A Kid’s View – Paronella Park

Paronella park! Where to start? Would you be surprised to hear that Paronella is a medieval castle in the middle of tropical North Queensland? I think you would! The castle was built by a Spanish man named José Paronella in 1933. He grew up listening to his mother tell fairytales of castles, knights and Spanish noblemen.

The castle is in Mena creek, right beside the waterfall. When he built it he also made a hydroelectric generator to power the castle. The castle is very big with 2 waterfalls, a bamboo forest, castle, restaurant, cottage, tunnel of love and a grand staircase that contains 47 steps.

Later, after Jose Paronella died, his wife and son died and the castle was abandoned. A few years later, a couple travelling around Australia found Paronella park and started giving tours even though they had no idea what they were showing people! Then a year later the couple went to a car and asked if she would like a tour and she said “No, let me give you a tour. I am Jose Paronella’s daughter.” And so, the couple learned about the old castle. They continue to manage Paronella park even now. Before the couple got ownership, the council created a suspension bridge over the waterfall in the 1980s. Now that was scary!

At night the park comes alive with a spectacular night show with music created by a quartet string ensemble from Wollongong.

After the night show me and my sister both got a piece of a wall that fell down in Paronella in 2006 because of cyclone Larry.