Wild Mouse (Luna Park Sydney)

Roller coaster in Australia
Watch the on-ride POV
Wild Mouse
Luna Park
Location Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Coordinates 33°50′52″S 151°12′35″E / 33.847643°S 151.209740°E / -33.847643; 151.209740
Status In storage
Operated 1995 to 2024
Rider height
  • Minimum: 106 cm
  • Min. unaccompanied: 132 cm
Royal Agricultural Society Showground
Location Moore Park, New South Wales, Australia
Operated unknown to 1995 or earlier
Luna Park
Location Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Operated 1959 to 1970
Replaced by Wild Cat
Statistics
Manufacturer Hopkins & Pearce
Type Wooden - Wild Mouse
Riders per train 2
Propulsion Chain lift hill
Height 12.2 metres
Length 400 metres
Inversions 0
Duration 1:01
HELP

Wild Mouse is a wooden wild mouse roller coaster currently located at Luna Park in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

History

The coaster originally opened at Luna Park in 1959, being constructed by the then park manager Ted Hopkins and Dick Pearce. They had travelled to Seattle to attend the 1962 World's Fair, and got to inspect the Wild Mouse. They decided to purchase the plans and a car of the ride and take those back to Australia, where they eventually installed 3 models.[1]

The version at Luna Park continued to operate, being relocated to the Royal Easter Show for a few weeks every easter. It would eventually close in 1970, being relocated to the Royal Agricultural Society Showground as Wild Cat took its place.[2] Wild Mouse would eventually return, being reconstructed in 1992. The park itself was closed for unknown reasons at this point, but Wild Mouse would reopen with the park in 1995.

The coaster closed later in the 1995 season again, along with the rest of the park. This was due to noise complaints caused by the new Big Dipper. It remained closed up until 2000, after which the park reopened for the Olympic Games in Sydney. The park would close again in 2001, after the games wrapped up. The park was eventually redeveloped in 2004, with the Wild Mouse staying in the park, still being in operation to this day.[3]

In early 2024, the whole ride was deconstructed so that it could be restored. The park plans to have the ride's restoration complete and the ride itself reassembled by the end of 2024.[4]

Design

Elements

Colour scheme

Blue track and white supports.

Trains

Single cars. Riders are arranged inline in 2 rows, for a total of 2 riders per car.

References

  1. "Hopkins & Pearce on rcdb".
  2. "Wild Mouse on Parkz".
  3. "Luna Park on rcdb".
  4. My First Time in Sydney & Australia's Legendary LUNA PARK (in British English), retrieved 2024-02-14

External links