In 1951, Charles Blackman moved to Melbourne where he found the urban environment congenial to his work which reflected domestic and city life, as well as themes stimulated by the literature he was reading at the time. During this first year in Melbourne, Blackman also discovered the bayside suburb of St Kilda, where he would travel by tram to swim, draw and visit Luna Park. The drawings led to a series of paintings on the same theme, one of which, Luna Park, c.1951 – 52, is today housed in the National Gallery of Australia. The present composition features the Esplanade in St Kilda with its distinctive lights designed by the architect Walter Burley Griffin.