Paronella park was an attraction which piqued our interest a while ago. Reports from people who had previously visited were varied with the most common description being “interesting?” Well interested we were and having based ourselves for a few days in a campsite in Innisfail it was only a short drive.
As we travelled the 30 minutes or so inland we headed up into the hills and some quite stunning scenery. There were rolling hills with sugar cane and bananas growing everywhere and then dotted around were copses of trees. It was lusciously green probably due to the amount of rainfall it gets…some of the highest in Australia and yes it was raining.
Griff wasn’t allowed into the park but the enthusiastic staff promised to look after him and stationed him next to them at the meet and greet desk and we set off to explore. There was an app with a self guided tour which meant that we could explore the park at our own pace.
Paronella Park was built in the 1930s by Jose Paronella. Originally from Spain he immigrated to Australia and decided to create an amazing garden park. At its peak it must have been quite fantastic and indeed Charlie (Sarah’s dad) remembers his parents going to dances there. The place unfortunately fell into ruin after Jose died and then a succession of floods and then eventually a fire. The latest owners have focused on restoring the gardens and it really is a fantastic place to walk around. It’s almost unbelievable that the estate is the result of one man’s vision!
As we walked around the park we were enchanted with some of the views and we both have to say that it was a great place to come and see. T
The gardens around the ballroom 
All that remains of the once great ball room 
Me above where the hydro electric station was housed 
Some shots of the paths we spent the day wandering around. Every so often there would be a derelict building or a set of staircases but the planning and fore site as to where and what was planted was evident at every turn.
