The House that Jose Built

Our destination today was Paronella Park, completed by Jose Paronella in the 1930s. We had time in the morning to visit Babinda Boulders on the way to Paronella and we were glad we saw these after Mossman Gorge because, in our opinion, they are better. Perhaps this is because the swimming hole is one of the best natural waterholes we've seen and the boulder strewn creek is more accessible than Mossman Gorge.

If you do visit the Babinda Boulders, make sure you visit the Babinda Bakery in town - great pies and buns.

After a quick drive around Innisfail and out to The Coconuts we were on our way to Paronella Park. The entry fee of $42 per person includes a day and a night tour, our motorhome site and a pass out enabling you to revisit many times in the next two years (not including motorhome site). The attached van park is small, so book in advance.

Jose Paronella's story is full of colour and the guides give you snippets as they take you around the park. His imagination was tremendous as evidenced by the buildings and the plantings. I'll let the pictures tell the story.

Paronella Park by day:

Paronella Park by night (slightly blurred as we didn't have a tripod):