Exposed: The Ghost Train Fire True Story Explained — What The Netflix Documentary Leaves Out (2025)

Exposed: The Ghost Train Fire recounts the story of a horrifying amusement park fire and the success of the TV show pried open another look at the case, long thought doused. Produced for an Australian network and currently available on Netflix, Exposed: The Ghost Train Fire premiered in 2021 as part of the overarching thrilling ABC True-Crime documentary series, Exposed. Taking place over three episodes, ABC journalists team up with Australian historians, reporters, police, and amateur sleuths to uncover the events behind a frightening day in New South Wales.

Luna Park Sydney in Milsons Point, New South Wales is the site, and the Sydney Ghost Train is the ride. The three-episode miniseries covers a little of the lead-up to the event, the fire itself, and then most critically, the coverage of the fire afterward and the unusual, bordering on reckless, investigation, done by New South Wales (NSW) police. There's a case to be made that True-Crime shows and movies are ghoulish spectacles, but Exposed: The Ghost Train Fire may have been a critical component of getting the case reopened.

In 1979, A Ride At An Amusement Park Caught Fire And Killed Seven Riders

No One Knows Exactly Why The Ride Caught Fire

Exposed: The Ghost Train Fire discusses the tragic event that occurred at Luna Park, Sydney on June 9, 1979. The Ghost Train was a popular attraction at the park, suitable for pre-teen to teen children who could handle Universal monsters and other spooky creatures popping up along the track. The ride consisted of 180 meters of electric track that dragged riders around hairpin turns. Dancing skeletons, monsters, an ape-man, a dragon's head, and more appeared along the mostly pitch-black ride to give customers a scare.

The soundtrack repeatedly blared, "You’ll shiver and quake on the Ghost Train," (via ABC). The darkness of the ride may have helped to hide some of the mechanical failings of the more than 45-year-old train. On June 9, Sue Manning, who was 19 at the time and was the social director of a Bankstown youth group, decided to bring her group to Luna Park for a nighttime activity. Manning rode the Ghost Train herself and when she passed by an imitation fireplace, she couldn't help but wonder why a fake fireplace was giving off so much heat.

When she disembarked, she turned around to see the ride in flames. Behind Manning a few cars back, were five young boys: Richard Carroll, Michael Johnson, Jonathan Billings, Seamus Rahilly, and Jason Holman. In front of the five friends was a group of three; father John Godson, and his sons, Damien (6) and Craig (4). John's wife, and the boys' mother, Jenny, went to grab an ice cream instead. Holman was at the back of the line of carts, sitting alone, when an attendant grabbed him and yanked him out, just before he entered the train maze.

As the ride caught on fire, onlookers began to notice something was amiss. At certain parts of the ride, the train exits the maze, a chance for those waiting in line to wave at the passengers. What visitors noticed this time was that huge flames were erupting out of those outside portions. The entire ride had caught fire and was quickly reaching an inferno. Some passengers were able to get off the ride and find their way to a fire door.

Tony Jacob, a ticket clipper for the ride, repeatedly tried to enter the ride to help passengers but was pushed out by the heat and smoke. Jacob and two passengers, Ralph Schiano and Kate Partington, received commendations of bravery for their efforts to save others. Firefighters racing towards the park said the smoke was "black as tar". After the fire was eventually put out, the bodies of Carroll, Johnson, Billings, Rahilly, and the Godsons were found. Coroners later determined their deaths were due to burns and smoke inhalation.

ABC's Exposed Documentary Series Uncovered New Facets Of The Tragedy

The Fire Investigator For The Incident Had Criminal Ties

After the fire was put out, the investigation began, and everyone was desperately looking for answers about what happened. As Paul Callaghan said about the ride,

"Apart from the occasional replacement of a fuse, it just performed faultlessly."

Inspectors found no faulty wiring or electrical problems that could have caused the fire and though the coroner's report noted a "marked reluctance" to spend money on fire safety measures, Gary Moss, another employee at the park, said he never saw what he would consider a "cavalier" attitude about ride safety from anyone at Luna Park. The conclusion by the coroner stated that the fire was likely caused by a discarded cigarette.

Many people disagreed, including Martin Sharp, who once redesigned the smiling face at the entrance to Luna Park. For years, Sharp kept a large, amateur case file open about the fire, ultimately determining that the fire must have been caused by foul play. This information and testimony from other witnesses of that night formed the basis of ABC's Exposed: The Ghost Train Fire. The story was brought to Walkley Award-winning journalist, Caro Meldrum-Hanna, who created Exposed and was looking for a new case after 2018's Exposed: The Case of Keli Lane.

Meldrum-Hanna knew she had something big after contacting witnesses (via MediaWeek). Meldrum-Hanna said,

"In that first round of phone calls, it was almost universal. There would be this sharp intake of breath and there would either be tears straight away from people who were there that night or worked there, or there would be this sentence that just rings in my ears: 'I have been waiting for this phone call for decades. I have been waiting for someone to pick this up and look at it.'"

The mini-series recreated the ride and the fire for a reenactment, and interviewed several witnesses, witnesses who had never been interviewed by NSW Police (via ABC). Park attendee Richard Visser, Luna Park employee Frank Boitano, and another park patron, Greg Chard, all separately claimed they smelled kerosene near the Ghost Train that night. Other witnesses claimed that seven members of a motorcycle gang, called bikies, were standing outside the Ghost Train, discussing kerosene and matches.

Exposed later revealed that Detective Inspector Doug Knight, who was in charge of the fire investigation, was a well-known "fixer". His colleagues alleged to ABC that Knight frequently accepted bribes from criminals to stop investigations in their tracks (via ABC). According to Paul Egge, a former detective senior sergeant with the NSW Police, the fire was organized by notorious Sydney crime boss, Abe Saffron.

"Mr. Sin" as he was known, allegedly wanted the land that Luna Park was built on. This information combined with the numerous witness testimonies that went unheard by the NSW Police, strongly suggests the entire story of the Ghost Train is not fully understood and has much more sinister origins than a tossed-away cigarette.

New South Wales Police Reopened The Investigation Into The Fire After Exposed: The Ghost Train Fire

There Is A $1 Million Reward For Any Information About The Fire

The shocking revelations in Exposed: The Ghost Train Fire were enough that the case was eventually reopened and a $1 million reward was offered for any information regarding the true events of the fire (via 9News). The reward remains active (via NSWGov). The case lurched forward slightly in September 2024 when a redacted police report was made available to the families of the six children and their lawyers (via ABC). The case remains in court but Exposed: The Ghost Train Fire deserves some credit for pushing the investigation this far.

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Exposed: The Ghost Train Fire

Documentary

Exposing the truths behind the mystery of the Ghost Train Fire at Sydney's iconic Luna Park, Caro Meldrum-Hanna returns for a ground-breaking three-part investigation.

Release Date

November 9, 2023

Seasons

1