Paronella Park

Absolutely loved this beautiful place! Hubby not so keen. Each to their own I guess. But I would’ve stayed all day, just sitting watching the waterfall. I thought the entry price was very unreasonable, $56 per adult! We travelled an hour from Cairns just to go there, so it’s not like we could refuse. You get nothing for your money other than nice scenery, which you could get from a book, and you can see everything within an hour or two. Wouldn’t go back, but I was happy that we went.

Outstanding. It is more than the sum of its parts. The history of this place is best "felt" by visiting, and preferably doing the day and night tours. We had done a bit of research before we arrived but it wasn't until we were actually there and looking at the ruins, hearing the history from the Guides that it all fell into place. It was a truly magical experience.The gardens and waterfall are beautiful and if you like fish or turtle feeding they are abundant. If you are traveling by Caravan , Motorhome, camper , or tent etc , you even get a free site overnight in the attached caravan park, so you can easily fit in both day and night tours, or if you arrive late afternoon you can see the evening show and then spend time the following morning seeing the rest of the park. (You actually get a free 2 year pass to come back again if you want) . The owner usually greets you and his passion for the history is incredible. If you do stay (or even just do a day trip) the local Mena Creek hotel serves up amazing food at good prices and has great country hospitality (Kerry and Jason are great).

Paronella Park was a stunning experience. The tour (included in the ticket) was informative, and the park itself is worth the visit. If you are interested in design, landscaping, and botany, you will have a great time. Keep in mind that this isn't a conservation park, and as such, you won't see many animals. The museum is also worth a look. We visited in the afternoon, and there was plenty of shade.

Beautiful location and very impressive garden. The tour guides are great and give a very in-depth historical account of how it all came about. Well worth a visit, and they have plenty of umbrellas on rainy days, so don't miss out!

Beautiful park that has so much history. You are greeted by the owner who's happy to have a chat about the park and grounds, stepping inside there's a small gift shop full of souvenirs , history items and info of the park and snacks. There's a guide that takes you around the grounds before letting you free range with a map. You are also given complimentary turtle fish food to feed the hordes of aquatic life... There's so many photo opportunities and the camera won't truly do the ruins justice. I don't recommend the tunnel of love as its occupied by a massive family of micro bats that smell really bad in saying that the ruins they live in is pretty cool. Flood markers show where the floods have reached over the years also. Such a beautiful place to visit with so much history. Paronella park is a must see while it's still standing as nature is trying to tear her down with fires floods and cyclones. The cafe food smelt amazing , there's accommodation available also. Parking fills up quick and car charges also available for those that need it. Umbrellas supplied and steady shoes are a must on some of the surfaces! Well worth the 1.5 hr drive. Restrooms: Male/ female / baby change toilets behind the Cafe wheelchair accessible.

What an amazing place to visit! We drove up from Mission Beach through beautiful countryside. We were greeted at the door by Mark and from that moment every interaction we had with staff was fantastic. The woman in the jumper who sold us tickets (Mel?) was so friendly, the staff at the cafe were great and our guide Tereza obviously loved her job. Paronella Park itself was awesome - in every sense of the word. The passion, heartbreak, hard work and love that has gone into both building and restoring this place is evident all around. We had a wonderful day here and highly recommend it.

Amazing experience, staff were so lovely and very friendly, the guided tour was great and very informative. I thoroughly enjoyed feeding the fish, turtles, and eel at the base of the falls. The scenery was magnificent, I agree with some of the lower reviews that it's expensive and needs better maintenance, but they look like they are working on the buildings. It's a good experience to do if you are in the area or passing through. Using bug spray is also a good idea . 10/10

Great park amazing history wonderful tours and walk through the park: if in the area it’s a must see. Bill was our day time tour guide and he was entertaining informative and funny. Jose Paronella and family had a dream. When staying there the paddock is a great caravan stop. Had someone park up in our site and the team were able to reassign us a spot and have it sorted out in no time. The amenities are super clean and so many toilets and showers no waiting. Amazing laundry too. Also the pub served a great meal. Not a great fan of the swing bridge over the waterfall into the park.’would be handy for another option to this. Also make sure you not only tour during the day but make it back at night for the night tour. Well worth the evening event. Dog-friendliness: The paddock is pet friendly the park is not but they do seem to have little crates at the front for the dogs to wait while you explore the park.

Loved this place. From the Entry being greeted by the owner, the guided tour.. right through to end. Absolutely beautiful old buildings and trees and water ..stunning. The story of the place and people is so interesting. Cannot wait till go back for the nights camping included in price. Special mention of Leon..our guide. Wonderful. If had one negative is the cafe closing mid afternoon..would have loved a good coffee break halfway thru our visit.

What an amazing place. Dries was our guide for both our day tour and night tour and he was excellent. We enjoyed his storytelling! Highly recommend a tour to get the history and an understanding of the place. We stayed at The Old Church....fabulous! A lovely space and the bed was so comfy. Dinner at the Pub was good to. I really appreciated the call from Paronella Park to check if I needed a booking for dinner. Fantastic day!

Appealing park & waterfall with an interesting history. A couple of man made waterfalls that have an interesting story behind them. We enjoyed a picnic in the grounds. As most visitors are from interstate or overseas it is unlikely they will return, so we think it's a bit steep to pay $57 entry fee including free return entry within 2 years !

Had an interesting day/night here. Did both tours and equally well done we had Julion for both tours and he was well informed and witty. Definitely worth a visit. All staff we met knew their jobs and willing to help out. Also met one of the owners on the night tour, Mark. Love his passion for the place

It's a beautiful park with a lot of history. I really recommend you do a tour to get more information about how these places started and how they still keep it alive. With the tour, the historic you get more of a feeling about why this place is so special. We camped one night on the caravan park as well. The first night is free in the park entrance. We could do a night tour as well and saw everything in a beautiful light. There is a beautiful light show as well. The caravan park was beautiful and very clean. Big abilities, BBQ, laundry, and camp kitchen.

Sensational!!!! Do the day and night tours, really worth every cent. Free night in their camp ground with purchace of a ticket and a great meal at the pub across the road. Very friendly staff, the whole experience was amazing... Restrooms: Clean and well kept facilities Picnic area: Great Cafe area,

This is up there with our top spots in Australia to visit on our 7 month journey so far. An amazing place with a fascinating story. Breathtaking scenery. Great caravan park. Staff were so kind and helpful. Mark greeted us at the door and he was very generous with his time. We got a day and night tour and they were spectacular. The tour guides we had were amazing, funny and friendly.