Luna Park

Shortlisted, 2026 National Trust (NSW) Heritage Awards

'All the thrills, spills and tragedy behind that iconic grin, brought to life by a masterful storyteller.' Wendy Harmer

'A rollercoaster ride through some of Sydney's brightest and darkest stories. A compelling tale, vividly told, and history every Sydneysider should know.' Richard Glover

For decades, the young and the young at heart have loved the Luna Park face and its promise of laughs and thrills - and a whiff of danger.

Helen Pitt has uncovered Australia's intriguing Luna Park story. It's filled with con men and criminals, crooked cops, failed politicians and movie moguls. Like the circuses, from which amusement parks evolved, this is a tale with elephants, performing snakes and many ringmasters.

The story starts in late 19th-century America, and follows the eight fun parks that opened-and closed-across Australia. The most famous of them all, Sydney's Luna Park, has a history that's truly a roller-coaster ride like its trademark Big Dipper, which was shipped piece by piece from South Australia for its 1935 opening.

From the engineering feats of its construction in the dark days of the Depression to the tragic deaths of six boys and a father in the 1979 Ghost Train fire - one of Sydney's most heartbreaking unsolved mysteries - and despite financial disasters, legal battles and closures, Luna Park survives, glittering by the water.

'A hugely enjoyable rollercoaster of a book' Delia Falconer

'An irresistible ride from start to finish' Heather Rose

'A compelling page-turner that will make you look at that beaming grin across Sydney Harbour with fresh eyes' Kate Mulvany

'A timely reminder of how lucky we are to still have an amusement park with one of the best locations in the world' Sam Marshall

'Pitt writes with a contagious enthusiasm, and her meticulous research, beginning with her own eighth birthday party adventure in the River Caves, unearths wonderful anecdotes and tantalising trivia.' Sydney Morning Herald

'An absorbing insight into Sydney's past' Canberra Weekly