Saturday, July 07, 2012

 Paronella Park

Another day, another trip, this time we did the loop from Cairns to Paronella Park via Atherton - not a good choice as the road over the range was very windy and when we got to the waterfall circuit, the rain and mist was so heavy that it was impossible to see anything.
We stopped at an enormous curtain fig, which dwarfed Lynn and Pam then headed to Milanda to see the falls there.
 Luckily, when we arrived there, there was a Park Ranger who pointed out this wonderful Tree Kangaroo, browsing in the trees. We had just told Lynn that the chances of seeing this elusive kangaroo were very slim and there he was. Such a great treat. We hardly looked at the falls!

Then it was on to the amazing Paronella Park. I had visited here in '98 and remembered just how special it was then, and it still is. Built by a Spanish dreamer it is just a magic place, with wonderful gardens and an amazing story behind it all. Underneath this waterfall is a Queenland's first hydro electricity plant that produced power years before the local towns had any and his "castle" was a centre for many local activities including movies, wedding receptions, dances with refreshment rooms and changing cubicles for those who wanted to swim. His dream was to build a "theme park" for the local people. After several catastrophic cyclones a fire and floods, the owners now are working to restore many of the features, and the hydro scheme is again operational and powers the whole complex including the caravan park. Really a place worth visiting!  Check it out on www.paronellapark.com.au

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Paronella looks spectacularly beautiful. I can't believe you got to see a tree kangaroo...the locals are sure performing for Lynn. Nicole :)