Paronella Park
{{Short description|Park in Mena Creek, Queensland, Australia}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2015}}
{{Use Australian English|date=January 2015}}
{{More citations needed|date=March 2012}}
{{Infobox park
| name = Paronella Park
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|Image = Paronella Park Refreshment Rooms.jpg
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| photo_caption = Paronella Park Refreshment Rooms, 2016
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| coords = {{coord|17|39|09|S|145|57|23|E|type:landmark_region:AU|}}
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| location = Mena Creek, Queensland, Australia
| nearest_city = Innisfail, Queensland
| area = {{convert|13|acre}}
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| established = {{start date|1929||}}
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| opened = {{start date|1935||}}
| free_label = Opened
| free_data = {{start date|1935||}}
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| founder = José Paronella
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| owner = Mark and Judy Evans
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| open = All year except Christmas Day
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| plants = 7,500+
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| website = {{URL|www.paronellapark.com.au}}
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Paronella Park is a heritage-listed tourist attraction located at Mena Creek, Queensland, Australia, {{convert|120|km}} south of Cairns. It was designed and built between 1929 and 1935.
History
Paronella Park was built in the 1930s by José Paronella (ca.1888 – 23 August 1948), a Spanish immigrant.{{cite QHR|16753|Paronella Park, Mena Creek Falls and Mena Creek Environmental Park|602017|accessdate=7 July 2013}} Paronella arrived in nearby Innisfail, Queensland, Australia, in 1913, having sailed from his homeland, Catalonia, in northern Spain to plan a life for himself and his fiancée Matilda.
{{Cite news| last1=Al Khawaldeh| first1=Khaled| date=6 May 2023| title=Castle in the cane fields: exploring Queensland’s most unusual tourist destination| url=https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/may/06/jose-paronella-park-castle-story-sugar-cane-history-hidden-qld-queensland-australian-rainforest| url-status=live| accessdate=2024-12-22| work=The Guardian| archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20230505164252/https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/may/06/jose-paronella-park-castle-story-sugar-cane-history-hidden-qld-queensland-australian-rainforest| archivedate=2023-05-05| quote=The castle had also originally been designed with Matilda in mind.}} He applied for Commonwealth naturalization in 1921, identifying his place of origin as La Vall in the province of Girona.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article40121081 |title=Advertising. |newspaper=Cairns Post (Qld. : 1909 - 1954) |location=Qld. |date=8 March 1921 |accessdate=9 June 2014 |page=1 |publisher=National Library of Australia}} His full name was José Pedro Enrique Paronella, and he was born on 26 February 1887, in La Vall de Santa Creu, a hamlet in the province of Girona, north-eastern Catalonia.{{cite news |url=http://www.catalanfootprintinaustralia.net/scr/art/?id=41 |title=The portrait: José Paronella. A man with a dream |accessdate=17 August 2015 |archive-date=4 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304050701/http://www.catalanfootprintinaustralia.net/scr/art/?id=41 |url-status=live }} Paronella worked hard for 11 years, creating his wealth by buying, improving, and selling cane farms. While travelling through the beautiful countryside he discovered a virgin forest alongside spectacular Mena Creek Falls – the perfect location for his dream.
Upon returning to Spain, Paronella discovered that Matilda had married another man. Determined to sail back with a bride, José proposed to Margarita, Matilda's younger sister. One year later, the 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 couple had their cottage hand built of stone, and moved in on Christmas Eve.
Inspired by childhood memories of Catalan castles, Paronella and his workers 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. More than 7000 trees were planted around the Paronellas' home and castle, including an avenue of kauris that tower now like cathedral spires in a sacred forest. The kauris at Paronella Park are part one of only two known distributions of this particular variety in Australia, the Agathis robusta.
North Queensland's first hydro electric plant was built in 1933 to power the {{convert|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, timbers and interesting keepsakes.
File:Queensland State Archives 1336 The Kiosk Paronella Park Innisfail c 1935.png
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.{{Cite journal| date=Spring 2020| last1=Balanzategui| first1=Bianka Vidonja| title=The Day the Falls Stopped Flowing: Devastation and Resilience in Tropical Queensland| journal=Arcadia| volume=3| publisher=Environment & Society Portal, Rachel Carson Center for Environment and Society| url=https://www.environmentandsociety.org/arcadia/day-falls-stopped-flowing-devastation-and-resilience-tropical-queensland| url-status=live| archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200202161147/https://www.environmentandsociety.org/arcadia/day-falls-stopped-flowing-devastation-and-resilience-tropical-queensland| doi=10.5282/rcc/9001| archivedate=2020-02-02| accessdate=2024-12-23| issn=2199-3408}} Undaunted, the Paronellas replanted gardens, repaired what they could, and re-opened for business 6 months later.{{cite web|title=History of Paronella Park|url=http://www.paronellapark.com.au/about/brief-history|publisher=Paronella Park|accessdate=13 December 2013|archive-date=14 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131214123421/http://www.paronellapark.com.au/about/brief-history|url-status=dead}}
Paronella died in 1948, leaving Margarita, daughter Teresa, and son Joe. Teresa married Pino Zerlotti and Joe married Val Ribes. In 1967 Margarita died leaving Joe and Val as custodians of José's dream. After Joe's death in 1972, Val and their two 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.
The park changed owners several times until, in 1993, it was bought by the present owners. Mark and Judy Evans,
{{Cite news| last1=Nichols| first1=Sam| last2=Bullock| first2=Chris| date=3 March 2024 | title=The castle in the trees| url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-03-03/paronella-park-success-heritage-listed-history/103407866| url-status=live| accessdate=2024-12-22| work=Sunday News, ABC| publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC)| archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20240302232054/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-03-03/paronella-park-success-heritage-listed-history/103407866| archivedate=2024-03-02}} the park's current owners, rediscovered the almost lost park and envisaged reviving Paronella's dream with his appreciation for beauty and warm hospitality.
Paths were uncovered, buildings repaired, trees identified, and a museum created in the original home built by Paronella for his family. Cyclone Larry in 2006 added another chapter of endurance to the story, and the dream continued once again.
Paronella Park is eco-certified and heritage listed. Efforts today focus on maintaining the property while staying true to its historic and ecological values. A number of ongoing restoration and preservation projects will see the Paronella Park story live on for many years to come.
Hydroelectric plant
Determined to make the park self-sufficient, José installed Queensland’s first private hydroelectric system in 1934. Inspired by hydroelectricity in Europe, he recognised the potential of Mena Creek Falls. With no formal training, he sought guidance from South Johnstone Mill engineers, who, impressed by his determination, helped him develop the system. Water flowed through an aqueduct onto a 30-foot drop, powering a turbine and DC generator from ex-army stock. The system supplied lighting, pumps, refrigeration, and cinema power. {{State Library of Queensland CC BY|url=https://www.slq.qld.gov.au/blog/paronella-park-story-behind-queenslands-spanish-castle|title=Paronella Park: the story behind Queensland’s Spanish Castle|date=17 February 2025|authors=Troy Keith|access-date=18 February 2025}}
The hydroelectric plant was damaged by flooding in 1946 and wasn't restored until 2009. The park now runs entirely on hydroelectric power, with excess electricity fed back into the local grid or used to power electric vehicles.{{Cite web |url=http://www.paronellapark.com.au/hydrows/ |title=Paronella Park: The Hydro Project |access-date=31 May 2010 |archive-date=24 April 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100424021433/http://www.paronellapark.com.au/hydrows/ |url-status=dead }}[http://www.paronellapark.com.au/newshydro.html News - park now running off hydro electricity] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706111144/http://www.paronellapark.com.au/newshydro.html |date=6 July 2011 }}
Activities
Today, visitors are taken on a range of guided tours. Paronella's story is told and the highlights of the park shown through the day and into the night.
The Dream Continues tour – a 45-minute guided walk, departing every half-hour from 9:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., highlighting features of the park and telling the story of José Paronella's ideas for the site.
The Darkness Falls tour – a one-hour night tour of the site at 6:20 p.m., with an additional tour at 8:30 p.m. during peak season.
Self-guided Botanical Walk – a self-guided tour, with the aid of a 16-page booklet containing details of the park's flora, with various tree species identified throughout the park.
Awards and recognitions
In 2004, Paronella Park was named Queensland's premier significant attraction by the Queensland Tourism.{{cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2004-11-27/tourism-awards-reflect-queenslands-diversity-mp/593246|title=Tourism awards reflect Queensland's diversity: MP|last=|first=|date=27 November 2004|website=|publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation|accessdate=12 June 2017|archive-date=12 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170612102343/http://www.abc.net.au/news/2004-11-27/tourism-awards-reflect-queenslands-diversity-mp/593246|url-status=live}} It was also a joint winner in the "Emerging Business" category of the Reconciliation Awards for Business (2004), awarded by the Queensland Government.{{cite web
| url = http://www.reconciliation.qld.gov.au/awards/2004winners.html
| title = Reconciliation Awards for Business: 2004 winners
| publisher = The State of Queensland (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships)
| accessdate=12 September 2007
|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20070829092104/http://www.reconciliation.qld.gov.au/awards/2004winners.html |archivedate=29 August 2007}}
Paronella Park, in the middle of the Canecutter Way, was voted the Number One "Must Do" in the RACQ 150 Must Do competition in 2009.{{cite web |url=http://www.150mustdos.com.au/ |title=Q150 | Queensland 150 Must Dos |website=www.150mustdos.com.au |access-date=12 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120426211919/http://www.150mustdos.com.au/ |archive-date=26 April 2012 |url-status=dead}} In 2009 as part of the Q150 celebrations, Paronella Park was announced as one of the Q150 Icons of Queensland for its role as a "location".{{Cite web|url=http://statements.qld.gov.au/statement/id/64301|title=Premier Unveils Queensland's 150 Icons |last=Bligh|first=Anna|authorlink=Anna Bligh|date=10 June 2009|website=|publisher=Queensland Government|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170524033717/http://statements.qld.gov.au/statement/id/64301|archive-date=24 May 2017|access-date=24 May 2017}}
In 2024, having received over 80 industry awards, the Evans' of Paronella Park were inducted as TTNQ Life Members.
{{Cite web
| date=27 October 2024| title=Tourism Tropical North Queensland recognises excellence at 2024 awards| website=Australasian Leisure Management| url=https://www.ausleisure.com.au/news/tourism-tropical-north-queensland-recognises-excellence-at-2024-awards| url-status=live| accessdate=2024-12-22| archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20241222002550/https://www.ausleisure.com.au/news/tourism-tropicalnorth-queensland-recognises-excellence-at-2024-awards/| archivedate=2024-12-22}}
In popular entertainment
The park was a filming location for the 1993 film Sniper.{{citation|title=Sniper|language=en|work=AFI Catalog|publisher=American Film Institute|access-date=2024-01-23|url=https://catalog.afi.com/Film/59665-SNIPER|archive-date=23 January 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240123034752/https://catalog.afi.com/Film/59665-SNIPER|url-status=live}} The refreshment rooms feature as the ruined Hotel Europa in the Panamanian jungle.
On 24 July 2010, a theatrical production, The Impossible Dream, based on the story of José and Margarita, was launched at the Shangri-La Hotel, The Marina, Cairns.
Much of the action in the 2018 film Celeste takes place in public areas of Paronella Park.
Bibliography
{{cite book|title=The Spanish Dreamer: a biography of José Paronella |author=Dena Leighton |url=https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/catalog/1479897 |year=1997 |publisher=Rosemont Press, Wollongong NSW |isbn=0646307983}} was written with help from the Paronella family, and is available as a souvenir from the Paronella Park gift shop.
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{commons category|Paronella Park}}
- {{Official website|www.paronellapark.com.au}}
- [https://www.slq.qld.gov.au/blog/paronella-park-story-behind-queenslands-spanish-castle Paronella Park: the story behind Queensland’s Spanish Castle]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20100703051045/http://www.theimpossibledream.com.au/ The Impossible Dream Official website]
- [http://www.freesound.org/browse/tags/paronella-park/ Sounds recorded at Paronella Park]
{{Australian Theme Parks}}
{{coord|17|39|09|S|145|57|23|E|type:landmark_region:AU|display=title}}
Category:Amusement parks in Queensland
Category:Buildings and structures in Far North Queensland
Category:Queensland Heritage Register
Category:1930 establishments in Australia
Category:Tourist attractions in Far North Queensland
Category:Cassowary Coast Region