Bookable
An Apollonaut travel guide
Moments in a longer story.
Selected milestones in the history of Paronella Park.
On this page
Dream, disaster and revival
These dates describe the place you can learn about here. They are not a company timeline for Apollonaut.
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1913
From Catalonia
José Paronella arrives in Australia and works in the sugar cane industry.
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1914
Mena Creek
He first sees the land along Mena Creek.
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1925
A marriage
José marries Margarita; the journey back to Australia is their honeymoon.
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1929
The land
José buys 13 acres on Mena Creek for £120.
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1930s
Building the park
The couple build a stone house, the castle and the Grand Staircase, and a hydro-electric plant to power the park.
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1935
Open to the public
Paronella Park opens to visitors.
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1946
A flood
Debris from upstream badly damages the refreshment rooms, the hydro plant and the theatre; the family rebuilds.
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1948
José dies
José Paronella dies; the family carries on the park.
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1977
Sold
The family sells the park.
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1979
Fire
A fire sweeps through the castle, and the park closes for a time.
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1993
New owners
Mark and Judy Evans buy the park and set out to preserve it.
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2009
Power restored
The 1930s hydro-electric system is restored.
Follow the stories behind the dates
A timeline is a beginning. The longer history introduces the people and places; the sources below provide further context.
Read at the source
Sources & further reading
Links lead to the original publishers.
