Paronella Park - The story of a spanish dream built on 130 acres at Mena Creek Falls by Jose Paronella. Jose arrived in nearby Innisfail in 1913 having sailed from Catalonia in northern Spain
to plan a splendid life for himself & fiancee Matilda. He worked hard for 11 years creating his wealth by buying, improving and selling cane farms. He returned to Spain only to discover that Matilda had married another! Determined to sail back to Australia with a bride Jose proposed to Margarita, Matilda's younger sister. One year later the couple were shipbound for Australia & in 1929 Jose had purchased the land of his dreams and commenced building a castle for his bride inspired by his childhood memories of the Catalonian castles. The first picture is the original residence all built by hand which is the entrance to the castle. A Movie theatre which transformed on weekends into a hugh ballroom with live bands who entained the locals while a massive ball of mirrors spun from the ceiling to reflect a dazzle of pink & blue lights (a disco ball!)
The 2nd picture is of the 47 step staircase built to shift building materials between the upper & lower levels. All the concrete was made on site and construction was done by Jose and a few locals. On Saturday nights the Paronella family invited everyone to the movies. 3rd picture shows the tennis courts they built from crushed termite mounds, a pavilion with turret-topped balconies where the jazz band played on Sundays, refreshment rooms & changing cubicles for swimmers. More than 7000 trees were planted & in 1933 Nth Queenslands first hydro-electric plant was built to power the 5 ha (13 acre) park and the castle grownds were ready to welcome the public in 1935, six years after Jose purchased the land.
In 1946 a mass of logs from a clearing upstream swept away a railway bridge and descended on the park destroying the refreshment rooms. Undaunted the family repaired what they could, replanted the gardens and re-opened for business 6 months later. Sadly Jose passed away in 1948 leaving Margarita & his two children to continue his dream in the park. In 1967 Margarita also passed away. The park was sold by the children in 1977 and in 1979 a fire swept throught 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 the Park's current owners rediscovered the almost lost and overgrown park and are rebuilding & focusing on maintaining the property staying true to its hisotric and eco values. Jose's dream lives on.
to plan a splendid life for himself & fiancee Matilda. He worked hard for 11 years creating his wealth by buying, improving and selling cane farms. He returned to Spain only to discover that Matilda had married another! Determined to sail back to Australia with a bride Jose proposed to Margarita, Matilda's younger sister. One year later the couple were shipbound for Australia & in 1929 Jose had purchased the land of his dreams and commenced building a castle for his bride inspired by his childhood memories of the Catalonian castles. The first picture is the original residence all built by hand which is the entrance to the castle. A Movie theatre which transformed on weekends into a hugh ballroom with live bands who entained the locals while a massive ball of mirrors spun from the ceiling to reflect a dazzle of pink & blue lights (a disco ball!)
The 2nd picture is of the 47 step staircase built to shift building materials between the upper & lower levels. All the concrete was made on site and construction was done by Jose and a few locals. On Saturday nights the Paronella family invited everyone to the movies. 3rd picture shows the tennis courts they built from crushed termite mounds, a pavilion with turret-topped balconies where the jazz band played on Sundays, refreshment rooms & changing cubicles for swimmers. More than 7000 trees were planted & in 1933 Nth Queenslands first hydro-electric plant was built to power the 5 ha (13 acre) park and the castle grownds were ready to welcome the public in 1935, six years after Jose purchased the land. 
In 1946 a mass of logs from a clearing upstream swept away a railway bridge and descended on the park destroying the refreshment rooms. Undaunted the family repaired what they could, replanted the gardens and re-opened for business 6 months later. Sadly Jose passed away in 1948 leaving Margarita & his two children to continue his dream in the park. In 1967 Margarita also passed away. The park was sold by the children in 1977 and in 1979 a fire swept throught 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 the Park's current owners rediscovered the almost lost and overgrown park and are rebuilding & focusing on maintaining the property staying true to its hisotric and eco values. Jose's dream lives on.
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