Luna Park

On October 8th 1930 tens of thousands of people flocked to the opening of Luna Park on the foreshore at Glenelg. The brights lights and thrilling rides provided some cheerful relief to the gloom of the Great Depression. It was Australia's second Luna Park, the first having been opened in Melbourne's St. Kilda eighteen years before. One difference between the two parks was that Glenelg did not have the 'laughing face' entrance.

Entrepreneur David Atkins saw the possibilities of such a venture in Adelaide and encouraged the Melbourne owners to open a Luna Park here. He became the park's general manager. Glenelg's Luna Park operated for almost five years when a mixture of economics, non-negotiable council rent, tension with local residents and pressure from church groups not to run rides on Sunday saw its closure. The rides and machinery were packed up and sent to the site still occupied by Luna Park in Sydney.