After leaving Townsville we spent the night at Cowley Beach Caravan Park, we didn't bother un-hitching the van as we were leaving for Paronella Park
first thing in the morning.
This parks amenities were really really strange!
The doors in the shower blocks resemble a barnyard at the ok corral!
They were really half a door & Mark said when you stand up you could shake hands with the guy next to you!!
They were really half a door & Mark said when you stand up you could shake hands with the guy next to you!!
We called it Cowley Beach Corral!!!
We left there bright & early & drove along the cane cutters way, for about 20kms through winding valleys full of orchards of bananas!
Such a beautiful scenic drive!
Paronella Park has their own caravan park & the site cost for one nights stay is included in your admission fare. When i rang the day before to book,
they had no sites left.
they had no sites left.
They do have an overflow area just out side the park & the lady told us you need to get there early, so as to get a spot & that's what we did!
Once at Paronella we set up the van on this grassy spot under the shade of some sort of tropical tree & went in to the park for a morning tea of fresh baked scones & coffee while we waited to join the next tour guide.
The story of Paronella Park goes like this!
Once upon a time........
A man called Jose' Paronella had a dream of building a castle for himself, his family & their friends to enjoy!
Jose' arrived in nearby Innisfail in 1913 after sailing from Catalonia Spain,
to plan a life for himself & his fianc'ee Matilda.
He worked hard for 11 years making his money, doing up cane farms & then selling them for a profit, in this time he spotted a piece of paradise right next to
Mena Creek Falls
The 45 foot waterfall & creek runs along side of the property Jose' purchased & was the inspiration for him to build his dream on!
Now meanwhile throughout this 11 years, his fianc'ee was left back home in Spain, when Jose' decided to return to get Matilda after all this time, she had already married another!!
Silly man what did he think she was going to wait for him for 11 years without any contact whatsoever!...I don't think so!!
Anyway, determined to return to Australia with a wife & not alone
he married
Matilda's younger sister Margarita instead!!
First thing he built when they arrived back in Aus, was the grand
47 step stair case, which was used at the time to move all the building materials between the lower & upper levels on his property.
He then built their modest little cottage, which they moved into on Christmas eve in the late 1920's..........How Romantic!!!
Next was his dream Castle, which he cement rendered by hand & this was bare hands no gloves on, you can still see his finger prints there today on the walls!
He tried to get most materials on the cheap, he used sleepers & train tracks from nearby rail yards,
which he then cement rendered over for reinforcement!
Mark asked the tour guide how many bags of cement did he go through, she told us that he was counting them but then lost count, she did tell us though, that he imported the cement from Germany as it was cheaper to get it from there than from Melbourne????
All finished & the Castle with it's large entertainment room,
was used on the weekends as
movie theatre, & then transformed by night into a disco with live bands playing, while this massive mirrored disco ball he made, hung from the ceiling reflecting all the lights, which were powered by his own hydro electric plant, this was the first hydro plant built in Queensland!
People back then thought he was mad & he would never complete his dream!
With the castle finished he then went on to build, tennis courts out of crushed up termite mounds, lower refreshment rooms, change cubicles for the swimmers, cement creek crossings & stairways that meander throughout the beautiful forest!Surrounding their home & castle they had planted 7500 trees & he hand made 500 cement planter boxes which sit on top of the many pillar posts & balustrades
around the property.
The castle & grounds were open to the public in 1935!
People flocked to the park in droves!
Margarita could always be found in the kitchen doing all the cooking for the cafe while Jose' would take the ladies up the creek for a leisurely boat ride!
Mmmmmmm...........Some how i feel their romantic tale was not so romantic!!
Paronella Park has seen its fair share of disasters over the years!
The first one was in 1946 when Jose' was down by the river & he noticed the water fall was just a trickle, apparently a mass of logs came piling down stream sweeping away a railway bridge & came crashing down on the park!
They were closed for 6 months while they rebuilt it.
Then there was cyclone Winifred & Larry, floods & a fire
which destroyed the Ball Room!
We could only imagine what it would have been like in its hey-day!
Spectacular i feel!!!!
When we first walked down to the Castle with the tour guide i got goose bumps, I just stood there in Awe & thought omg how romantic was this guy, plus how clever!
A bit like Husband!!........ Ha ha!!
His story is incredible, especially when you think that
this is back in the 1930's!!!!
I reckon though after listening to his story, that his dream was only ever about making money!
That is just my opinion!
It is a definite must see!
It is number 1 on the 150 must do things in Queensland!
The park is National Heritage listed!
Jose' died in 1949 & Margarita in 1967 & their only son died young in his 30's their only daughter Theresa has not long gone.
The park was still in the family until 1993 it then was sold to its
current owners who are restoring, preserving & keeping
Alive One Man's Dream!
http://www.paronellapark.com.au/
A man called Jose' Paronella had a dream of building a castle for himself, his family & their friends to enjoy!
Jose' arrived in nearby Innisfail in 1913 after sailing from Catalonia Spain,
to plan a life for himself & his fianc'ee Matilda.
He worked hard for 11 years making his money, doing up cane farms & then selling them for a profit, in this time he spotted a piece of paradise right next to
Mena Creek Falls
The 45 foot waterfall & creek runs along side of the property Jose' purchased & was the inspiration for him to build his dream on!
Now meanwhile throughout this 11 years, his fianc'ee was left back home in Spain, when Jose' decided to return to get Matilda after all this time, she had already married another!!
Silly man what did he think she was going to wait for him for 11 years without any contact whatsoever!...I don't think so!!
Anyway, determined to return to Australia with a wife & not alone
he married
Matilda's younger sister Margarita instead!!
First thing he built when they arrived back in Aus, was the grand
47 step stair case, which was used at the time to move all the building materials between the lower & upper levels on his property.
He then built their modest little cottage, which they moved into on Christmas eve in the late 1920's..........How Romantic!!!
Next was his dream Castle, which he cement rendered by hand & this was bare hands no gloves on, you can still see his finger prints there today on the walls!
He tried to get most materials on the cheap, he used sleepers & train tracks from nearby rail yards,
which he then cement rendered over for reinforcement!
Mark asked the tour guide how many bags of cement did he go through, she told us that he was counting them but then lost count, she did tell us though, that he imported the cement from Germany as it was cheaper to get it from there than from Melbourne????
All finished & the Castle with it's large entertainment room,
was used on the weekends as
movie theatre, & then transformed by night into a disco with live bands playing, while this massive mirrored disco ball he made, hung from the ceiling reflecting all the lights, which were powered by his own hydro electric plant, this was the first hydro plant built in Queensland!
People back then thought he was mad & he would never complete his dream!
With the castle finished he then went on to build, tennis courts out of crushed up termite mounds, lower refreshment rooms, change cubicles for the swimmers, cement creek crossings & stairways that meander throughout the beautiful forest!Surrounding their home & castle they had planted 7500 trees & he hand made 500 cement planter boxes which sit on top of the many pillar posts & balustrades
around the property.
The castle & grounds were open to the public in 1935!
People flocked to the park in droves!
Margarita could always be found in the kitchen doing all the cooking for the cafe while Jose' would take the ladies up the creek for a leisurely boat ride!
Mmmmmmm...........Some how i feel their romantic tale was not so romantic!!
Paronella Park has seen its fair share of disasters over the years!
The first one was in 1946 when Jose' was down by the river & he noticed the water fall was just a trickle, apparently a mass of logs came piling down stream sweeping away a railway bridge & came crashing down on the park!
They were closed for 6 months while they rebuilt it.
Then there was cyclone Winifred & Larry, floods & a fire
which destroyed the Ball Room!
We could only imagine what it would have been like in its hey-day!
Spectacular i feel!!!!
When we first walked down to the Castle with the tour guide i got goose bumps, I just stood there in Awe & thought omg how romantic was this guy, plus how clever!
A bit like Husband!!........ Ha ha!!
His story is incredible, especially when you think that
this is back in the 1930's!!!!
I reckon though after listening to his story, that his dream was only ever about making money!
That is just my opinion!
It is a definite must see!
It is number 1 on the 150 must do things in Queensland!
The park is National Heritage listed!
Jose' died in 1949 & Margarita in 1967 & their only son died young in his 30's their only daughter Theresa has not long gone.
The park was still in the family until 1993 it then was sold to its
current owners who are restoring, preserving & keeping
Alive One Man's Dream!
http://www.paronellapark.com.au/
This place is gorgeous - It looks like your in some exotic forest overseas or even a scene from Pirates of the Caribbean, not something id expect to see here in our own back yard!
ReplyDeleteWe toured Paronella Park 12 years ago & thought it was amazing! Wanted to stay this year, but the two times we were within cooee it was raining heavily!!! Your pix make it look great - will try again next year!
ReplyDelete