A Moss Covered Fairytale

It is a sleeping beauty. It is, indeed, a fairytale setting. But this moss covered scenery has its own fable to tell:

Once upon a time there was an adventurous Spaniard who came to Australia to commence a new life. He found this incredible place with this stunning waterfall and decided: "¡Quiero quedarme aquí!"
This was the place to make his dream come true.

He built a park. And because he was not so much of a humble man, he named it after himself: Paronella Park. José Paronella was a man who thought big. He built a castle for his fiancée Matilda.

It took him years. Inspired by childhood memories of Catalonian castles, he also included refreshment rooms, a ballroom, a tennis court. José planted more than 7000 trees, he excavated a tunnel through a hill. Upon returning to Spain he had to discover that Matilda had married another man. But he needed a princess to be the king of his castle. So he married Margarita, Martilda's younger sister.

He walked her through his self-planted Kauri Avenue or sat with her at the riverside watching crocodiles swim by. Or he took her to the top of  the 47-step staircase to let her watch down on their kingdom.

The picnic area would later be opened to the public and soon turn into a popular weekend getaway.  People would be entertained by live bands in the ball room while a massive ball of mirrors spun from the ceiling. Those were roaring times Down Under, in a land far, far away.
 
Almost one hundred years later: The park is weathered and conserved at the same time, as if the moss layer will protect Josés dream from crumbling. It is weather-beaten: several floods, a cyclone and a fire have severely damaged the buildings. However, it just seems like they are sleeping.

When night falls, Paronella Park wakes again. Then you hear the leathery sound of the enormous bats* passing through the gloomy sky and in the beam of your flashlight the spiders look even huger and more frightening than in daylight.

The moss vanishes in the obscurity of the night. Do you hear the piano playing in the ball room, people dancing and laughing?**

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

* This magical scenery was also the place where a pack of flying foxes I recently wrote about chose to dwell.

** Listen to the sounds of Paronella Park

More info about Paronella Park can be found here.
Their night tour is highly recommendable. There is also a camping ground (which is included in the admission fee) where you can stay for the night.