Lower Refreshment Rooms, Paronella Park

We might call this the main introductory photo for the shots at Paronella Park. I have switched off comments on some of these and tomorrow's shots also. I greatly appreciate your comments but with ten shots of the same location, it's easier if I just keep open the core ones for comments. Before going into my story and the story of this fascinating place, just a brief note on this shot. If you zoom in to the entrance to the rooms, right in the middle, you can just see Mena Creek Falls in the background. There will be a shot of these stunning falls tomorrow.

All of the original buildings are under conservation mostly, that is to prevent further deterioration. Some restoration such as the window frames here has been done. Otherwise all the original buildings are not accessible, nor used and you may call them near ruins.

Everything in this Park is placed with design to maximise the experience for those that came when it first opened. Now, apologies for the rather long information on this one. I hope you find some of it interesting. Some of you may have fine memories of the place, and some may even add it to your post COVID bucket list.

Paronella Park - my bit!

When I was a kid in primary school. one of my close maternal aunties was quite a gad about and used to love taking her annual holidays somewhere which in those days to a young lad seemed highly exotic. She was a very social person and so loved going on long bus trips. I remember postcards from Melbourne and the Dog on the Tucker Box at Gundagai. She also went to north Queensland. I remember being fascinated by stories and the usual flip out postcard of a place called Paronella Park. Wow! I have no doubt whatsoever that she endowed me with a fascination for geography (and the like) which had already been lit in early school years and which grew and flames unabated to this day.

Well, back to this Paronella Park place which happens to be at Mena Creek, on a backroad south west of Innisfail. I found out early in our marriage that much to my chagrin, my wife had been there (as a child) even though I hadn't. But I compounded that frustration by ensuring, for some reason that we would miss it on every one of our subsequent trips to the north. Why? I have no idea because my Aunt's visit all those years before had lit a desire to see it. Not as if it was that far off the beaten track either.

Well, 2021 was to be it. This time or never. Owing to COVID lockdowns and entreaties by the Premier not to travel to regional Queensland, our holiday was rescheduled three times. In the end, we just made it before school holidays and the oncoming summer put paid to northern travel. So, we finally got there and it just happened to be my birthday. At last! Thanks Aunty Ed (Edna) for the inspiration, it sure teased me for a long time, over 55 years I would think since you visited.

It is a place like no other, with a story like no other. I hope you enjoy these photos. I have switched off comments on most of them. There is also a link for further reading. And in the end, surprisingly, I was a little disappointed. I don't know why, perhaps it just meant the end of a long saga. Jenny just said "I told you so"!

Here is the Paronella Park story from their brochure.

"Everyone has a dream"
But not everyone's dreams are fulfilled. José Paronella's dream was to build a castle. He chose a special part of Australia and created Paronella Park. On 13 acres beside Mena Creek Falls he built his castle, picnic areas on the lakeside, tennis courts, tunnels and bridges, and wrapped it up in an amazing range of 7000 tropical plants and trees.

José Paronella arrived in nearby Innisfail in 1913, having sailed from Catalonia in northern Spain to plan a splendid life for himself and his fiancée Matilda. Jose worked hard for 11 years, creating his wealth by buying, improving, and selling cane farms. While travelling through the beautiful country-side he discovered a virgin forest alongside spectacular Mena Creek Falls - perfect for his dream.

Upon returning to Spain, José discovered that Matilda had married another! Determined to sail back to Australia with a bride, José proposed to Margarita, Matilda's younger sister. One year later the happy newlyweds were ship bound for Australia and by 1929 had purchased the land of José's dreams. He first built the grand 47-step staircase to shift building materials between the lower and upper level. Here the fun-loving couple had their cottage hand built out of stone, and moved in on Christmas Eve.

Inspired by childhood memories of Catalonian castles, José and his work crew set to work designing an entertainment area. Their fingerprints in the cement foundations remain as testament to their extraordinary effort.

A movie theatre transformed on weekends into a huge ballroom with live bands who entertained while a massive ball of mirrors spun from the ceiling to reflect a dazzle of pink and blue lights.

Surrounding their home and castle, more than 7000 trees were planted including an avenue of Kauris that tower not unlike cathedral spires in a sacred forest.

North Queensland's first hydro electric plant was built in 1933 to power the 5 ha (13 acre) park, and the castle grounds were ready to welcome the public in 1935.

The Paronellas invited everyone to movies on Saturday nights, built tennis courts from crushed termite mounds, and a pavilion with turret-topped balconies, refreshment rooms and changing cubicles for swimmers. Eventually a museum featured a collection of coins, pistols, dolls, timber's, and interesting keepsakes.

Unexpectedly, the tale of Paronella Park took swift and dangerous turns starting in 1946 when a mass of logs from a clearing upstream swept away a railway bridge and descended on the Park, destroying the refreshment rooms. Undaunted, the Paronellas replanted gardens, repaired what they could, and re-opened for business 6 months later.

José passed away in 1948, leaving Margarita, daughter Teresa, and son Joe. Teresa married Pino Zerlotti and Joe married Val Ribes. In 1967, Margarita passed away leaving Joe and Val as custodians of José's dream. After Joe's death in 1972, Val and their 2 sons Joe and Kerry, continued until the Park was sold in 1977. In 1979 a fire swept through the Castle, leaving only the walls and the turret as a reminder of what had been.

In 1986 Cyclone Winifred tested the Park's endurance once again.

In 1993 Mark and Judy Evans, the Park's current owners, rediscovered the almost lost park and envisaged reviving Jose's dream with his appreciation for beauty and warm hospitality.

With the help of the Paronella family, Jose's story was written ("The Spanish Dreamer" by Dena Leighton, available in the Park gift shop). Paths were uncovered, buildings repaired, trees identified, and a museum created in the original home built by Jose for his family. Cyclone Larry and Yasi, in 2006 and 2011 added another chapter of endurance to the story, and the dreams continued once again.

2009 saw the refurbishment of the original hydro turbine, which provides power to the entire Park.

If you go to Paronella Park, there are a number of guided tours to be had plus you can roam the park afterwards. There is a museum and excellent facilities and an associated caravan park next door. The Park is eco-certified and heritage listed. Efforts today focus on maintaining the property while staying true to its historic and eco values. A number of ongoing restoration and preservation projects will see the Paronella Park story live on for many years to come.

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paronella_Park

Taken on: September 4, 2021

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heritage listed

Paronella Park, Mena Creek, Queensland

Paronella Park

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