where did you play pinball as a kid?

[Pop Bumper Pete]

In the old days, we used to use 20c that had a black texta "X" on it. That way the money went back into the till. That was for locations that Dad had HIS games. He never operated SYS80 games, so I had to go into the city to play them. This was around 1981-83 ish. It might have been "Flashbacks" at the time. There was a stairwell wont to a basement level, and on the left was a MacDonalds and on the right was the arcade. Pinball was slowly be removed for the video games. I remember the 1942 games were against the wall as new arrivals. I never went near the videos. In the end, there were not many pinballs there, but I remember the SYS80s and the last time I went there, there was a new Big Guns and Fire. Some of my personal collection reflects those visits - Black Hole, Spirit and Haunted House. Then Fire and Big Guns.

went there a little later
Strange Science, Raven (I think), Rock or heavy metal, Spy Hunter
they also had a sit in Out Run that span around

[Mr Pinbologist]

Nino, i love reading all the posts where you tell of your younger days growing up around pinballs... must've been just awesome! stuff most of us here including myself would've died for to be a part of when growing up  

As for my own early pinball days, i never played them at all as a kid, never really got the chance as i lived out of town and anytime i DID go anywhere with my parents they wouldn't let us put money in any games that might happen to be in any shop we were in   As a result my early pinball playing experiences didn't happen until i had a drivers licence and my own car!!

AS i have said in other posts in the past, KISS was the first pin i ever played, which was at the Star Hotel in Macksville (NSW midnorth coast) where i used to do regular band gigs.. indeed every venue i came across while doing gigs that had a pin i'd put all my spare change thru it, even to this day  

Other regular places i'd visit to play were the old Pinball Parlor that used to be next to the museum in Clarence St Port Macquarie, several of my own games came from that place.. Stingray, Solar Ride, Hot Hand, Buck Rogers and i think my Cosmic Princess came from there originally too, even though i bought it from someone else. Stingray, (my first ever pin purchase) i bought directly from there in 1988, the others came from other people who bought from the Pin Parlor.

Other places i went to frequently, Lake Cathie and Laurieton i could always find a good selection of games to play. In Lake Cathie (pronounced 'cat eye' for anyone who cares)   one little shop the by the beach had several different games there over the years, Gtb King pin, Jungle Princess, Star Trek (bally), Globe trotters and Mata Hari (the Mata hari didnt have chimes, but what sounded like a Gtb sys 1 'beep beep' board and a speaker in it)   and Gorgar.

In Laurieton at the amusement center that used to be there, games like Stellar Wars, Kiss (both of which i own from this place) Haunted house, Flash, Hankin ESB and some REALLY nice nick EMs.. Super Spin, Buccaneer and a Chicago Coin Casino.. Super spin in particular was in PRISTINE condition! looked almost new!! (this was about early 90s @ that time). Plus several others that didn't make a huge impact on me at the time. In a little takeaway shop in North Haven (on the way to Laurieton) used to have Playboy (bally) and Jacks Open that i would go in and play on my way home from Laurieton.

On any weekend that i had nothing else on i would do a Saturday or Sunday arvo drive to all of the above places   and most places that either dont have pins anymore or no longer exist  
Sorry for the long winded post guys but just thought i would get in on the act and share.

[GORGAR 1]

Growing up in Eltham Victoria I played at a pinnie parlour in Greensborough on main road just can't remember what it was called   also travelled into the city and played at all the pinball and arcade joints.

There was a guy in Eltham that operated games in the leisure centre and the roller skating rink does anyone know his name? Mum used to hire space invaders for us from him and we played it over the weekend oh the memories 

[dealers choice]

Dont wory about long posts, this thread is all about your memories of playing pinball in your younger days, and the more tha merrier. 

[Caveoftreasures]

Freddy Fongs Takeaway Shop with little side arcade for kids. (really just a lollie shop come newspapers n everything u can imagine in a corner shop in 1978 except chineese food, but had fish n chips n pies etc). It was the only shop for miles n was located in a residential area, an old house turned into a corner shop. That made it a little special.

I was there the day they delivered a brand new Phoenix - Williams 1978 model to add to the three cocktail tables. This machine was bright BRIGHT pink and yellow and it was a looker and so modern looking for 1978.

That was a special day.

That was 1978 and I didnt see another pinball machine for apx 30 yrs. (yes, I did buy a Phoenix and its going to be fully restored back to NEW for sentimental reasons).
Pinball - been a different thing for almost every member on here, which is why its such a FUN passion n hobby, way of life.

[piesrule]

There was a place on the corner of Middlebourgh Rd & Whitehorse Rd called Sams which had pool tables, foos ball tables and bingo machines, also at Box Hill bowl which had a lot of pinball machines in the mid to late 70's

[Chad]

Around 1978 there was a small milk bar on Moreland Rd in Coburg which had a pinball can't remember if it was an EM or SS, we used to hang out there every day after school & on weekends playing pinball, then they got a spacies invaders but still preferred the pinball.

Across the road from the milk bar was a fish n chips shop which became the next hangout when they finally got pinballs, they had a playboy & an evil knievel, shop is still there but alas no pinballs
Another fish n chip shop in Brunswick had a Centaur, during the school holidays we would go there every day.

When I turned 16 I got a job at a supermarket in Brunswick, across the road was a cafe which had 4/5 pinballs & 3/4 Bingos, for my lunch break I would go there and play the pinballs and got addicted to Black Pyramid, unfortunately I don't remember the other games.

I finally brought my first pinball about 10 years ago and it had to be a Black Pyramid.

[pinfrog]

I remember the good ol days growing up in the outer suburbs of Perth ( late 70s early 80s). There where a few places locally like the hardware (jungle princess) fruit and veg shop (king pin and jack in the box). There was a place in Bassendean called Johnnys it was a rather large milk bar / hamburger place and I remember it having a bank of about 10 EMs along one wall and a couple of pool tables , we would go there after school or Saturday morning with  a pocket full coins and play for hours. Then one day it suddenly closed down , the owner had won a couple of hundred grand on the lottery and retired. School holidays were always a treat as we would catch the train into the city to watch a movie and play pinball in one of the many arcades. The blue pumpernickel and Strombeckers  are just two I remember. These places had Kiss ,Playboy and most of the popular Bally SS games and at the time and the places where packed. I still can hear the sound of 20 or so pinnies being played at once. Those were the days.

[pinoffski]

At Engadine their was 2 pinball Parlors and then on some weekends
i would go to George St Hoyt's Cinema's , the George St Arcade strip.

[frosty44]

Stombeckers was great and Kelly's was our second choice,i do remember strombeckers had another name splashed across wall ,just can't remember though. All my paper round money fill these haunts,gay gordens in Scarborough  had a paragon  that poor pin cop a smashing  from us   Great times. Looking forward to receive my paragon from a  renowned  restorer...

[dealers choice]

There are so many places that had pins years ago,and so many good memories. It's a pitty it still isn't the same.

[beaky]

Lol Nino, you actually paid to play games. sure you wernt flicking the switch off and on really quickly to get max creddits for free like the rest of us 

In the old days, we used to use 20c that had a black texta "X" on it. That way the money went back into the till. That was for locations that Dad had HIS games. He never operated SYS80 games, so I had to go into the city to play them. This was around 1981-83 ish. It might have been "Flashbacks" at the time. There was a stairwell wont to a basement level, and on the left was a MacDonalds and on the right was the arcade. Pinball was slowly be removed for the video games. I remember the 1942 games were against the wall as new arrivals. I never went near the videos. In the end, there were not many pinballs there, but I remember the SYS80s and the last time I went there, there was a new Big Guns and Fire. Some of my personal collection reflects those visits - Black Hole, Spirit and Haunted House. Then Fire and Big Guns.

As a younger child, we used to go to church on Sundays and then head across to a location Dad owned called "Delfino's" in Edwards St Reservoir. We used to get $1 each, and that bought a Mars Bar and a Polly Waffle. Then we could play pinballs until lunch time. I spent most of my youth there, as it was just up the road, and it was owned and operated by Dad. This was the location that got all the NEW games - Imagine NIB KISS, Paragon, Space Invaders, Star Trek, Mata Hari, Eight Ball etc etc - all new - were located here first. The KISS had it's first callout after 2 days. The cashbox was so full, it had blocked the coin acceptor. Great memories.

"Delfino's" was that also known as "top Room"?
" It might have been "Flashbacks" at the time "last time I went there, there was a new Big Guns and Fire" I know and played those exact machines also.
when the SYS80s were there they had them all lined up at the top of the stairs / back platform towards the Swanston St. side.
they also had that "Moon patrol" with the sphere around the monitor if you remember?
and an 'Orbitor 1' at one stage.

anyway the answer to the the question where did you play pinball as a kid? is
Keon Park Bowls, I played many classics over the years there like Fire Power 1 & 2, space invaders, Pharaoh, Black Knight, Playboy, Strikes & Spares, Cave Man, Six Million Dollar Man, Future Spa, Paragon, Lost World, Black Pyramid And Flash.

Top Room, I played Eight Ball Deluxe limited edition (I played many more titles there but can't remember most of them)

Flash Back, 10/4, and Invaders (they all became Time Zone) Rocky, Black Hole, Orbit, Haunted House, Orbit1, Raven, Strange Science, PinBot, Fire, Black Knight 2000, Swords or fury, Big Guns and Police Force.
In early 1990 I moved to Queensland and found it nearly impossible to find any pinball machines on site.   
 

[Cow Corner]

In early 1990 I moved to Queensland and found it nearly impossible to find any pinball machines on site.   
 

You must have been looking for love in all the wrong places mate.
In the early 90's in south east qld you couldn't walk into a pub without bumping into a pinball machine.
They were everywhere.

[Strangeways]

Lol Nino, you actually paid to play games. sure you wernt flicking the switch off and on really quickly to get max creddits for free like the rest of us 

In the old days, we used to use 20c that had a black texta "X" on it. That way the money went back into the till. That was for locations that Dad had HIS games. He never operated SYS80 games, so I had to go into the city to play them. This was around 1981-83 ish. It might have been "Flashbacks" at the time. There was a stairwell wont to a basement level, and on the left was a MacDonalds and on the right was the arcade. Pinball was slowly be removed for the video games. I remember the 1942 games were against the wall as new arrivals. I never went near the videos. In the end, there were not many pinballs there, but I remember the SYS80s and the last time I went there, there was a new Big Guns and Fire. Some of my personal collection reflects those visits - Black Hole, Spirit and Haunted House. Then Fire and Big Guns.

As a younger child, we used to go to church on Sundays and then head across to a location Dad owned called "Delfino's" in Edwards St Reservoir. We used to get $1 each, and that bought a Mars Bar and a Polly Waffle. Then we could play pinballs until lunch time. I spent most of my youth there, as it was just up the road, and it was owned and operated by Dad. This was the location that got all the NEW games - Imagine NIB KISS, Paragon, Space Invaders, Star Trek, Mata Hari, Eight Ball etc etc - all new - were located here first. The KISS had it's first callout after 2 days. The cashbox was so full, it had blocked the coin acceptor. Great memories.

"Delfino's" was that also known as "top Room"?
" It might have been "Flashbacks" at the time "last time I went there, there was a new Big Guns and Fire" I know and played those exact machines also.
when the SYS80s were there they had them all lined up at the top of the stairs / back platform towards the Swanston St. side.
they also had that "Moon patrol" with the sphere around the monitor if you remember?
and an 'Orbitor 1' at one stage.

anyway the answer to the the question where did you play pinball as a kid? is
Keon Park Bowls, I played many classics over the years there like Fire Power 1 & 2, space invaders, Pharaoh, Black Knight, Playboy, Strikes & Spares, Cave Man, Six Million Dollar Man, Future Spa, Paragon, Lost World, Black Pyramid And Flash.

Top Room, I played Eight Ball Deluxe limited edition (I played many more titles there but can't remember most of them)

Flash Back, 10/4, and Invaders (they all became Time Zone) Rocky, Black Hole, Orbit, Haunted House, Orbit1, Raven, Strange Science, PinBot, Fire, Black Knight 2000, Swords or fury, Big Guns and Police Force.
In early 1990 I moved to Queensland and found it nearly impossible to find any pinball machines on site.   
 

"Delfino's" was an Italian Cafe that Dad part owned at the time, and this was the "hang out" for all the locals. "Top Room" was down the road. It was an upstairs billiard room with some arcade machines. Dad sited Bingos at both locations.

[spook]

Only just caught up on this thread, and it brought back a lot of memories. For me, "when I was a kid" pretty much equates to late 70s and through the 80s. I was fortunate enough that my parents decided to relocate to sunny QLD from Victoria when I was about 8 years old. In the following years, we spent many holiday periods (mostly around Christmas) doing the long drive to Victoria and stopping at many caravan parks and motels on the way there and back. In those days, lots of parks and motels had a games room with at least a couple of pinnies. After a long day in the car, Dad would grab a couple of beers and take us to the games room to play pins .... such a great time.

Apart from that, I played a lot at a few locations around the Sunshine Coast where I grew up. An arcade in the basement at a place called Bayards Corner, as well as some arcades at Cotton Tree, Maroochydore and Mooloolaba. When I was at Uni in the late 80s, we used to smash Flash at the games room on campus, visit the takeaway on the main drag near the Story Bridge and pumps some coins in the arcades in Albert Street.  I loved the SS machines of the time and they still hold a special/sentimental place, although a few of those caravan parks did have some good ol' EMs.

Good thread ....