Paronella Park

José Paronella arrived from Catalonia in 1913, made money cutting and selling cane farms, and from 1929 built a pleasure park beside Mena Creek Falls: a castle, a ballroom, a grand staircase, tennis courts, a tunnel of love and terraced gardens planted with thousands of trees, all in reinforced concrete he mixed himself. He installed a hydroelectric plant in 1933, the first in North Queensland, to light it. Fire, floods and cyclones wrecked the buildings over decades, and what stands now is a set of moss-covered ruins in the rainforest he planted, restored enough to walk safely. The hydro plant was rebuilt and again powers the site.

History

José Pedro Enrique Paronella, born on 26 February 1887 in La Vall de Santa Creu in Catalonia, came to Australia in 1913, made money buying and selling farms, and by 1929 had bought land with a waterfall, where until 1935 he built a pleasure park inspired by the castles of Catalonia: a house, a pavilion that served as cinema and ballroom, a grand staircase down to the lagoon, an outdoor dining area, tennis courts and walks beneath trees he planted (Wikipedia, Paronella Park).

What you'll find

• The concrete ruins - castle, staircase and ballroom shells reclaimed by forest.
• Mena Creek Falls - the waterfall the park was built around.
• The hydro plant - the rebuilt 1930s generator powering the site.
• The planted forest - the avenue of kauri pines and gardens Paronella laid out.

When to go

May to October for the dry season; summer is hot, wet and the creek can flood. Tours run through the day and a night tour with lighting operates in the evening. Entry tickets remain valid for two years, which suits repeat visitors.

Things to know

The buildings are ruins, not restored structures, and some visitors expect more than concrete shells. The site is compact and takes a couple of hours. Guided tours run to a timetable, and the night tour costs extra.

Nearby

Innisfail lies northeast; Mission Beach and the Atherton Tablelands are close.

Key facts