Paronella Park, QLD, Australia.

One man’s dream to bring a slice of classic Catalonia to northern Queensland.

In 1913 Jose Paronella embarked on a journey across the globe to start a new life. Born in Spain Jose grew up working as a baker but when the chance came his sense of adventure carried him across the ocean and upon his arrival in Australia he settled in Innisfail, Northern Queensland.

Jose worked his way up starting as a sugar cane farmer and eventually buying and selling whole farms for incredible profit. In ‘24 Jose returned home to marry his childhood sweetheart Margarita and the newlyweds spent their honeymoon journeying back to Queensland to pursue Jose’s ambitions.

Purchasing a patch of land in ‘29 next to Mena Creek Falls, for 6 years he laboured with unswerving determination to build his dream castle and in ‘35 it opened to the public. He built a home first on the verge of falls and a picture hall for Saturday movie nights, tea gardens, a swimming pool, 2 tennis courts and even the first hydroelectric powered generator in Queensland fuelled by the power of the falls.

Jose and his family built all this while planting over 7000 tropical plants turning his patch of earth into a rainforest of exceptional beauty, he planted a beautiful Kauri Corridor for his daughter, the Kauri tree is extremely endangered and native only to New Zealand.

Unfortunately, the park was hit by an incredible flood in ‘46 wrecking large parts of the lower grounds. Jose worked hard to restore his dream but it was never the same after his death in ‘48. Repeated floods, fires and Cyclones followed and the park was eventually abandoned in the 70’s until the Evan’s family took over custody of the local wonder in’93 returning it to the stunning condition which Jose Parnella so painstakingly curated.

Today the park is one of the most celebrated attractions in Australia. Jose can be so proud, his dream truly fulfilled.