Happy 75th Luna Park Sydney!

Feeling nostalgic in Milson's Point today (I went off to Luna Park to pick up some anniversary goodies!), I realised that the Youtube footage of the "Number 96" characters' 1976 visit to Luna Park Sydney is actually missing its fleeting glimpse of the familiar face! In this, Luna Park's 75th Anniversary week, I believe it's about time to dig out the ol' pics!


Luna Park in "Number 96" in '76




Dorrie, Herb, Flo and Junior on the Big Dipper


Topsy Turvy Flo


Refreshments? Now?


Junior feasts on hot chips and heads for the Tumble Bug


Dorrie staggers


Fairy floss - and a touch of Marilyn with an air vent, Coney Island


Sydney Harbour Bridge backdrop


Back on the Big Dipper!


One more pie before home!

(Airdate of "And They Said It Wouldn't Last": 24/06/76, Network Ten.)

As for today:


Yes, it's 75th Anniversary Luna Park Sydney Monopoly!
Limited to 2500 copies, available only from their souvenir shop or the website!



I got to thinking, though: this game needed some Aussie icons as tokens, not the traditional car, shoe, thimble, hat, etc. Racing past three George Street souvenir shops, on my way to the railway station, I quickly found a miniature Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House in painted resin, a Kombi van with surfboard on top (pencil topper), a silver and enamelled thong (flip flop) with road signs on the inner sole (mobile phone charm), fuzzy kangaroo and koala (keyrings) and two thimbles, illustrating a boomerang and Sydney Tower. Clever, eh?

A monopoly on bootlegs?

A local bargain store has a stack of bootleg "Monopoly" games in their doorway. The shrinkwrap was so shiny, it was hard to get a decent shot. The box itself seemed to be made of the same waxy, corrugated cardboard as a fruit box from the grocers.

Now, I know we shouldn't support bootleg products, but they can make bizarre collectibles:





You, too, could take a "Chance" and land on the garishly-coloured "Park Place"!

Happy First Contact Day

I didn't realise until tonight, but yesterday - the date of the Sydney Star Trek Meetup's overnight Star Trek Easter Marathon marks only 56 more years to go until First Contact Day. According to the movie, "Star Trek: First Contact", it will be 56 years filled with war, greed, and (per The Next Generation's premiere episode, "Encounter at Farpoint") the Post-Atomic Horror (famine, disease, pestilence, death, etc), but we hear it's worth the wait!

First stop was Galaxy Bookshop, followed by coffee in the Queen Victoria Building, and then dinner at the Meat & Wine Co. - I finally got to sample their famous "Chef's Skewer", which is truly a meat dish fit for any Klingon: large chunks of recently-stabbed meat, onion and capsicum, threaded onto a thick, hot, metal skewer and suspended from a skyhook, dripping rich barbeque sauce onto a tray of fries. Qapla!

Continuing from where we left off from the last viewing marathon, we watched the rest of Season One of TOS episodes, between drifting off for micro sleeps. Junk food, Easter eggs, alcohol, Coke Zero, "Star Trek Monopoly", hot cross buns, sourdough bread and brie, and the "Where No Fan Has Gone Before" episode of "Futurama", kept the ball rolling...

24 hours later and five members were still watching episodes and playing TNG Monopoly! Such stamina. (I came home to feed the dog.) A big thank you to Nate for letting us use his flat for the marathon. Great fun!

Captain's Log: Supplemental. Update via SMS: the intrepid five apparently went to bed at 4am on the morning of their second night of viewing, so they could catch some sleep b4 breakfast.