Jump to content

Paronella Park

Coordinates: 17°39′09″S 145°57′23″E / 17.65250°S 145.95639°E / -17.65250; 145.95639
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Paronella Park
Paronella Park Refreshment Rooms, 2016
Map
Interactive map of Paronella Park
LocationMena Creek, Queensland, Australia
Nearest cityInnisfail, Queensland
Coordinates17°39′09″S 145°57′23″E / 17.65250°S 145.95639°E / -17.65250; 145.95639
Area13 acres (5.3 ha)
Established1929 (1929)
FounderJosé Paronella
Owned byMark and Judy Evans
OpenAll year except Christmas Day
Plants7,500+
Opened1935 (1935)
Websitewww.paronellapark.com.au

Paronella Park is located at Mena Creek, Queensland, Australia, 120 kilometres (75 mi) south of Cairns. Designed from the first as an entertainment attraction in a park-like setting, it was modeled on Spanish and European architecture and featured outdoor spaces for activities like swimming, playing tennis, strolling and picnicking. It fell derelict for a few decades but has been refurbished into a heritage-listed tourist attraction.[1]

History

[edit]

It was designed and built between 1929 and 1935 by Spanish immigrant José Pedro Enrique Paronella.[1] He had been born on 26 February 1887 in the hamlet of La Vall de Santa Creu in the province of Girona, north-eastern Catalonia.[2] Paronella left Spain for Australia, in 1913.[3] He applied for Commonwealth naturalization in 1921.[4] For eleven years he bought land, developed it into farms, then sold it for handsome profit. He also bought and operated a mine and lent money at interest. In 1924 he returned to Spain to marry and after an extended honeymoon, the couple returned to Australia. Paronella wanted to build a tourist attraction modeled on the castles of his native Catalonia. By 1929 he had purchased the land, which included a waterfall. He built a small stone house for his family, then proceeded to build, at the same level as the waterfall, a pavilion that doubled as both a movie theater and ballroom. He built a grand outdoor staircase leading down to the level of the lagoon below the waterfall. Beside the lagoon he built an outdoor dining area with stone tables, benches and a balustrade. Near these, at the foot of the staircase, he located refreshment and changing rooms. A fountain was built nearby. He built tennis courts and woodsy walkways beneath trees he planted.[5] Determined to make the park self-sufficient, José installed Queensland’s first private hydroelectric system in 1934. Inspired by hydroelectricity in Europe, he recognised the potential of Mena Creek Falls. With no formal training, he sought guidance from South Johnstone Mill engineers, who, impressed by his determination, helped him develop the system. Water flowed through an aqueduct onto a 30-foot drop, powering a turbine and DC generator from ex-army stock. The system supplied lighting, pumps, refrigeration, and cinema power.[6] The park opened in 1933. It received its first cyclone damage in 1946 when logs washed down the waterfall into the refreshment rooms.[7] The park was repaired, replanted and re-opened 6 months later.[8] The park passed out of the family's ownership in 1977. Two years the cinema/ballroom was gutted by fire, leaving only a shell.

The park was bought in 1993 and its refurbishment began.[9][10][11] Today, Paronella Park is eco-certified and heritage listed.[1][12]

Awards and recognitions

[edit]

2004 - Queensland's premier significant attraction[13]

2004 - joint winner, "Emerging Business"[14]

2009 - Number One "Must Do"[15]

2009 - one of the Q150 Icons[16]

[edit]

The park was a filming location for the 1993 film Sniper.[17] The refreshment rooms feature as the ruined Hotel Europa in the Panamanian jungle.

On 24 July 2010, a theatrical production, The Impossible Dream, based on the story of José and Margarita, was launched at the Shangri-La Hotel, The Marina, Cairns.[18]

Much of the action in the 2018 film Celeste takes place in public areas of Paronella Park.[19]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c "Paronella Park, Mena Creek Falls and Mena Creek Environmental Park (entry 602017)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 7 July 2013.
  2. ^ "The portrait: José Paronella. A man with a dream". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
  3. ^ Al Khawaldeh, Khaled (6 May 2023). "Castle in the cane fields: exploring Queensland's most unusual tourist destination". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 5 May 2023. Retrieved 22 December 2024. The castle had also originally been designed with Matilda in mind.
  4. ^ "Advertising". Cairns Post (Qld. : 1909 - 1954). Qld.: National Library of Australia. 8 March 1921. p. 1. Retrieved 9 June 2014.
  5. ^ "Jose's Dream". Gardening Australia. Series 24. Episode 25. Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). 31 August 2013. Archived from the original on 23 December 2024. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
  6. ^ CC-BY license icon This Wikipedia article incorporates text from Paronella Park: the story behind Queensland’s Spanish Castle (17 February 2025) by Troy Keith published by the State Library of Queensland under CC BY licence, accessed on 18 February 2025.
  7. ^ Balanzategui, Bianka Vidonja (Spring 2020). "The Day the Falls Stopped Flowing: Devastation and Resilience in Tropical Queensland". Arcadia. 3. Environment & Society Portal, Rachel Carson Center for Environment and Society. doi:10.5282/rcc/9001. ISSN 2199-3408. Archived from the original on 2 February 2020. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
  8. ^ "History of Paronella Park". Paronella Park. Archived from the original on 14 December 2013. Retrieved 13 December 2013.
  9. ^ Nichols, Sam; Bullock, Chris (3 March 2024). "The castle in the trees". Sunday News, ABC. Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). Archived from the original on 2 March 2024. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  10. ^ "Paronella Park: The Hydro Project". Archived from the original on 24 April 2010. Retrieved 31 May 2010.
  11. ^ News - park now running off hydro electricity Archived 6 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  12. ^ Australia, Ecotourism (28 August 2024). "Paronella Park | Ecotourism Australia". ecotourism.org.au. Retrieved 2 September 2025.
  13. ^ "Tourism awards reflect Queensland's diversity: MP". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 27 November 2004. Archived from the original on 12 June 2017. Retrieved 12 June 2017.
  14. ^ "Reconciliation Awards for Business: 2004 winners". The State of Queensland (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships). Archived from the original on 29 August 2007. Retrieved 12 September 2007.
  15. ^ "Q150 | Queensland 150 Must Dos". www.150mustdos.com.au. Archived from the original on 26 April 2012. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  16. ^ Bligh, Anna (10 June 2009). "Premier Unveils Queensland's 150 Icons". Queensland Government. Archived from the original on 24 May 2017. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  17. ^ "Sniper", AFI Catalog, American Film Institute, archived from the original on 23 January 2024, retrieved 23 January 2024
  18. ^ "Research Portal". researchportal.scu.edu.au. Retrieved 2 September 2025.
  19. ^ "5 things you need to know about Celeste". Cinema Australia. 21 April 2019. Retrieved 2 September 2025.
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Paronella Park.

17°39′09″S 145°57′23″E / 17.65250°S 145.95639°E / -17.65250; 145.95639

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Paronella_Park&oldid=1327500569"