Tuesday, March 24, 2026

 

3.Luna Park Melbourne 1912

(Left) Luna Park Melbourne (Melbourne Stays)

Opening season at Luna Park, St.Kilda (1912) (Lost Luna Park Melbourne)


Williams decision to extend his operations interstate had been another good move and he immediately diversified into outdoor entertainment with the construction of Luna Park at St Kilda ( a Melbourne bayside suburb) in 1912. The original Luna Park had opened at Coney Island, New York nine years earlier and it became the model for other ventures that soon cropped up across the US. Melbourne's pleasure ground was the link between Australia and America and it involved a major undertaking with fun fair experts travelling to Victoria from the United States and England to direct a team of local tradesmen.


Postcard promoting Luna Park at Coney Island (1903)
                         


(Left) Inside Luna Park Coney Island (1903) and (Right)
 the Dragon's Gorge ride (Pinterest)





J.D had previously tried to establish a park in Vancouver. A notice published in the Vancouver Daily World on June 15, 1907 stated that the necessary capital had been raised to build a fun fair to be called "Dreamland" on the outskirts of the city. However, it seems that the project was shelved as there were no further mentions of it in the local press and, as we know, J.D relocated to Australia two years later.  But he finally got the ball rolling when he secured a ten-year lease on a triangle of crown land at the St Kilda foreshore opposite the beach. The site had already been occupied by another amusement center that was coincidentally (or prophetically?) called "Dreamland". Unfortunately, it was a failure and the area had been vacant for a year or so. Moving quickly, once he had the right location locked in, the showman registered an additional company and Herman.F.Phillips was put in charge of it. 



           Vancouver Daily World, June 15, 1907
                                 



Melbourne Table Talk, October 3, 1912


The St Kilda Foreshore
 (also known as the Lower Esplanade):

    What it became.......from the late 1920s...


(Left to right) (1) Luna Park (2) Palais Pictures and (3) Palais De Danse


Same attractions from the Lower Esplanade(1930s) (SKHS)


... ...an aerial view.....

.... and how it looked like prior to 1912.....
                                         


 (Left to right)(1) Dreamland 
(2) Robson's Figure 8 Roller Coaster (3) Glidaway Roller Skating rink

(National Archives of Australia) 

(1) Dreamland (current site of Luna Park) (NAA) (Note: At far right a ride
 called "Rivers of the World" can be seen - the forerunner to Luna Park's River Caves



(3) Glidaway Roller Skating Rink (later the site of the Palais de Danse ballroom - now demolished(NAA)

Melbourne Punch, Melbourne, January 23, 1908

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRW02kB-Cv0
 (the genius of Charlie Chaplin on skates) 


However, nothing like Luna Park had ever been seen " Down Under" and the entire Americana experience would have to be shipped in. Designers, artists, building materials, mechanics, ride and sideshow staff, food vendors and performers were going to be needed it is likely that Williams and Leon organized almost everything during their 1911 visit to the States and Britain. It also seems that when they stopped in Vancouver, they may have gone across the border to head hunt some of the personnel at Luna Park in Seattle. Kicking off in 1907, the Washington fun fair was billed as the "Coney Island of the West". But, it had been plagued with problems from the beginning and by the time Phillips and J.D arrived looking for recruits, its permanent closure was looming on the horizon. As will be apparent by now, some of the parks had short lives.



Memories of Luna Park, Seattle....
  (all images Google)
 

                                                                                                                  

                   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ci-z_MUjLIE&t=5s             

                                                                                                               (Documentary about Luna Park, Seattle)


The Whitney brothers; George K. and Leo, were part of the American team who came to Melbourne. Professional photographers, they were innovators of "while-u-wait" processing and also did a lot of camera tricks. After running the "'Electric Photo Studio" at St Kilda for a couple of seasons, they eventually returned to the US. Interviewed at his home in Friday Harbor, Washington in August, 2002, Mr George.K.Whitney Jr said.....

"My father had..... with my uncle and a crew...from Seattle... gone to Australia with a collection of rides to open Luna Park, Melbourne" .  https://www.outsidelands.org/whitney-interview1.php                                 


Photos from the Whitney brothers studio
 at Luna Park (1912 & 1913) (Flickr).Obviously,  long before people developed
 selfie-style instant smiles and constantly dazzling, camera-ready personalities. 

Williams and Leon Phillips also stopped in Chicago and New York so talent may have been engaged in those cities as well

Building commenced at the foreshore in July, 1912 with the "Great" Scenic Railway rollercoaster that was to run around the perimeter of the park and included the "Mr Moon" entrance face and towers. The railway was designed by the L.A.Thompson Company of midtown Manhattan which did the first coaster at Coney. However, the ride in Melbourne was constructed by a London-based firm that was owned by American George Lawsha.




( Right) La Marcus Adna Thompson and his
 Scenic Railway at Santacruz Beach, California (Centre and left)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LaMarcus_Adna_Thompson

https://blog.beachboardwalk.com/nadm-scenic-railway-roller-coaster/



Double-sided cardboard string tag
 (1905?), probably for a Scenic Railway at Coney Island,
 served as a ticket with the front depicting  older and younger
 couples enjoying the views from their elevated carriage. This  was
 the origin (right) of the long time advertising slogan "Just For Fun"
 used from 1912 to the present day at Luna Park in Melbourne and Sydney


La Marcus Edna Thompson | Coney Island History Project




https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/28953/page/8668/data.pdf


The old wooden coasters were built using a specific type of timber; Oregon pine (AKA Douglas Fir) from the US which, due to its flexibility, provided a smooth ride and an order would have been sent through for the job at St Kilda.


Once the arrangements had been finalized, Lawsha's on-site supervisor, T.H.Eslick made his way to Melbourne together with a number of support staff. Eslick, reportedly, had a solid background in coaster construction having completed assignments in America, the UK and Europe. However, according to some sources, he had an even more "solid" background in the shifty business of doctoring the details of his "solid" background which his detractors have criticized as being a dubious mix of fact and fiction to which a generous amount of gross exaggeration had also been added. If flashy self-promotion and blowing one's own trumpet had been Olympic events, "Esso" would have been a gold medalist. Still, being a purveyor of piffle hardly made him unique in the showmen's world of smoke and mirrors where such drum - beating antics and outrageous claims of derring-do were actively encouraged. Yet, despite his alleged tendency to embellish his CV, it does seem that Eslick had been in the amusement game for a while and he was a good "ideas man". At St Kilda, he was (publicly at least) not only responsible for the Scenic Railway but all other building as well and he did get the place up and running in an efficient manner. Although, as will be revealed, someone else may have been "supervising the supervisor". 



T.H.Eslick (Wikipedia) and Luna Park under construction
with the Lawsha sign visible at the entrance (click to super size)


Edwardian thrill-seekers on the "Great" Scenic Railway
 at Luna Park St.Kilda. Opening season (1912). The gent pictured
 either had a colossal sun tan or was burnt to a cinder. No doubt umbrellas
 were quickly separated from their original owners during a turn on the rollercoaster
(Luna Park photo) 


Scenic Railway from Cavell Street 
(State Library of Victoria)
  

(Go for a ride on Melbourne's historic Scenic Railway) 


The Scenic Railway grew up in St Kilda. But it was born in New York circa 1911
(You Tube)
   

For the first summer at Melbourne's "Mecca of Merrymakers" (as the park was advertised) rides and other attractions included the River Caves, Palace of Illusions, Pharaoh's Daughter, Palais de Folies (later to become the Giggle Palace), the Bowl Slide, Mirror Maze, Ferris Wheel, the Tea Terrace with its spectacular views of the fun fair and the bay, Devil's Staircase (I told you so!), Theatre Comique and the Whitneys photo studio. Various styles of fantasy architecture were combined to create a surreal (or should that be "surrealistic"?) environment. The main entrance was Moorish. Pharaoh's Daughter had an ancient Egyptian theme and the Palace of Illusions was Saracenic. Other structures were Byzantine. Although St Kilda's pleasure ground was comparatively small, it was visually more attractive than many of its Stateside counterparts of similar size.



Palace of Illusions (1912)


The Bowl Slide (1912)

The Americans arrived in September. In their ranks were Leo Whitney and Louis Antoine Corbeille (Cor-bay?), both of whom were to play significant roles in regard to the establishment of Melbourne's Luna Park. 





 
Prahran Telegraph, Melbourne, September 7 , 1912



A newspaper item in the US indicated that Corbeille was born in France. However, other information appears to leave no doubt that he began life in Michigan probably with French Canadian parents. Whatever the truth of the matter may have been, he was clearly a highly capable man. Starting out as a street clown in Detroit, he became an expert in theatrical staging and special effects. He also had a knack for publicity and was involved in the automotive industry and motor sport; pursuits that he enjoyed with Williams (although their love of speed machines got them into trouble more than once). Gaining a considerable experience in circus, wild west and carnival entertainment, Corbeille was hired as production manager for the legendary English showman Frank.C.Bostock. He also did a stint with the Gus Sun vaudeville circuit where Bob Hope performed early in his career. Around the time that he left for Australia he was running the Arcade Theater in Spokane and a press article confirms that he was acquainted with Williams in that city. 

 

Detroit Free Press, March 24, 1898



Weekly Journal - Miner, Prescott, Arizona, December 3, 1902





 
Frank.C.Bostock Arena - Coney Island (1906) (google)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_C._Bostock




Spokane Chronicle, December 16, 1908




Spokesman-Review, June 29, 1909



Apart from the Phillips. Ruel and Corbeille at least two of the others who joined J.D in the Land of Oz had known him back in the Northwest - namely Edward (Eddie) Robie and C.L (Clarence) Yearsley. Robie was the electrician who installed the thousands globes that were needed at St Kilda and he had done similar work for Williams in the States. A native of Kentucky, Yearsley was head of publicity for the Greater J.D.Williams Amusement Company and he collaborated with Corbeille and Eslick to devise the campaign for the launch of Luna Park. It seems that the Whitneys may also have been in Spokane and were possibly the photographers at J.D's "Penny Parlor"


Spokane Chronicle, May 10, 1910


As we know, the Scenic Railway came from the drawing boards of La Marcus Thompson by whom Eslick had been employed. But it isn't quite as easy to confirm who was responsible for some of the other structures at Luna Park, Melbourne circa 1912. One contemporary report suggested that the "Mr Moon" concept which, like the ceiling of the Phillips' Capitol Theatre, appears to have been internationally unique was the work of Eslick who definitely had that sort of talent. Indeed, he went on to design the La Monica Ballroom on Santa Monica pier in Los Angeles; the towers of which bore a close resemblance to those at St Kilda's fun fair.




Santa Monica Pier:

(Left to right) A Southern Californian icon - the present day entrance,
 a postcard from the 1920s and an aerial view of the La Monica Ballroom 



Historical marker at the pier  - mentions Eslick

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=206075



Various views of the ballroom



The much - photographed Loof "Hippodrome"
 building on Santa Monica pier - home to the famous carousel (see info below)


Many movies and episodes of TV shows
 have been shot at the pier over the years including
 the 1961 low budget feature Night Tide - Dennis Hopper's first starring
role in a film (pictured above with co-star Linda Lawson

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_Tide

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnbOQh2KLfQ



The famed American road trip "Route 66"
 which inspired the TV show of the same name (left)
 concludes at Santa Monica close by the pier 

U.S. Route 66 - Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Route_66_(TV_series)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zw1tiNGQ4wI&list=RDzw1tiNGQ4wI&start_radio=1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUFqP5QwCKQ

https://abc7.com/post/shocking-video-shows-large-white-shark-swimming-santa-monica-pier/17382639/




The pier today.......


... and a couple of very grainy twilight shots
 taken by yours truly in the late 1980s (scanned from slides)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Monica_Pier

Santa Monica Looff Hippodrome - Wikipedia

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzUJbVEhNSU
(History of Santa Monica Pier)

https://www.santamonicapier.org/

(Santa Monica Pier official website)


However, despite Eslick's credentials, there were several others at the foreshore who had comparable ability. One was Vernon Churchill whose background is slightly more obscure Corbeille's. But, he was almost certainly the same Vernon Churchill who, described as a "sketch artist" in US papers in 1902, had recently returned from extensive overseas travel. And this is a good point at which to make a wider observation about the cast of characters in our story to whom you have been introduced so far. Most of them had three things in common. They were young, adventurous and imaginative. In other words, just right kind of "free spirits" to develop a seaside pleasure park. Churchill was credited in the Melbourne papers as being the "scenic artist" who did the River Caves (Punch, October 3, 1912)



(Not exactly politically correct by present day standards but it was 1912 !)

Punch, October 3, 1912



River Caves 1912 (Facebook)


1923



River Caves in the 1960s (left)(Flickr) and '70s (right)(Laurie Richards)



In the 1980s, writer and broadcaster John Michael Howson, who was born in the neighboring bayside suburb of Elwood, related a number of anecdotes to do with the Palais Theatre, Palais de Danse and Luna Park in his autobiography I Found it at the Flickers (Horowitz Grahame Books, 1985).


One such yarn told of a daring escape that he undertook with a school chum in the '40s when they "jumped ship" in the River Caves. Howson remembered the incident as follows.....

" We bought our tickets and waited until we were the only [passengers] in one of the leaky flat-bottomed punts that floated through the [darkness]. The boat drifted into the boarding area and a couple, exhausted by fleeting passion, disembarked. Briany and myself jumped in like it was a D-Day landing craft. The attendant gave the punt a push and we floated towards the mouth of the cave. A conveyor belt lifted the boat from the water for a few feet and gave it a thrust  into the murky stream. As it slid past Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, we grabbed the side of the tunnel, slowed it down and leapt ashore

From the [water], the dioramas had a romantic, if somewhat well-worn, look. Up close, their tackiness was technicoloured by the array of lights concealed behind plaster mushrooms, stones, bushes, walls and gnomes. When we heard another boat approaching, we hid behind one of the displays. When Briany got up from his hiding place he grabbed Cinderella's arm. There was a snap and a moan and the Prince had himself a one-armed girlfriend. I stepped on a light and smashed the coloured glass. Briany fell on Hansel's head and broke Gretel's leg. As we stumbled on, we made Fairyland look like it had come under a blitzkrieg of V2 rockets. Decapitated dwarfs, punctured pixies, wounded witches, bisected beauties, gored goblins and floored fairies were everywhere. The papier mâché forest was pitted with holes and the lights were flickering into darkness. Briany and I leapt into the first empty punt and sailed away....            

The bored attendant took no notice of our frantic departure and we hid behind the waffle counter... where we watched and waited for somebody to [raise] the alarm. Nobody did. A few weeks later, I rode the River Caves again. The displays still looked like the walking dead, the lights were still flickering and the attendant was just as bored. Of course, I now realize that nobody ever went into the caves to look at Bo Peep or Goldilocks" (photo compilations : River Caves & Scenic Railway through the years).                                

But back to the designers ..... 

In 1954, the Argus published a piece that traced the history of Luna Park. The author, Ron Testro, stated that Vernon Churchill also came up with the "Mr Moon" entrance and another artist, George Coulter, did everything else. Testro didn't indicate the source of his information. However, Leon Phillips may have been contacted. As I understand, Coulter was a theatre owner from New Zealand who relocated to Australia and decided to specialize in designing the interiors of movie houses. He assisted Nahum Barnet on the Britannia cinema project. But he doesn't seem to appear in any of the accounts that documented the construction of Luna Park. So, perhaps, Testro and Leon had a general discussion in regard to the latter's early years in Victoria and the people with whom he had been associated and, somehow, Coulter went into print as being the man who did the interior of Luna Park rather than the interior of the Britannia (as was, apparently, the case).                                    

A local addition to the creative team at St Kilda was F.J.W.Swann, described as a "draftsman" who sketched "much of the decorative architecture".  

Most of the other Americans who were involved with the park during the 1912/13 season were either entertainers, sideshow or concession operators.                                  

Presumably inspired by the biblical story of the same name, Pharaoh's Daughter was one of the more unusual attractions, the original of which had been featured at "Dreamland" - the main competitor to Luna Park at Coney. Once again, according to legend (or urban myth) it was staffed by "genuine Egyptian beauties". But exactly what went on within its gloomy confines is now shrouded in as much mystery as the building of the pyramids as only scant references survive. Maybe it was like the Ghost Train without the train. Perhaps those who ventured, ever so cautiously, into its darkened passages, antechambers and the "resting place where the actual mummy of the Pharaoh's daughter may be inspected" (the sort of claptrap that might have been written) were treated to a startling experience. Did a strange mix of freaky magic acts, belly dancing, clanging gongs, fright-ning light-ning, flash pots and other "weird shit" send visitors on their way, feeling thoroughly spooked and hoping that they hadn't been cursed by the pharaoh himself? It was probably a relief to step back outside and be surrounded, once again, by the "normality" of mermaids, dwarfs dressed as Punch and Judy and a stuntman dressed as Satan (John Ruel?) riding a motorcycle around the Scenic Railway. 



 
 Luna Park, Melbourne under construction 1912
 - Pharaoh's Daughter (marked with red).Unidentified gents pictured (source unknown)


A rarely seen wide view version of this photo
 from the opening season of Luna Park (1912). Pharaoh's Daughter
 at top left. River Caves (with windmill) down the south end of the park, 
Tea Terrace at right (closer to camera with American flag)  (Whitney Brothers photo)


A closer view of Pharaoh's Daughter
 showing its proximity to the Palace of Illusions (adjacent white building)




Another photo taken at the South
 end of the park with the River Caves  just visible (right).
The two gents circled appeared to be dressed as American
police officers of the era (security perhaps?) (Herald Sun)

 
Public interest in Egyptology was reaching a peak in the years just prior to Howard Carter's 1922 discovery of Tutankhamen's tomb. Inevitably, Hollywood was quick to cash in on the trend and the movie capitol soon came out with its own highly marketable embodiment of Nile related nonsense in the shape of silent screen vamp (female vampire) Theda Bara. And what a shape she had. Rocketing to stardom in the William Fox historical hodgepodge Cleopatra (1917), the studio shamelessly assured the yokels that Bara was.... "an Arabian princess, born in the shadow of Sphinx" . She was, in fact, a Jewish princess born Theodosia Burr Goodman in her Polish father's tailoring shop in Cincinnati, Ohio. But, really, who cared? The (dare I say it?) "bottom line" was the Mizz Behave looked as hot as hell in her sexy and  revealing outfits and her Egyptian shtick was a  box office sensation with Cleopatra being just one in a long line of hugely successful pictures. 

Like all truly erotic women, Bara's movie character was, of course, a total bitch. She was appallingly rude to everyone and would-be lovers, no matter how handsome and charming they may have been, were kicked aside like they had the mange. The die was cast with her first role in "The Devil" - a Broadway play. Photographed cavorting with snakes, skeletons, black cats, bats, ravens and anything else that suggested an affinity with the "'dark side", she quickly became the archetypal and much-publicized femme fatale of the silver screen. She was the "man-eater", "mistress of the dark", "satellite of Satan" and, of course, above all else, the "female vampire". The cinematic grandmother of Vampira and Elvira, Bara was much more than just another movie star. She was the beauty and the beast; a true original, a cultural phenomenon and a big money spinner for cinema owners including J.D and the Phillips (see below). The titles of her pictures said it all. There was the Siren of Hell (1915) ,Serpent (1916), Gold and the Woman (1916), Forbidden Path (1918) Soul of Buddha (1918), Salome (1918), When a Woman Sins (1918)... and so on it went. As her popularity grew so did the value of her contract and she  soon became one of the highest paid stars in Hollywood. Retiring prior to the introduction of sound, Theda and English husband, director Charles Brabin, settled in Beverley Hills where they became leading lights of the movie colony's champagne set. Occasionally booked as a "nostalgia" guest on radio and television programs, her dignified manner and beautifully enunciated voice (perhaps a result of Brabin's influence) was the very antithesis of the shrill virago (..well.. as "shrill" as you could be in silent movies) whom men of all ages had once dreamed of "taming".  


Theda Bara: The Legend begins....

Stardom

Cleobara - Queenie of ancient Egypt...

(Center) the scandalous "snake bra" 
(I have one myself but only wear it on ceremonial occasions)



With Fritz Leiber as Caesar in Cleopatra (1917) (colorized)




Theda and her mummies:

(Left) Doing research at the Egyptology
 section of New York's Museum of Modern Art in preparation
 for her role as Cleopatra  and (right) Theda with her mother, the Swiss-born
 Pauline De Coppet who seems to be admiring
 her handiwork (...ummm... pretty nice job....)

Building THE Image...



(Top left to right) She-Devil (1918), Unchastened Woman (1925), Destruction (1915) 
(Bottom Left to right) Carmen (1915) Vixen (1916), Madame Mystery (1926)

(click to supersize)



Melbourne Herald, June 23, 1917



Doing THE housework...

 
Destroyer of men.......


(Left) Having a chuckle (as you would)
 over the severed head of John the Baptist in Salome (1918)


But always with a sense of humor........




(Left) Society days with husband ,Charles Brabin and
 (right) Theda's biography Vamp: The Rise and Fall of Theda Bara
by Eve Golden (Vestal Press, 1998)


(All photos Facebook and the Internet Movie Database)


Pharaoh's Daughter and the Palace of Illusions had Corbeille's fingerprints all over them (as did Theda Bara). Indeed, a New York advertisement for Coney Island listed the former attraction as being a "must see" for day trippers along with Frank.C.Bostock  for whom, as we know, Corbeille was production manager.


 Pharaoh's Daughter at Dreamland - Coney Island

                         

As for the "Genuine Egyptian Beauties" who handled front of house (or should that be "front of tomb"?) at Melbourne's  beachside playground during that long hot summer of 1912/13, I think we can safely assume that the girls in question may not have been what they appeared to be. The one called (...let's imagine...) "Nafra from the Nile", for instance (rumored to be a direct descendent of the pharaohs ....cough... cough...cough... I'm choking!) was more likely to have been Nora from Niagra or Enid from Elwood (if Williams had given a few locals a gig at the giggle palace by the bay). Having acquired a suntan, the chocolate Jip-oze (Egyptians) were trained to communicate with park patrons via graceful hand motions and softly mumbled Arabic-style gibberish. Certainly, a tornado of flim-flam like Jimmy Dee would not have flinched, even for a second, at the idea of masterminding such a sham. 

As the place was nearing completion, a reporter from the Prahran Telegraph interviewed Eslick onsite. The newshound got to this interviewee by..... 

" Carefully stepping over.....stacks of timber" and threading a "tortuous path between networks of wire, masses of plaster rocks and stretches of painted scenery".

Eslick was the "moving spirit" at Luna Park and his "artistic imagination" was "responsible for the whole scheme of construction" (Additional River Caves text- or include in "Dreamland" photo caption...."There had previously been a similar ride called "Rivers of the World" at Dreamland which, as mentioned earlier, was the first fun fair on the Luna Park site)

Portrayed as a genial raconteur, attention was drawn to his transatlantic accent and the fact that ".... he is often taken to be an American but proudly mentions his English nationality". The piece went into some detail about his career and how he had left Britain to work at Coney before returning to the UK to build fun fairs. Taking his cue from "J.D" and "L.P" (see P.3),"T.E" was full of praise for the tradesmen who were under his supervision at St Kilda whom he considered to be the "most willing, intelligent and capable skilled artisans" he had ever encountered.

Finally, after weeks of press coverage the vision became a reality .. as..



The big day approached.....


The Herald, December 12, 1912



Obviously not put off by superstitious beliefs, Luna Park "Just for Fun" (the park?) was officially opened on the evening of Friday, December 13, 1912. Welcomed amidst a blaze of electric lights, around 22,000 thrill-seekers bustled in through the giant illuminated face with its eyes rolling maniacally from side to side. The atmosphere would have been surreal as the nice, quiet Melburnians experienced the odd but strangely exhilarating sensation of being eaten alive as they passed through the toothy mouth enroute to the head-spinning array of sights and sounds that awaited them on the inside......

(This  has nothing to do with Luna Park ...but everything to do with Australians eternal quest for "niceness" as immortalized by Dame Edna Everage....... 
                                       https://www.youtube.com/watch?   v=bWVB0j0Z4Pw&list=RDbWVB0j0Z4Pw&start_radio=1)




(Left) Newspaper advertisement for the
 grand opening Argus, November 30, 1912 and
 (right) a postcard created for the occasion
 (Click to supersize)


The symbols of three countries were hoisted over the "Mecca for Merrymakers". From the top of one entrance tower, the Australian flag caught the breeze. From the other, the Union Jack did likewise and from the lofty Tea Terrace, the Star-Spangled banner fluttered to life. It's likely that the combination was a deliberate display of pride and a nod from Williams to the origins of those who steered his grand plan to such a swift and gratifying conclusion - namely, the Aussie tradesmen who had built it, their English foreman and the Americans who had made it all possible. 

In addition to the rides, sideshows (concessions?), Penny Arcade and 'Yankee" snack foods there was a cavalcade of live acts for the public to enjoy. These included the human wire-walking elephant, jugglers, marionettes, acrobats, high divers, fire eaters, trick cyclists, the "Tiny Town" midget troupe, performing dogs and monkeys, the Curious Flea Circus and 'Ardo" the Frogman who appeared in the River Caves. Contortionists and underwater ballet dancers, frogmen (and women) did charming routines that were set to music and they were guaranteed crowd pleasers. 

 
Human Wire-Walking Elephant



Frogmen (... and women) (Google)
Probably a good idea to go easy on the peanuts prior to showtime
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ed1kBEO1bPs


The Penny Arcade had coin-in-the-slot machines like the "Fortune Teller". Having come from the US, they would only operate with American change, so visitors had to swap their local money for Stateside currency and J.D had two gold chariots at the entrance where the cash was handled. When the funsters needed a break and some nourishment, there was "Cotton Candy' (fairy floss), "soda fountains", Wrigley's gum, Coney Island Crispettes and "red hots" (hot dogs) with which to stuff their own moon faces while the Luna Park band played toe-tappers such as " I do Love to be beside the Seaside". The place even had its own theme song titled "Take me out to Luna Park" and the piano music became a must-have for family sing-alongs 



(Left) The Luna Park band "off for a turn on the Railway"
 and (right) Sheet music for the song .....


The same melody was used, years later, for the
 Luna Park "Goodbye" song that was played at closing time each evening...




Shortly after the opening, Clarence Yearsley wrote an article for a Spokane paper in which he provided an overview of Williams' "Antipodean" activities and it is worth uploading here, in its entirety even though it contains several very peculiar errors (or were they?). Boxing Day is renamed "Boning Day" and Melbourne became "Mellowvine". The reason for all the confusion is unknown. Perhaps the editor's lack of familiarity with "Austria" was to blame or maybe the author had stumbled straight to his typewriter from a wild 24-hour Christmas party at St Kilda? Picture the scene just for a moment (or "Just for Fun"). Clarrie and Co from the amusement Co romping around the cooling waters of the Caves with Nora and the girls from Pharaoh's Daughter as the pink champagne flowed, the pungent pong of something more exotic than cigar smoke filled the darkness and the gramophone belted out "At the Devil's Ball" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7b8zbVUvnAo. However, could "Boning Day" have been an in-joke; an oblique reference to a very similar but decidedly crude American slang word that means..... yeah...well.... I might leave it there. This is, after all, a family blog.

Clarence Yearsley



Spokesman-Review, February 23, 1913

(Click on image to supersize)


When they came to Victoria, Herman and Leon met John Monash (how as that for a transition? talk about going from the ridiculous to the sublime). Soon to become General Sir John as a result of his distinguished military service on the Western Front, Monash was a brilliant academic. Matriculating from Scotch College at the age of fourteen, he went on to complete degrees in both the arts and sciences at the University of Melbourne where he later served as Vice Chancellor. A prominent businessman, he came onboard as a director of Luna Park Ltd and, given his professional background and qualifications as a civil and constructional engineer, it's likely that he was leaning over Eslick's shoulder.



(Left) General Sir John Monash (abc.net.au)
 and (right) Prahran Chronicle, June 27, 1914

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/93806288

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGkRJHJ5juI


The park was pretty much closed from 1914 through to the early '20s. However, the Scenic Railway continued to operate  and the venue was used by patriotic fund- raising groups at no cost - a practice which the Phillips reintroduced during WWII. When colours were presented to the 14th Battalion, Herman, who lived in Robe Street, St Kilda was asked to represent the citizens of the municipality (p.207, The History of St Kilda, Volume II, John Butler Cooper).                                    

After extensive remodeling, the "New" Luna Park was launched in November, 1923 (see Part 6).

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