gdtourism.Com: Paronella Park: The Dream Continues

Thứ Ba, 9 tháng 8, 2011

Paronella Park: The Dream Continues

ROAD TRIP DIARIES 23

“Once upon a time, in a land far, far away stood a Spanish Castillo nestled amongst the enchanted forest. The Castle was grand, simply the grandest Castle in all the land. Visitors came from far and wide, travelling the countryside in horse drawn carts to experience the opulence of the Spanish Castle and surrounding forest. Merry was made; guests drank and ate, danced and swam, even fell in love in the enchanted gardens, the Tunnel of Love and magnificent Castle. This was Paronella Park”

Many years have passed and the once magnificent castle is now a treasured ruin in the midst of lush tropical rainforest. After several days of adventures on the road, the two intrepid travellers from the far East found themselves at the gateway of this Spanish Castillo.

Beset by curiosity, they wandered around the garden pondering on what to do next. They needed a place to spend the night and it meant they would have to continue on with their journey before darkness fell.

Fortunately, the amiable guardian of the castle had been observing the weary travellers and had noticed the bewildered look on their face. He offered them both the chance to be transported back in another place and time and a respite for the night with a sizeable discount that they could not refuse.

The guardian of the castle turned out to be the present owner of the park and together with his other half, they had restored the unique ruins of the castle and other structures of yesteryear with the legacy of continuing the dream that Jose Paronella started.

The Dream Continues Tour

Bemused by the good fortune that landed at their feet, the two travellers graciously accepted the offer and earnestly enlisted themselves with the next batch of visitors on the guided tour. They learned about the humble beginnings of Jose Paronella and the remarkable story of how his dream to build this castle came true.

Jose Paronella single-handedly built the Spanish Castle from stone and designed his own pleasure garden with the intention of sharing it with the public by showing movies and throwing in lavish parties for the guests. Amazingly he also single-handedly built the first hydro-electric power scheme in Australia using the water pressure from Mena Creek waterfall. Paronella Park was one of the first eco-friendly tourist attractions in Australia and was listed under National Trust.

The Spanish Castle Ruin

Mena Creek Waterfall

Self-Guided Botanical Walk

After a bit of rest in between the tour, the two travellers decided to explore the nature park on their own. They went back to the ruins and walked through a series of winding paths and bridges. Armed with a complimentary map, they wound through the dense tropical foliage, hand fed the turtles near the bamboo forest and and marvelled at the exotic gardens at Lover’s Lane.

They were impressed by the ingenuity and dedication of Jose Paronella and how he had managed to create secretive vistas around the park leading to Mena Creek waterfall.

Darkness Falls Tour

As darkness descended on Paronella Park, the ruins gleamed with soft light and the park transformed into a magical place from another time. Together with the other guests, the two travellers eagerly waited for their usher to reveal the secrets and the nocturnal dwellers of the park.

The usher led them into a long cavernous tunnel that led onto the cascading waters of Teresa Falls, named after Jose Paronella’s beloved daughter. Armed with torches they trudged into the mysterious Tunnel of Love and were taken aback by the colonies of micro-bats nesting on its roof. It was a delightful experience for most but a tad creepy for some.

Colonies of micro-bats at the Tunnel of Love

Mena Creek Falls at night

After the usher bid his farewell and the last of the visitors had left, the two travellers lingered more by the falls and strolled through the moonlit pleasure garden. They found it to be even more mysterious and quite eerie. But as a chilling silence enveloped the surroundings with occasional calls of the nocturnal natives in between, the girl, who was rather superstitious suggested they head back to their quarters.

They continued on with their adventures on the road the next day with fresh memories of someone else’s romantic dream that had come true.

And ummh, they are still living happily ever after….The End. icon smile Paronella Park: The Dream Continues review

(This is part of our 6-week North Queensland Road Trip Series, which took place July- August 2010)

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