Magical Paronella Park
Created in the 1930s by a Spanish emigrant, Jose Paronella, the park has one of the most inspiring stories in Australia: a man who follows his childhood dream of building a castle. As a young fellow, Jose moves from Catalonia to Australia and starts working in sugar farms. After saving some money he starts building sugar farms from scratch and selling them afterwards. After 15 years he is a rich man with 30 000 $ in his pocket (aprox 30 million today) so he starts building his dream – a Spanish themed castle, with a grand ballroom, powered by his own hydro electric generator and framed by magnificent gardens, waterfalls, fountains and bridge.
This place is an evidence that if you follow your dreams they will last for centuries. And the current owners encourage all visitors to do so by offering them a small stone from the castle. “The dream continues.”