Paronella Park History

The Park was officially opened in 1935 to the public. Every Saturday the theater showed movies and with the chairs removed, the place became an ideal place for dances and parties. One of the most unique features was the myriad reflectors. A ball covered with 1270 tiny mirrors was suspended from the ceiling. Around the mid 60s, it ceased to be a theater and it was completely turned into a Hall devoted to weddings and functions.

There was a projection room just above the refreshment rooms and after another flight of stairs was the Paronella Museum. The museum mainly consisted of dolls, coins, pistols and samples of North Queensland tibers. The lower tea Gardens and swimming pool were popular even at that time.

José planted inside the vicinity of 7000 trees. Among them were the majestic Kauris that line Kauri Avenue. A little slope was cut through by a tunnel. The lovely stonework balconies sit above its entrances. To Teresa Falls, which is spring-fed and bears his daughter's name, you must pass through this area.

The brook is surrounded by rocks and is crossed by a few little bridges. There is constantly the sound of water because certain areas have rock cascades. The Hydro Electric generating plant, the first in North Queensland, was established in 1933 and provided power to the entire Park.

Disaster struck in 1946 and a section of bush had been cut upstream of the park, and the branches and logs had been dumped into the creek.

José passed away from cancer in 1948, leaving Margarita, Teresa, and Joe to carry on. Teresa finally got married and relocated to Brisbane with her husband. Joe and Val had two kids, Joe (José) and Kerry, after getting married in 1952.

There was always plenty of work due to renovations and upkeep, and the floods in 1967, 1972, and 1974 increased the workload.Margarita passed away in 1967, and Joe passed away in 1972, leaving Val and the two boys to carry on the heritage of steadfast effort and maintain the dreams.

Sadly, a fire destroyed the Castle in 1979, and the Park was sold out of the family in 1977. The Park was temporarily off limits to the public.

The Park's current owners and operators, Mark and Judy Evans, bought it in 1993 and came up with a strategy to revive it. They treat the Paronella park history as a work of art and focus on preservation and upkeep rather than reconstruction. The Museum, an ongoing effort, has seen a few minor restoration projects completed as well as unearthed and improved paths.

The arduous undertaking to rebuild the historic hydroelectric system of Paronella Park from the 1930s was finished in November 2009. The system once more meets all of the Park's electrical needs for a cost of $450,000. As José envisioned, Paronella Park continues to serve as a public amenity area where people may enjoy themselves while hosting social events, particularly