Paronella Park - Mena Creek

Paronella Park is a must see tourist destination in north Queensland not far from Innisfail.  This beautiful place was the vision of Jose Paronella who made all the structures, mixing the cement by hand and working long hours for many years. It really needs to be seen to be believed and I recommend that you take both a night tour and a day tour to fully appreciate the beauty of Paronella.

On our arrival at Paronella we were greeted by Jo who is very welcoming, friendly and went out of her way to ensure we had a comfortable spot to park our van for the night. The entrance fee to the park also covers one night on a powered site in the Camping Area. If you obtain a pass from the front office you will be able to return to the park for another visit anytime in the next 2 years (a fee applies for overnight camping on return visits).  

After our night tour we walked to Mena Creek Hotel for dinner. There is a swinging bridge over the river between Paronella and Mena Creek Hotel – quite interesting with good views of the falls. If you are not so adventurous you can walk along the side of the old Bruce Highway.

Next morning we joined a 9:30 am tour of the castle – learned of the history etc and took several photos. This is a beautiful spot set among tropical gardens - check out the row of Kauri Pines which were planted many years ago.

The reception area of Paronella has a cafe for coffee and meals with a large covered seating area.  They also sell a great range of gifts, books and souvenirs.