We actually didn't plan to come here, but it turned out to be an amazing experience. It made a pleasant change from all the beaches and palm trees. The Mediterranean/South American architecture made a welcomed change from the tin roofed houses on stilts (Queenslander houses).
The Paronella Park story began back in 1913 when a man called Jose Paronella had a dream of building a castle in a virgin forest alongside Mena Creek, and by 1935 his dream had been realised. A magnificent castle with grand staircase, lakeside tunnels and bridges, picnic areas and magnificent gardens, opened to the public. On Saturday nights Jose and his wife invited everyone to the movies. They even built a "Lover's Lane"!
Lovers LaneOver the years the property has seen tragedies, fire and cyclones, but today the castle is once again open to the public. We did a day tour and an evening tour where we saw fire flies, frogs, eels, turtles and shitloads of insects!
You can see the plaques on the staircase that shows the flood level from each of the devastating cyclones.
This is the reason Jose chose the location for his dream!
The night tour
Lunchtime at the zoo!
1 comments:
Hey Amie, good to see you guys having an amazing time by the looks of it. Nice photos, enjoy every moment.
Noel
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