A 90 minute drive from Cairns we reach the turnoff to Paronella Park. It’s off the beaten track but driving through lush tropical bush and sugar cane fields along the back roads makes a change. We turn into the car park where an attendant, resplendent in Aussie slouch hat, directs us to a shady spot.
Above us the ramparts of a castle stand out against the clear blue sky. We step back in time a little for a guided walk through the castle to learn more about it’s origins.
The concrete buildings were made by Jose Paronella, a Spaniard who came to Australia to make his fortune in 1911. He began as a cane cutter, then bought and sold cane farms until he could afford his dream, a piece of freehold land. He returned to Spain to marry, then brought his wife Margarita to Australia and began building the castle.
The walls carry their hand prints in the textured plaster they laid over concrete. Eventually the castle, its grand stairway, a ballroom and gardens were opened. Local people visited to watch movies, attend dances or just wander through the 7000 trees Jose planted.
At a waterfall a suspension bridge sits above a small hydroelectric power station, now defunct, that Jose also built. Power was supplied to the park for many years. Jose’s labours weren’t without trials and in 1946 the wet season proved a disaster when a flood struck the park, extensively damaging it.
The park was rebuilt but further floods continued to make life difficult. Once Jose passed away his family continued his work until the park was sold in 1977. Two years later fire swept through the ballroom and two further floods added to its demise, closing it down for many years.
Today the park is being refurbished by new owners. The park gained a National Park listing in 1997 and five Tourism Awards in 1998.
As we wander through the park we can’t help thinking that it seemed too great a task for just one man.
