Paronella Park, Heritage-listed castle garden in Mena Creek, Australia.
Paronella Park is a site with stone buildings, waterfalls and bridges near Mena Creek in Queensland. More than seven thousand plants grow along the paths that wind through the grounds.
A Spanish immigrant built the complex between 1929 and 1935 and equipped it with a cinema, ballroom and tennis courts. These facilities served as entertainment for the public at a time when such spaces were rare in the area.
The place carries its builder's name and brings together elements of Mediterranean fortress design with Queensland rainforest vegetation. Visitors walk through rooms where parties and social gatherings once shaped the rhythm of local life.
Guided tours run during the day and evening, allowing visitors to choose between different times. Paths sometimes cross uneven ground, so sturdy footwear helps.
The site houses a private hydroelectric plant from 1933 that generates power again after its restoration in 2009. This plant was the first of its kind privately owned in Australia at the time.
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