![]() ![]() It’s as if the ghostly guests of Paronella Park’s past are still just around the corner. ![]() It’s almost too easy to imagine plates and picnic baskets laid out on top and if I squint at the falls beyond I can half-see a rowing boat filled with excited guests. Now the sloping pathways lead past thundering falls and toward a steep flight of narrow stairs, their bannisters covered with ivy and twisting vines.Īt their base are heavy stone tables, some of them cracked and most covered with layers of spongy moss. Jump forward almost a hundred years though, and today’s lost world of Paronella looks quite different to Jose’s initial dream. A lost taste of Europe in the Australian rainforest The resulting structures which sprang up were not just his dream castle, but also botanical gardens and tennis courts, a cafe and a grand staircase, and even a ballroom which doubled up as a theatre and cinema. Thanks to countless stories his grandmother told him about Spanish history, Jose had decided to build a replica of Spain in Queensland: his own recreation of a Spanish castle for other people to enjoy.ĭespite having little experience in construction, Jose Paronella bought five hectares of virgin land at Mena Creek Falls – much of it covered in a tangle of trees and vines – and began to build. Now Jose was planning to recreate a dream he’d had since childhood. Back in his Spanish homeland Jose had originally trained as a pastry chef, but during three years spent working in Australia he’d become a wealthy man. It was his second visit to the continent, and he’d decided to start a new life in Queensland along with his new bride, Margarita. In 1925, a young Spaniard named Jose Paronella arrived in Australia. Paronella Park: history spanning a century We’ve found the centrepiece of Paronella Park – the ruins of a castle built almost a hundred years ago, which have lain abandoned for half that time.īut now the castle is coming back to life. The sounds of the outside world fade away: car engines and human chatter replaced by bird calls and the breeze moving through the leaves.Īt the edge of a clearing is a giant waterfall cascading over soft rock and splashing to a lake below. We keep on going down a small dirt track, letting the tree branches knit themselves closer and closer together as we step deeper inside the forest. We pull into a tarmac car park beside the highway where white cars shimmer in the heat and walk beneath a row of metal letters, their edges slightly crumbling with rust. Our starting point is an unexpected location, though. It’s probably the closest thing to a real-life fairytale I’ve ever encountered, and it takes place in the middle of the rainforest in Far North Queensland, Australia. ![]() I want to tell you a story about Paronella Park. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |