I have lost count the amount of times somebody has said to me “Have you been to Paronella Park?”. We always responded with a no, but we have always wanted to go. Just after Christmas 2015 we set off on a little road trip with the two boys, swags in tow and some basic camping equipment, seeing where the road took us. The road took us to many beautiful places, but this place, this place deserves an absolute solo mention, for when it comes to Tourism, they certainly do tourism well!! Located in beautiful North Queensland, this is place is definitely ‘BUCKET LIST WORTHY’.
I will just tease you with some happy snaps we took as we ventured around the park, as I tell you about how excited we were to finally get here. I could talk for hours about the history of this place, to think about going back in time and the conditions that the original owner went through to create such a magnificent place is simply applaudable. But it truly is somewhere you need to visit yourself to experience the magic, to see it with your own eyes, a place built with one man’s dream, that man being Jose Paronella. {If you would like to read a brief history on Paronella Park, click here}.
The great thing about this place, overnight camping (caravanning/camper/tent/swags) is FREE with your ticket purchase. Yes you heard correctly, you get a powered site FOR FREE when you buy your admission tickets, the facilities are fabulous, clean amenities and a BBQ area at your disposal. We took this offer up, got there late in the afternoon and set up so we didn’t miss the nighttime tour. It’s great because you don’t have to rush through the place. Also, you can get a special card so you can return to visit the park again, FOR FREE within 24 months of your ticket purchase. It doesn’t stop there, if you come back and bring a family or friend to visit the park, you will get a further 24 months to come back for FREE (correct as at January 2016). Now, if that isn’t smart marketing I don’t know what is!!!!!!!! The thing is, even though you’ve seen it once, the incredible (now) owners Mark and Judy Evans are so remarkable that they are constantly preserving the park and the original ballroom will be rebuilt in the near future, that deserves a return trip! I even had the opportunity to have a chat with owner Mark, and his passion for the place sent shivers through my veins. They have big plans to expand the caravan/camping facilities, so there will be plenty of room for you to visit (and bring 10 friends)!!
So, when somebody now asks you “have you been to Paronella Park?” your reply needs to be “not yet, but it is certainly on my to do list”! Help spread the word and sign up to receive their newsletter so you can get regular updates about what’s happening at the park. If you have been, you might want to return, or make sure you tell your friends. Let’s make sure this place is around so Zac & Brett can take their kids to visit in the future!
them to fly us to them rather than come to us. So we had a busy busy week of playing and adventuring, and I survived two plane trips with two kids solo (#gome)!
Very excited at the airport (sad to say goodbye to Corey), we did the ‘obligatory’ family selfie before we boarded, and I made sure I took a quick snap of Bretto, being his first flight and all. I sometimes feel I neglect the little fellow when it comes to snapping him, so I am making a concerted effort to make sure I have lots of photos (second child syndrome).
oved showing him the sand and shells, I don’t want to wish time away, but it will be great when they can run along the beach together!
These shots were taken on Anzac Day at Currimundi Lake, if you are ever on the coast this is a great place to visit. There are no waves (you can walk over the dunes to the ocean side), so great for little people, and even better that you can walk across to the other side and go adventuring. Great sand dunes for rolling down too! We got to see some people landing from their sky dive – they couldn’t of picked a better day! Great to see lots of families together and using SUPs too – I’ve jotted that down on the old bucket list to give it a go at some point 😉
we visited 
always get a snap of the boys together to watch them grow, I hope their closeness remains the same as they get older. Corey didn’t come on this trip so we made sure we sent morning photos!
The Blonde Nomad 