Having survived our time in Cairns, we awoke, a bit weary from our massive day out yesterday at Kuranda, but loving the fact that it was only a short drive to our next stop. We were heading to Paronella Park, just 108km south of Cairns, just outside Innisfail. The drive was quick and loved the landscapes that lined the road, lush, green and tropical. As we neared Innisfail it was evident that we were in sugar cane country!
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| Love smoking stacks! |
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| Sugar Cane harvest season in action.... |
Marty and l were very excited to be finally going to Paronella Park as we had seen pictures and talked to other families that had stopped in, it just seemed so magical. We hadn't told the girls where we would be camping as we wanted to surprise them. When we arrived, it was a bit of a let down to Marty and l at the girls lack of excitement. We thought they would be more excited than what they displayed at camping near a castle, but l suppose they hadn't quite experienced it yet. We were greeted by lovely friendly staff who gave us great insight and advice at the best way to explore the castle. We booked in for the one night, a total of $137, but that included a powered site and both a day and night tour. Our site was gladly shaded and we were surrounded by huge tropical trees. It really felt like we were in the middle of a forest with so many sounds of bird life creating music in the background.
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| Our tropical camp site... |
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| Bloody always bush turkeys hanging around! |
After setting up we decided to have a quick look around, taking a walk over the suspension bridge to find a narrow path leading down to a tranquil viewing of the waterfalls. I really enjoyed taking pics of the flowing falls, while the girls searched for any eels or turtles swimming around. Great perspective of the Paronella castle from this area.
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| We all tried to rock the suspension bridge... |
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| View of part of the castle from the bridge... |
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| Such a peaceful place.... |
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| Not a bad pic.... |
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| Time to head back... |
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| Cool drought tolerant plants line the paths... |
The girls were eager to head back over to the Paronella grounds to take advantage of their free turtle food. As we headed back over the suspension bridge, it was great to see the girls excited once again. We made our way past the castle and wishing well, down the huge handmade staircase and down the path where we came to the bottom of the castle. This is where the girls fed some greedy fish, they came out of nowhere and seemed like there were hundreds in a matter of minutes! Reckon we should have brought the rods! As the girls were feeding the fish l watched as a photo shoot was taking place, imagine getting married here, the photos would be sensational!
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| Flicking some coins and making a wish.... |
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Look at the finger streaks still remaining
in the concrete! |
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| Looking down the staircase... |
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| From the bottom.....looking up. |
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| Wow...see the suspension bridge up top that we crossed... |
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| Princess posing at its best... |
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| Checking the fish out... |
We could already tell how magical this place is and was back in its prime. It was such a huge property, but easy to get around. As we strolled past the decaying castle we stopped in at the museum to see all the old photos of what this place looked like back in its day. We made our way down a path lined with the most massive trees. As we strolled around the grounds we came to the another building that made us feel like we were back in the 18th century and it had a pond out the front. We finally arrived at the creek where the girls really enjoyed feeding the pig nose turtles and even the greedy eel and fish! On the walk back we walked underneath canopies of trees filled with bats, butterfly's and dragonflies. A really glorious walk back in time!
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| Memorial plaques for Mr and Mrs Paronella.... |
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| Down yet another path....so may layers to this place! |
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| The old changing rooms.... |
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Marty is pulling a face because the sign says
"electric fence"....frightened the crap out of Meg! |
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| Picture doesn't do it justice, beautiful pond..... |
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| Back walking thru the forest to find the turtles... |
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| So tiny amongst the huge trees! |
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| Made it to the feeding area for the pig nose turtles and eels.... |
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| Peek a boo.... |
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| Bloody bush turkeys trying to get some grub! |
On the walk back to the van we came across so much nature and life amongst the forest. We saw beautiful coloured butterflies flapping in the sunlight, dragonflies zooming thru the forest and fruit bats having a snooze up tall in the tree tops....
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| Time to head back....could walk thru here forever! |
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| Gorgeous butterfly on the way back... |
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| Tried to capture the dragonfly too.....quick buggers! |
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Sleep time for the fruit bats.....first time the girls were
quiet on the walk! |
Back at the van we had lunch and decided to catch up on some more school work. The girls actually didn't mind too much which made for an easy time for us. Always harder to complete the schooling when the girls weren't in the right frame of mind. Doesn't happen to often, but with the school year nearly over, Marty and my enthusiasm were wavering as well.
In the afternoon, we took the tour around Paronella Park by a great tour guide who had worked in the park for two years. He was so passionate about retelling the history and story of this grand place, giving us great insight into the magic that was created here. Paronella Park was built by a bloke named Jose Paronella who arrived in Australia in 1913. For the next 11 years he farmed sugar cane around Innesfail, creating much wealth for himself. He had left the love of his life back in Spain, and on exploring the Innesfail area came across some spectacular land around the Mena Creek Falls area that would be ideal for creating his dream he had envisioned for his future wife. On return to Spain he had found that his love had married another, so instead he proposed to her younger sister, Margarita. One year later they returned to Australia and by 1929 Jose had purchased the land of his dreams. He first built the grand 47 step staircase to move materials from the lower to higher levels. He built their cottage nearby and moved in Christmas Eve. He employed several aboriginal men from the Innisfail area to help him build his castle, with the hand made stone they made on site. To this day you can still see the fingermarks on some of the structures in the cement from their hands. In the end he ended up with a lavish castle for his love, even having a movie theatre, ballroom and entertainment areas. He also concentrated on designing several different gardens to surround the castle, all focusing on many different themes. In 1935 he opened the castle to the public and invited everyone to the movies on Saturday night and there where even tennis courts they could use. In 1948 Jose died and left Margarita and their two children behind. Over the years, the park still remained open to the public until a fire swept thru the place in 1979, leaving only the walls standing as a reminder of the majestic place. Then in 1983, a cyclone tested the parks endurance again. It was left deserted and closed until in 1993, a travelling family, The Evans, rediscovered the place, buying it and to this day are continually trying to rebuild and restore the initial castle and vision that Jose Paronella had created all those years ago. It is now heritage listed and the Evans family have made it open to the public, providing a brilliant insight into this beautiful love story.
On the tour, we were taken thru the castle and throughout the glorious gardens. Such a huge property with such history evident. The grounds were magical, felt like you could be a princess strolling thru the grounds in the late afternoon after having a quiet cup of tea near the pond! One part of the grounds walk took us thru a passage lined with massive trees along the path, we felt like tiny ants!
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| Wow..... |
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| View looking up.... |
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| Felt like we were shrunk amongst the ginormous forest trees. |
After the tour, we headed back to the van where we kicked back. The girls rested watching a movie, one of their favourite past times to do. We cooked dinner early to get it done before the commencement of the night tour and whilst l was preparing it, we got chatting to an old war vet who had founded the "VETS" motorcycle group. He spoke of such a fascinating life, being an ex army Sargent who had travelled every desert in Australia. I loved hearing stories of peoples lives, so fascinating and inspiring. I fell in love with his metal masterpiece fixed on the front of his landcruiser. Apparently, it was his emblem design for his bikers group, but he had to take it with him!
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| VETS mascot! |
We just made it in time for the night tour due to us chatting to the bloke for so long, we had to scoff our dinner down and run to the cafe to make it. The guy who took us on the night tour was just as passionate about Jose Paronella's story and retold it brilliantly. Paronella Park looked so amazing lit up at night with all the different coloured lights, really took on a different perspective. The tour guide even took pictures of every family/couple for them, using everyone to shine torches on the people to be photographed to get the most perfect night picture. I totally love this place, feels so magical and tranquil. Could really see why Jose loved the area so much.
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| Time for the night tour! |
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Lucky were on a tour otherwise would
have felt like we were in a horror movie set! |
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| Family pic.... |
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| Girls getting looney! |
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| Gecko we found in the toilets on way back! |
We got back to the van around 8:30pm and hit the hay. It had been yet another big day of exploring and fun. The next morning we woke early, just by chance, and after breakfast took a last stroll around the grounds before heading back to hook the van up. We really loved this place, a pretty unique adventure as we hadn't camped near a castle on this trip yet. Great to explore some different history also, loved the story and passion about this place. It started with Jose Paronella and now continues with The Evans family. Bonus about this place is that our entry ticket has allowed us another free camp if we return in the next 12 months, and free entry and tours for 2 years. Very good value for money we reckon! We will be definitely recommending this place to not only fellow travellers, but also family and friends if they are ever us this way. Great for all ages and the staff are so friendly and helpful, makes for a great tour destination!
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| Strike a pose!!! |
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| Panoramic.... |
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| Pic doesn't do the pond justice... |
Bell Xxx
