A children’s amusement ride. A devastating fire. Seven lives lost. And decades of questions about what really happened. In this episode of The DownUnder Mystery Club, authors AJ Blythe and Ava Ness travel back to June 9, 1979, to unpack the tragic and terrifying fire at Sydney’s Lunar Park Ghost Train that changed the nation forever.
Listen in as we separate hard facts from decades of dark underworld folklore—exploring the alarming speed of the blaze, frantic eyewitness accounts of burning kerosene, and the persistent, chilling allegations that Sydney crime boss Abe Saffron orchestrated a mob arson that was aggressively covered up by corrupt police. Then we head into our Mystery Book Club segment to chat about the best mystery novels this devastating cold case brings to mind!
Do you think the tragedy was a historic structural accident, or a calculated crime that got away? Leave a review and tell us your theories on the Ghost Train fire or share your current mystery reading list!
Sorry for the audio gremlins in this episode! A temporary mic glitch caused a slight tinny sound, but it’s fixed for next week.
[Transcript in post below]
Book Links:
The Castlemaine Murders by Kerry Greenwood
Mystic Caravan series by Amanda M. Lee
Paradise Heights Miniature Railway Bust-Up by Kate Solly
Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
A Roaring Murder by Ava Ness
Joyland by Stephen King
Leave a review or drop your thoughts in the comments below.
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References:
Anderson, K.S., 1979. Luna Park Fire Inquiry Before Coroner Sitting Alone. Sydney: Coroner’s Court of New South Wales. [Online] Available at: coroners.nsw.gov.au/coroners-court/download.html/documents/findings/1979/luna_park_fire_1977_-_findings.pdf (Accessed: 16 July 2026).
Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), 2021. EXPOSED: The Ghost Train Fire. [Television documentary series] Directed by Caro Meldrum-Hanna. Australia: ABC.
Bolza, M., 2024. ‘Fresh report into deadly Luna Park fire to stay secret’, The Canberra Times, 10 September.
Bramston, T., 2024. ‘Injustice to Neville Wran exposed: ABC doco that went off rails’, The Australian, 27 July.
Christie, A., 1934. Murder on the Orient Express. London: Collins Crime Club.
Greenwood, K., 1999. The Castlemaine Murders. Sydney: Allen & Unwin.
King, S., 2013. Joyland. New York: Hard Case Crime.
Lee, A.M., 2016–2026. Mystic Caravan Mystery Series. [Series].
Meldrum-Hanna, C., Newsome, J. and Worthington, E., 2021. ‘Former NSW police officers claim Sydney underworld figure Abe Saffron orchestrated the Luna Park Ghost Train fire’, ABC News, 30 March.
Meldrum-Hanna, C., Newsome, J. and Worthington, E., 2024. ‘Redacted NSW Police review of Luna Park Ghost Train fire handed to coroner, ahead of decision about whether a fresh inquest will be held’, ABC News, 10 September.
National Crime Authority (NCA), 1987. Inquiry into the 1979 Luna Park Ghost Train Fire Investigation. Canberra: Commonwealth of Australia.
Ness, A., 2023. A Roaring Murder. Roaring Press.
New South Wales Police Force, 2024. Strike Force Sedgeman: Investigation into the Cause and Origin of the 1979 Luna Park Ghost Train Fire. Sydney: Unsolved Homicide Team. [Suppressed report].
Solly, K., 2026. The Paradise Heights Miniature Railway Bust-Up. Melbourne: Affirm Press.