20210623 Qld Paronella Park

20210623 José Paronella arrived in Australia from Spain, in 1913 and for the next 11 years he worked, cutting sugar cane initially, then purchasing, improving, and reselling cane farms. In 1924 he returned to Spain and married Margarita in 1925 and there trip back to Australia was their honeymoon.
José first saw this 13 acres of virgin scrub along Mena Creek in 1914 were he eventually purchased it in 1929 for £120 and started to build his pleasure gardens and reception centre for the enjoyment of the public.

If you look close up the stairs and near our hats their is a flood level marker indercating the level the floods reached in 1946.

Paronella Park from the top the Mena Creek waterfall, circa 1935, if only it still looked the same.

The suspention bridge over Mene Creek

In 2008, the hydro-electric dam was updated and now generates all the power for the park and puts power back into the grid for neighboring towns.

All of the structures were constructed of poured, reinforced concrete, that was covered with a plaster made from clay and cement, which was put on by hand.

Sooty grunter are sooty-black, ranging to blackish-purple, they're not bad, they even sell fish food to the public so you can feed the many fish and watch them splash around.

The remaining structure of the lower Refreshment Rooms and what was once a tennis court.

The water feature was once a roller scating rik for the guests to have some fun, but has now been changed into a water feature.

Visitors who came to the park in formal cloths used the cubicles to change before swimming but of cause they had doors back then, or did they.😏

Kauri Avenue

Jose and his family planted the pines in 1933 as seedlings known he would never see them fully grown but planted them for the future generation to enjoy.

Arr, how sweet sitting amongst the bamboo, you could at lest smile, grumpy bum.

Saw Shelled Snapping Turtle and did you know they are one of few native animals which successfully preys on Cane Toad.

Heading home across the suspension bridge over Mena Creek Falls.

We decided to stop for a refreshing drink at the local Pub, complaments of Des.🍹

20210624 Leaving to check out the old country pub in Innisfail and camp the night, known as the pub that might just float away, it was built in 1888 and the historic Garradunga Hotel sits next to a railway line and is surrounded by cane fields and is famous for it's resident ghost Athol.

Known locally as the "Original Canecutters' Drinking Place" it has been immortalised in the song "Hey Rain" by Australian singer Bill Scott. The song is all about rain and talks about the pub being anchored down to stop it from floating away.

20210625 After a great nights sleep in our little cubbyhouse we woke to a drizzling day as we  pack up and head to Trinity Park to stay with my son and Annie.

I could be wrong but I'm pretty sure the fly by shoot I took is of Walsh's Pyramid then I found this info:

To the south of Cairns is the highest free standing natural pyramid in the world. You could be forgiven for thinking it is a tree covered man-made pyramid – the shape is almost perfect. But no, this is a natural phenomenon that is one of the most distinctive landmarks for the small sugar-farming town of Gordonvale and is used for hiking. The mountain is 922 metres tall, and quite steep and for experienced hikers the ascent and descent can take around 3 hours. Allow for longer if you are not an avid hiker or if you are taking kids with you. 

A fly by shoot of a rainbow melting into the rain forest.