 Memorial plaque at Luna Park Sydney in remembrance of those who died in the fire | |
| Date | 9 June 1979 |
|---|---|
| Venue | Luna Park Sydney |
| Location | Milsons Point, New South Wales, Australia |
| Coordinates | 33°50′54″S 151°12′35″E / 33.848343°S 151.209756°E |
| Type | Fire |
| Cause | Cause disputed:
|
| Deaths | 7 |
The Sydney Ghost Train fire at Luna Park Sydney in Milsons Point, New South Wales, Australia killed seven people (six children and one adult) on 9 June 1979. Inadequate fire-fighting measures and low staffing caused the fire to completely destroy the amusement park's ghost train.[1]
The fire was originally blamed on electrical faults, but arson by known figures has also been claimed. The exact cause of the fire could not be determined by a coronial inquiry. The coroner also ruled that, while the actions of Luna Park's management and staff before and during the fire (in particular their decision not to follow advice on the installation of a fire sprinkler system in the ride) breached their duty of care, charges of criminal negligence should not be laid. The case was reopened in 1987 but no new findings were made, although the original police investigation and coronial inquiry were criticised.
Artist Martin Sharp, long associated with the park, obsessively collected evidence on the fire for decades until his death in 2013. An entire room of his house was dedicated to an archive of "documents, court records, government reports, newspaper clippings, photographs and hundreds of hours of cassette tape recordings, which were stories about the fire he taped off the radio and conversations and musings with people who had information and theories about the cause of the fire."[2] Sharp also used the incident as the basis for his unreleased film, Street of Dreams.
In 2021, the ABC released the documentary Exposed: The Ghost Train Fire which used evidence collected by Sharp as well as freshly-obtained accounts of witnesses. The ABC's investigation concluded that Abe Saffron was responsible for the fire, and that the NSW Police had conspired with Saffron and Premier Neville Wran to cover it up. This led to public demand for a second formal investigation and the formation of Task Force Sedgeman.
As of late 2024, the matter is back before the courts with the potential for a second coroner's inquest.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Marshall110was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Johnson, Natasha (14 March 2021). "Inside the making of the ABC EXPOSED investigation into the Ghost Train fire at Sydney's Luna Park in 1979". ABC. Retrieved 27 November 2024.