Paronella Park, Mena Creek Falls and Mena Creek Environmental Park

Paronella Park, Mena Creek Falls and Mena Creek Environmental Park are major tourist attractions in the Innisfail region. The park was constructed as a commercial pleasure garden and was designed and built by Jose Paronella. Paronella was influenced by the Moorish architecture and gardens of his native Spain, particularly the Alacazar Garden in Seville and the Botanic Gardens in Madrid. After acquiring the land in 1931, he began by constructing a stair linking the upper and lower portions of the land, and established a tea house overlooking the falls. Then he built a cottage for his family. In 1932, he began work on the Spanish-style Castillo which he believed would attract tourists to the park. It was an ornate building with external staircases, balconies and parapets, and included a small museum and rooftop viewing platform. The castle also contained a theatre/ballroom with a lavish mirror ball. In 1933, Paronella installed a hydro-electric scheme, the first in Queensland, which harnessed the cascade. It supplied power to the property and the township of Mena Creek. Jose and Margarita Paronella were integral to the development of tourism in the district. Paronella Park, a short drive from Innisfail, remains a popular tourist attraction today.