example of the dynamic pricing in action. Screen shots showing the examples of the prices that you could buy a ticket for on any given date for the next few weeks:
There’s another Luna Park
Did you know there is another Luna Park in Melbourne?? It is in St Kilda. That park has the world’s oldest continually operating roller coaster that forms the boundary of the park. It has been operating since 1912 and the track is made of wood. (That’s thrill-seeking right there….) It works mostly by gravity and the skills of the “brakeman” who stands for every ride.
Where will you stay when you visit Luna Park Sydney?
If you are from out of town, you might want to consider staying at the Meriton Suites Mascot which is only a quick trip away by train in to the city.
[Affiliate Link – If you click the below Booking.com link and make a booking, I may make a small commission at no additional cost to you.]
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Great pics and info! Haven’t been to Luna Park in ages…