We pack so many ideas into
each show, it’s nice to take
- .
•
. . .
time to revisit those segments
you haye enjoyed the most
A few simple
tricks can create
the illusion of
age - stone,
•
mossy concrete ■
and close plantin
A
will work well in
V any garden.
i
i s
t e
r f a
v
o
u
r i t e
s
r e t r e a t
Take a trip to the lush, romantic paradise of Paronella Park
O
ne of the reasons w e love
gardens is their ability to
soothe and nourish the soul.
A n d this am azing five-hectare rainforest
garden, near Cairns, Q ueensland, is the
perfect place to im m erse yourself in
the serenity of nature. B u t it also has a
fascinating historical lin k — Paronella
Park was used d u rin g W o rld W a r II
to accom m odate Australian and U S
soldiers o n recreational leave. Today, it’s
a garden to inspire anyone lo n g in g to
create a rainforest retreat of their ow n.
Spanish-style pleasure garden
Situated on the crystal-clear waters of
M ena Creek, south of Innisfail, Paronella
Park was the vision of Spanish immigrant,
José Paronella. José arrived in Australia
from Catalonia in
1913
and spent m any
years cutting sugar cane. In
1929
, he set out
to create a Spanish-style
castillo
(castle) and
commercial pleasure garden in the heart
of the Australian bush. A im e d w ith equal
parts inspiration and determination, he
began to transform a piece of scrubland into
a rainforest garden, complete with cascading
waterfalls, exotic tropical plants, majestic
trees and unique sculptural elements.
190
Photography Paronella Park. iStockphoto
