Some dream of becoming billionaires, while others dream of climbing Mt Everest. Spaniard Jose Paronella too, had a dream. He dreamt of building a beautiful castle in the lap of nature. He wanted his castle and its surrounding natural beauty to inspire people.
In 1913, Paronella set sail for Australia. He toiled hard and made his wealth by buying, improving and selling sugarcane farms. After 11 years of hard work, he had amassed enough wealth for his dream project. He had found the perfect spot for it too! During his travels in Australia, he had found a picturesque virgin forest alongside the surreal Mena Creek Falls in Queensland. In 1929, Paronella purchased this wonderful property and began to build his dream.
He started by building a Grand Staircase that would help him carry river sand up a hillock where he would build his stone cottage and a castle, inspired by his childhood memories in Catalonia, Spain. Then, he worked on creating a beautiful entertainment area that included a theater, a foyer, a fountain, bridges, tennis courts, a tunnel and refreshment rooms within the castle. He built cozy concrete benches and picnic areas next to the waterfall so that people could leisurely admire its beauty. He envisioned seamlessly fusing nature and concrete. So he planted thousands of trees including an avenue of Kauris that has now grown into towering spires. During this construction period, he also installed the oldest hydroelectric dam in North Queensland.
It took Paronella and his wife, Margarita, a decade to complete the project. Finally in 1935, they opened the park to the public. On Saturdays, they hosted movie nights. Later, they even built a little museum featuring a collection of coins, pistols, dolls, timbers, and keepsakes.
Sadly, life took a tragic turn. In 1946, the park suffered major devastation after a massive flood. But, Paronella didn’t give up. He continued to tirelessly work and redevelop his dream until his death in 1948. Over the years, the park suffered more tragedies, floods, fires, and even a cyclone. With Paronella gone, it became increasingly difficult for his wife and children to maintain and upkeep the park. Even though, his children, and later grand-children tried hard to save the park, they eventually sold it in 1977. Unfortunately, more natural calamities continued to wreck havoc. Finally after a fire and Cyclone Winifred in 1986, the park was closed for good.
Although Paronella had long passed, his dream lived on. In 1993, Mark and Judy Evans decided to reopen the park, and also, Paronella’s dream. The Evans restored the park with the intention of preserving Paronella’s great art. Good days were back again; the park was, once again, open to public.
Today, the park operates several tours throughout day including an evening tour. Wandering the park, admiring the grandeur of Paronella’s castle and other creations, getting acquainted with different tropical trees, plants and flowers, and watching tiny drops of water splutter as the waterfall cascades down, you’ll easily lose track of time. So, it’s essential you come with plenty of time on hand.
Thanks to the Evans, the park has even managed to win more than a few tourism awards. In 1997, it was listed as a National Trust. In 2008, the Evans upgraded the hydroelectric dam and it is now able to generate enough power not only for the park but also for the neighboring towns.
Paronella did not live long to admire the beauty and glory of his dream project in its full potential. But he did manage to build it and inspire people, just like he dreamt. Although Paronella may not be able to see it, he and his dream did get quite the fairytale ending when Australian director Ben Hackworth made a film on him called ‘Ruins of Love’.
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Tags: Australia Nature Queensland
