Is the carriage on display at the Melbourne Museum from the real Big Dipper ride?
The crowd inside Luna Park, St Kilda 1942, with the Big Dipper and the Scenic Railway in the background. Photographer: Roy Leibig / Source: Museum Victoria Answer: Climb aboard and hold on tight! Visitors to The Melbourne Story exhibition at Melbourne Museum are able to recreate the ‘Big Dipper’ experience by sitting an original Big Dipper carriage and watching a film taken at Luna Park in the early 1920s. The film features a rider’s eye view of the Scenic Railway and it’s quite a ride! Luna Park in St Kilda opened to the public in December 1912. It operated sporadically over the next few years: the First World War and resulting shortages of parts caused maintenance problems with several amusement rides. In 1922, management representatives travelled to the United States and Great Britain and new attractions were purchased including the latest ‘roller coaster’ ride. The St Kilda Luna Park roller coaster was known as the ‘Big Dipper’. The Big Dipper carriage incorporates a patented devic
