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The Sydney Ghost Train fire at
Luna Park Sydney Luna Park Sydney is a Heritage register, heritage-listed amusement park located at 1 Olympic Drive, Milsons Point, New South Wales, Australia, on the northern shore of Port Jackson, Sydney Harbour. The amusement park is owned by the Luna Park ...
in
Milsons Point Milsons Point is a suburb on the lower North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is located three kilometres north of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of North Sydney. Milsons Point is also the geo ...
,
New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
, 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 In ghostlore, a ghost train is a phantom vehicle in the form of a locomotive or train. The ghost train differs from other traditional forms of haunting in that rather than being a static location where ghosts are claimed to be present, "the app ...
. The fire was originally blamed on electrical faults, but
arson Arson is the act of willfully and deliberately setting fire to or charring property. Although the act of arson typically involves buildings, the term can also refer to the intentional burning of other things, such as motor vehicles, watercr ...
by known figures has also been claimed. The exact cause of the fire could not be determined by a
coronial inquiry A coroner is a government or judicial official who is empowered to conduct or order an inquest into the manner or cause of death. The official may also investigate or confirm the identity of an unknown person who has been found dead within th ...
. 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 A fire sprinkler system is an active fire protection method, consisting of a water supply system providing adequate pressure and flowrate to a water distribution piping system, to which fire sprinklers are connected. Although initially used on ...
in the ride) breached their
duty of care In Tort, tort law, a duty of care is a legal Law of obligations, obligation that is imposed on an individual, requiring adherence to a standard of care, standard of Reasonable person, reasonable care to avoid careless acts that could foreseeab ...
, charges of
criminal negligence In criminal law, criminal negligence is an offence that involves a breach of an objective standard of behaviour expected of a defendant. It may be contrasted with strictly liable offences, which do not consider states of mind in determining c ...
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 Martin Ritchie Sharp (21 January 1942 – 1 December 2013) was an Australian artist, cartoonist, songwriter and film-maker. Career Sharp was born in Bellevue Hill, New South Wales in 1942, and educated at Cranbrook private school, where one ...
, 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." Sharp also used the incident as the basis for his unreleased film, '' Street of Dreams''. In 2021, the
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...
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 Abraham Gilbert Saffron (6 October 1919 – 15 September 2006) was an Australian hotelier, nightclub owner, and property developer who was one of the major figures in organised crime in Australia in the latter half of the 20th century. For sev ...
was responsible for the fire, and that the
NSW Police The New South Wales Police Force is a law enforcement agency of the state of New South Wales, Australia, established in 1862. With more than 17,000 police officers, it is the largest police organisation in Australia, policing an area of 801,60 ...
had conspired with Saffron and Premier
Neville Wran Neville Kenneth Wran, (11 October 1926 – 20 April 2014) was an Australian politician who was the Premier of New South Wales from 1976 to 1986. He was the national president of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) from 1980 to 1986 and chairman o ...
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.


Ride

The Ghost Train was one of Luna Park's opening day attractions. Located between
Big Dipper The Big Dipper (American English, US, Canadian English, Canada) or the Plough (British English, UK, Hiberno-English, Ireland) is an asterism (astronomy), asterism consisting of seven bright stars of the constellation Ursa Major; six of them ar ...
's station and the River Caves, the building housing it was originally built as a storeroom for equipment awaiting installation after arriving from
Luna Park Glenelg Luna Park Glenelg was an amusement park that operated at Glenelg, South Australia from 1930 until 1935. Plans for an amusement park at the seaside town were first raised in 1928, but not acted upon. In 1929, a lease to build a scenic railway at ...
. Architectural plans of the Ghost Train are held at the
State Library of New South Wales The State Library of New South Wales, part of which is known as the Mitchell Library, is a large heritage-listed special collections, reference and research library open to the public and is one of the oldest libraries in Australia. Establis ...
. The looped recording that attracted guests to the ride promised "the creepiest spine-tingling ride of your life", adding: Cars would enter through a door reading "Hell's Doorway." Many twists and turns in pitch black then followed, yanking passengers along a 180-metre electric track. Most of the ride was pitch black. The ride was lined with dancing skeletons, an ape monster, a
dragon A dragon is a Magic (supernatural), magical legendary creature that appears in the folklore of multiple cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but European dragon, dragons in Western cultures since the Hi ...
's head,
Dracula ''Dracula'' is an 1897 Gothic fiction, Gothic horror fiction, horror novel by Irish author Bram Stoker. The narrative is Epistolary novel, related through letters, diary entries, and newspaper articles. It has no single protagonist and opens ...
in a graveyard and a
skeleton A skeleton is the structural frame that supports the body of most animals. There are several types of skeletons, including the exoskeleton, which is a rigid outer shell that holds up an organism's shape; the endoskeleton, a rigid internal fra ...
in a box. The ride also featured a fake
fireplace A fireplace or hearth is a structure made of brick, stone or metal designed to contain a fire. Fireplaces are used for the relaxing ambiance they create and for heating a room. Modern fireplaces vary in heat efficiency, depending on the design. ...
which, according to witnesses, is where the actual fire originated.


Fire

Fire broke out inside the ride at approximately 10:15 pm on 9 June 1979. Around thirty-five people were believed to have been on the ride when thick smoke began to escape from the tunnel doors. Staff raised the alarm and began to pull people from the ride as their cars exited the tunnel. Due to a combination of low water pressure, under-staffing within the park, and inadequate coverage of the Ghost Train by the park's fire hose system, the fire completely consumed the ride. - Note that the online version differs from print article; different title (''Haunting questions linger'') and first three paragraphs missing. It took an hour to bring the fire under control, but it was extinguished before any significant damage could be done to the adjacent River Caves and
Big Dipper The Big Dipper (American English, US, Canadian English, Canada) or the Plough (British English, UK, Hiberno-English, Ireland) is an asterism (astronomy), asterism consisting of seven bright stars of the constellation Ursa Major; six of them ar ...
. It was initially thought that everybody had escaped the fire, but the bodies of seven people were soon found inside: John Godson and his two children, Damien and Craig, and four
Waverley College Waverley College is a dual-campus independent Catholic early learning, primary and secondary day school for boys, located on Birrell and Henrietta Street in Waverley, in the eastern suburbs of Sydney, Australia. The school was founded by the C ...
students, Jonathan Billings, Richard Carroll, Michael Johnson, and Seamus Rahilly. At the time of the fire, investigating police speculated that the seven had climbed out of their cars and unsuccessfully tried to find their way out of the tunnel; had they stayed in the cars, they might have survived. Other evacuated passengers reported seeing empty cars exit the tunnel on fire. When asked individually what chance the victims had of survival, each put it at "zero".


Investigation

Luna Park was shut down immediately after the incident for a federal investigation. An inquest was held in the
Coroner's Court of New South Wales The Coroner's Court of New South Wales is the court in the Australian state of New South Wales where legal proceedings, in the form of an inquest or inquiry, are held and presided over by the State Coroner of New South Wales (or NSW State Coro ...
from 13 to 29 August 1979 in the Sydney suburb of
Glebe A glebe (, also known as church furlong, rectory manor or parson's close(s)) is an area of land within an ecclesiastical parish used to support a parish priest. The land may be owned by the church, or its profits may be reserved to the church. ...
before coroner Kevin Sidney Anderson. Anderson issued his findings on 3 September 1979. He found that "The cause of the fire cannot conclusively be stated", and accepted expert testimony that the ride's permanent wiring and attractions were unlikely to be the source of ignitionbut could not be completely excluded. Having heard from witnesses that ride patrons often ignored no smoking signs and "had the habit of discarding food wrapping and other litter", Anderson stated that while "the most probable cause of the fire was ignition of flammable litter by a cigarette or match... discarded by a person riding on the train", he reiterated that "how the fire was ignited, the evidence adduced does not allow me to say". Anderson's inquiry examined issues beyond the source of ignition. He found that Luna Park's management had failed to develop an adequate fire suppression program despite recommendations by
North Sydney Council North Sydney Council is a local government area on the Lower North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, established on 29 July 1890 through the amalgamation of three boroughs. The area is bounded by Willoughby to the north and north-w ...
and the fire department eighteen months earlier. Anderson's report stated that while the park's owners and management had failed in their
duty of care In Tort, tort law, a duty of care is a legal Law of obligations, obligation that is imposed on an individual, requiring adherence to a standard of care, standard of Reasonable person, reasonable care to avoid careless acts that could foreseeab ...
towards patrons, the failure was not "that high degree of negligence necessary to support a charge of
criminal negligence In criminal law, criminal negligence is an offence that involves a breach of an objective standard of behaviour expected of a defendant. It may be contrasted with strictly liable offences, which do not consider states of mind in determining c ...
". The
Government of New South Wales The Government of New South Wales, also known as the NSW Government, is the executive state government of New South Wales, Australia. The government comprises 11 portfolios, led by a ministerial department and supported by several agencies. Th ...
called for new tenders to operate the park on 31 July 1979. Before the fire, a Sydney design consultant stated that he had advised Luna Park management to install a sprinkler system in the Ghost Train in December 1977, following an inspection of the park for potential renovations. The recommendation was not followed. In 1987, a government inquiry by the
National Crime Authority The National Crime Authority (NCA) was an Australian law enforcement agency established in 1984 and wound up on 31 December 2002. History The NCA was set up in 1984 in the wake of the Costigan Commission, which investigated tax evasion and or ...
reopened an investigation into the fire. Scene occurring 42:00 to 43:30 No new evidence was presented, but it was found that the police investigation into the incident had been inadequate, and the coronial inquiry ineffective. Despite claims ranging from faulty wiring to
sabotage Sabotage is a deliberate action aimed at weakening a polity, government, effort, or organization through subversion, obstruction, demoralization (warfare), demoralization, destabilization, divide and rule, division, social disruption, disrupti ...
in an attempt to have the park closed down and demolished, the cause of the fire has never been established.


Links to Abe Saffron

In May 2007, Anne Buckingham, a niece of Sydney underworld figure
Abe Saffron Abraham Gilbert Saffron (6 October 1919 – 15 September 2006) was an Australian hotelier, nightclub owner, and property developer who was one of the major figures in organised crime in Australia in the latter half of the 20th century. For sev ...
, claimed in an interview with the ''
Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily tabloid newspaper published in Sydney, Australia, and owned by Nine Entertainment. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper in ...
'' that her uncle was responsible for the fire. Saffron had been associated with seven other
arson Arson is the act of willfully and deliberately setting fire to or charring property. Although the act of arson typically involves buildings, the term can also refer to the intentional burning of other things, such as motor vehicles, watercr ...
attacks in the two years following the Ghost Train fire, although he had repeatedly denied involvement with the Ghost Train fire. Buckingham claimed the attack was part of a plan for Saffron to gain control of Luna Park's lease, although she stated her belief that the seven deaths were not intended. Former park artist
Martin Sharp Martin Ritchie Sharp (21 January 1942 – 1 December 2013) was an Australian artist, cartoonist, songwriter and film-maker. Career Sharp was born in Bellevue Hill, New South Wales in 1942, and educated at Cranbrook private school, where one ...
claimed that Saffron had approached Luna Park's owner, Ted Hopkins, several years before the fire, offering to buy the park. In 1985, it was claimed by NSW MP Michael John Hatton that Saffron had
beneficial ownership In domestic and international commercial law, a beneficial owner is a natural person or persons who ultimately owns or controls an interest in a legal entity or arrangement, such as a company, a trust, or a foundation. Legal owners (i.e. the own ...
of the park, resulting in an inquiry which concluded that although people related to Saffron were involved in supplying pinball and arcade games to Luna Park, Saffron himself was not linked to the ownership of the park. Buckingham later denied she made the comments attributed to her and demanded the story not be published, although the ''Herald'' claims her original statements were recorded on tape during a face-to-face interview. The NSW
Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general (: attorneys general) or attorney-general (AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enf ...
has stated the coronial inquiry could be reopened, but that it would require the submission of new evidence to the police.


Memorials

In 1995, a memorial was dedicated to the seven victims of the 1979 fire, with a tree planted next to an antique bench displaying the names of the victims. During the 2003 redevelopment, the tree was removed and the bench lost. Park director Warwick Doughty asserted that the memorial and events had little relevance, although North Sydney mayor Genia McCaffery, among others, disagreed and campaigned for the memorial to be reinstated. In 2004, a
plaque Plaque may refer to: Commemorations or awards * Commemorative plaque, a plate, usually fixed to a wall or other vertical surface, meant to mark an event, person, etc. * Memorial Plaque (medallion), issued to next-of-kin of dead British military p ...
listing the names of the victims was placed on an external wall of the
Big Top Sydney The Big Top (also known as the Big Top Auditorium and The Arena; commonly known as Big Top Sydney) is a multi-purpose entertainment venue located within Luna Park Sydney. Opening in 2004, the venue was a part of the amusement park’s 2003 redev ...
, which was constructed on the site of the Ghost Train. The plaque was intended to be the centrepiece of a mural painted by Sharp, but this did not eventuate. Just behind Luna Park is the Art Barton Park, named after the park's original resident artist. Along the Comic Way walking track is a series of small bronze sculptures that were unveiled in 2007, among them one dedicated to the fire's victims designed by Michael Leunig and carved by Peter Kingston. The pillar on which the sculpture stands is engraved with the names of those lost, and at the base of the pillar is a plaque reading: The Chapel at Waverley College also features a plaque memorialising its four students who perished in the fire, with the photo and name of each boy. This memorial also includes a small passage about the students.


''Street of Dreams''

In January 1979, Sharp brought musician Tiny Tim to Australia to set the world record for the longest non-stop professional singing marathon during a show at Luna Park. When the Ghost Train fire occurred five months later, Sharp became convinced that the two events were somehow linked. He then began to document what he perceived as the many synchronicities and theological connections between Tiny Tim's performance and the fire, while also gathering evidence that the fire had been deliberately lit, for a new documentary to be entitled '' Street of Dreams''. Sharp worked on the film obsessively for many years and never completed it in his lifetime. In 1988, a rough cut ("The Brighton Cut") was compiled for film festival screenings, but Sharp still considered this version a work in progress and not a final product. ''Street of Dreams'' remains unfinished and has never been officially released in any form, though the Brighton Cut has surfaced online as a low-quality bootleg.


''Exposed: The Ghost Train Fire''

In March 2021, Australia's national broadcaster, the
Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is Australia’s principal public service broadcaster. It is funded primarily by grants from the federal government and is administered by a government-appointed board of directors. The ABC is ...
(ABC), screened a three-part investigative series by journalist
Caro Meldrum-Hanna Caro Meldrum-Hanna is an Australian investigative journalist. Meldrum-Hanna is best known for her work with ABC Television's ''Four Corners'' program. Among Meldrum-Hanna's stories on ''Four Corners'', two notable reports are an investigation ...
, ''Exposed: The Ghost Train Fire.'' The series investigated potentialbut unconfirmedevidence around the fire and the personalities involved, and interviewed surviving family of the fire's victims, along with many judicial figures and police investigators of the time, and some former park staff. Witnesses were interviewed, including three who rode the Ghost Train just minutes earlier. These first witnesses believed the artificial fire display (using coloured lights and a fan to make flapping strips of material look like flames) seemed to include actual flames, but did not immediately recognize the severity of the threat and thus did not notify ride operators when they disembarked. Other witnesses who entered the Ghost Train soon after, smelled smoke straightaway and saw an uncontained fire spreading rapidly within the narrow confines of the ride. These witnesses frantically tried to warn a ride operator to stop further cars from entering the ride, just as he was permitting the final few cars to proceed, joining others that were already inside. The program also brought to light much of Sharp's personal collection of files and taped interviews gathered during his own investigation of the incident over the years. In a 2010 discussion of his artwork for the park's restoration in the early 1970s, Sharp revealed that the fire and the circumstances surrounding it had exerted a profound effect on his spiritual outlook. Much of this had been documented in Sharp's unfinished ''Street of Dreams'' film project, although the ''EXPOSED'' documentary did not mention this, nor did it mention how Sharp's fixation on Tiny Tim and various theological elements played a role in his view of the fire. The television investigation concluded that a web of criminality connected Saffron, former NSW Premier
Neville Wran Neville Kenneth Wran, (11 October 1926 – 20 April 2014) was an Australian politician who was the Premier of New South Wales from 1976 to 1986. He was the national president of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) from 1980 to 1986 and chairman o ...
and former High Court Justice
Lionel Murphy Lionel Keith Murphy QC (30 August 1922 – 21 October 1986) was an Australian politician, barrister, and judge. He was a Senator for New South Wales from 1962 to 1975, serving as Attorney-General in the Whitlam government, and then sat on the ...
. It was alleged that Saffron ordered the setting of the fire by an
outlaw motorcycle club An outlaw motorcycle club, known colloquially as a biker club or club (in Australia), is a motorcycle subculture generally centered on the use of Cruiser (motorcycle), cruiser motorcycles, particularly Harley-Davidsons and chopper (motorcycle ...
so he could gain control of the lease on the
crown land Crown land, also known as royal domain, is a territorial area belonging to the monarch, who personifies the Crown. It is the equivalent of an entailed estate and passes with the monarchy, being inseparable from it. Today, in Commonwealth realm ...
(public land protected by the
government of New South Wales The Government of New South Wales, also known as the NSW Government, is the executive state government of New South Wales, Australia. The government comprises 11 portfolios, led by a ministerial department and supported by several agencies. Th ...
) on which Luna Park stood. The "fresh claims of foul play and a cover-up" in the television program led to a call by
Jodi McKay Jodi Leyanne McKay (born 16 August 1969) is an Australian former politician who was the Leader of the Opposition in the Parliament of New South Wales from June 2019 until May 2021. She previously served as a member of the New South Wales Legisla ...
, then-leader of the NSW official opposition, for the government to instigate a new coronial inquiry or
Royal Commission A royal commission is a major ad-hoc formal public inquiry into a defined issue in some monarchies. They have been held in the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Norway, Malaysia, Mauritius and Saudi Arabia. In republics an equi ...
into the case. There was strident criticism of the programme's allegations against the late premier Wran by former premiers
Bob Carr Robert John Carr (born 28 September 1947) is an Australian retired politician and journalist who served as the 39th Premier of New South Wales from 1995 to 2005, as the leader of the New South Wales Labor Party, New South Wales branch of the A ...
and
Barrie Unsworth Barrie John Unsworth (born 16 April 1934) is an Australian former politician, representing the Labor Party in the Parliament of New South Wales from 1978 to 1991. He served as the 36th Premier from July 1986 to March 1988. Since the death o ...
, former prime minister
Malcolm Turnbull Malcolm Bligh Turnbull (born 24 October 1954) is an Australian former politician and businessman who served as the 29th prime minister of Australia from 2015 to 2018. He held office as Liberal Party of Australia, leader of the Liberal Party an ...
, former ABC managing director David Hill, and former editor Milton Cockburn and journalist Troy Bramston of the ''Sydney Morning Herald''. This resulted in the ABC Board establishing an enquiry into the programme. In their report, Professor Rodney Tiffin and journalist Chris Masters characterized the programme as overstating the allegations against Wran, while concluding that overall "the program makers uncovered much suspicious evidence around arson being the cause of the fire, exposed the incompetence of the police investigation, reported on the inadequacies of earlier investigations, revealed the way policy making by the NSW government benefited Saffron, and the corrupt circle of influence around Saffron. They mounted a compelling case for a new investigation."


Subsequent investigations and potential second inquest

In April 2021, following the release of ''Exposed: The Ghost Train Fire'' and the subsequent public outcry, New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian said that "relevant agencies in NSW are considering fresh inquest. At the request of New South Wales state coroner Teresa O'Sullivan, the NSW Police Force reopened their investigation and its homicide division established Strike Force Sedgeman to conduct the review. A reward of AUD $1 million for 'fresh and significant information' has been offered to encourage witnesses to come forward. The reward remains active. In September 2024, Strike Force Sedgeman completed their review of the evidence. After some deliberation, a redacted version of the report was made available to family members of victims as well as relevant counsel. O'Sullivan will review the report in making a decision as to whether or not a second inquest will be held, and has requested that it not yet be released to the public or the media. The matter returned to court on 28 October 2024 but as of January 2025, no further developments are yet known to the public.


See also

*
List of disasters in Australia by death toll This is a list of disasters in Australia by death toll. 100 or more deaths 50 to 99 deaths 20 to 49 deaths Between 10 and 20 Gallery Image:Port arthur outside.jpg, The Port Arthur massacre (Australia), Port Arthur massacre claimed 35 ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sydney Ghost Train Fire Fires in Australia 1970s fires in Oceania 1979 fires 1979 disasters in Australia Amusement park fires Disasters in Sydney 1970s in Sydney June 1979 in Australia