Originally created in the 1930's by José Paronella, a man with a dream, Paronella Park continues to be enjoyed by visitors from near and far. José Paronella arrived in Australia from Catalonia in Spain, in 1913. For the next 11 years he worked, cutting sugar cane initially, then purchasing, improving, and reselling cane farms.” (More on the history of Paronella Park.)
If you go to Far North Queensland, one place I still find magical and can visit time and time again is Paronella Park . It is the most beautiful hidden gem in the middle of the rainforest.
The story of José Paronella and his dream of the park is for the romantics among us and the website (link above) has some photos worth checking out as it is an amazing place.
The indigenous Doolgubudda dancers were far superior to the ones we saw at Tjapukai in Cairns , in my opinion, as it felt more personal in such a small group. You also get a chance to have some great pictures taken with them at the end. All of them are lovely and every time we visit they still remember us.
The kids loved it as well as the staff were so helpful, friendly and loved to get them involved - especially on the bush tucker walk.
Since Cyclone Larry, when the park was damaged, they have cleared most of the paths once again and if anything it is better now, as you can see through to the natural waterfall of Mena Creek Falls from the tea house just as José did in his day.
We’ve also done the night tour which gives the Park a different edge. We were lucky as it was fire fly season, so the ceiling of the tea room was lit up like a starry night - something I had never seen before.
The natural surroundings promote the home life of several species, with one of the main attractions being the little Micro Bats that live in the Tunnel of Love. Each of the kids gets a bag of food to feed the fish and eels found in the lake at the bottom of the falls. At the end of the walk we were given more food to go down and feed the turtles ... the kids thought this was great!
Overall, it is a fantastic family day out which will please everyone from young to old.
